Health Professions Advising at Mason

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Exploring Career Options

Advice by Profession

If you have already gone through the links in Starting Here, Starting Now page and you have a particular health profession in mind, then review information on this page before going to the List of Programs by Profession.

The Student Doctor Network Forums have separate sections for many of the health professions.

Note: Allopathic Medicine (MD) is at the bottom of the page.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

There are many practitioners of conventional medicine who also practice complementary or alternative medicine, and some medical schools will also teach information lectures on these techniques.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine encompasses the following professions.

Chiropractic medicine
Naturopathic medicine
Oriental medicine, including acupuncture

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at NIH also has information about research in this profession, including extramurally-funded NIH grants.

The Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges has a very informative website on its medical profession.

The Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine has a website on its medical profession.

The Association of Chiropractic Colleges has a website on its medical profession.

Dentistry

The American Dental Association has a lot of information about careers in dentistry. They even have a nice Infopak on Careers in Dentistry that discusses the differences in the professional practice of medicine (academic, private, government, etc.). If you want to go into academic medicine, there is the Academic Dental Careers Network website.

Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions also has a section for those who want to attend Dental School (DAT).

The Academic Advising Center has an Information Sheet for students pursuing pre-dental preparation.

The American Student Dental Association has resources for predental students who become members of the ASDA.

You can also join Predents.com and take part in their application tracking service.

Genetic Counseling

The National Society of Genetic Counselors has a section on careers for prospective students.

Occupational Therapy

The American Occupational Therapy Association has a website that includes a page on planning for a career in OT.

Optometry

The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry website has a career section for those interested in a career in optometry.

Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions also has a section for those who want to attend Optometry School (OAT).

Optometry Students may also be interested in the section of advice for undergraduates at optstudent.com.

Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)

The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine website has a list of frequently asked questions about the practice of osteopathic medicine.

Pharmacy

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy has a section for prospective students on its website.

Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions also has a section for those who want to attend Pharmacy School (PCAT).

The Academic Advising Center has an Information Sheet for students pursuing pre-pharmacy preparation.

Physical Therapist and Assistant

The American Physical Therapy Association website has a list of frequently asked questions for those interested in a career as a Physical Therapist or Physical Therapy Assistant. There is also a webpage on Careers in Physical Therapy.

Physician Assistant

The American Academy of Physician Assistants website has a list of frequently asked questions and an information brief for those interested in a career as a Physician Assistant.

The Academic Advising Center has an Information Sheet for students pursuing pre-PA preparation.

One should also review the Virginia Board of Medicine's list of approved schools that have approved pharmacology programs. This makes it easier for graduates to have authority to prescribe medications.

Podiatry

The American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine has a list of frequently asked questions for those interested in a career in podiatry.

Public Health

The Association of Schools for Public Health has a website for those interested in a career in public health.

Veterinary

The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges website has advice on careers and academic preparation that interested students ought to read.

The Academic Advising Center has an Information Sheet for students pursuing pre-veterinary preparation.

Allopathic Medicine (M.D.)

The Association of American Medical College website has a comprehensive website for prospective and current medical students. All students interested in applying to allopathic programs should read through this site.

The Academic Advising Center has an Information Sheet for students pursuing pre-medical preparation.

The test preparation companies also provide career-preparatory advice on their websites.