Health Professions Advising

JOIN THE HPA HUB ON CANVAS

• Please complete the brief enrollment form to be added to the HPA Hub on Canvas to be notified of events and opportunities of interest and to access informative materials.

HPA 101 AND 202 INFO SESSIONS

• We encourage you to attend one of these sessions prior to advising so that your individual advising session will be more productive. These 60-minute info sessions are held during fall and spring semesters. See details and schedule on the HPA events calendar.

HPA ADVISING THROUGH APPOINTMENTS AND DROP-IN

• In accordance with the Virginia Tech COVID-19 information for the university community, HPA appointments and drop-in advising are conducted by phone or Zoom until further notice.

Appointments by phone or Zoom

• To schedule, call 540-231-7287. Leave a message if you call outside of office hours or we're on another call.
• Conducted by phone or Zoom.
• Typically 30 minutes long.
• Typically held 8:30 a.m.-noon, and 1:30-4:30 p.m.

Drop-in by Zoom

Fall 2020 dates: Mon. Aug. 31, to Thur. Dec. 17, 2020.

• Mondays 2-3 p.m., Zoom link.
• Tuesdays 11 a.m.-noon, Zoom link.
• Wednesdays 10-11:30 a.m., Zoom link; RESUME REVIEW and GAINING EXPERIENCE ONLY.
• Wednesdays 3-4:30 p.m., Zoom link.
• Thursdays 1-2 p.m., Zoom link.

HPA STAFF

• Ms. Carol Robinson  |  Director of Health Professions Advising
• Ms. Annie Laib Jenkins | Assistant Director of Health Advising
• Ms. Melissa Obenhaus  |  Health Professions Advising Program Coordinator

CONTACT US

For questions or administrative assistance:

• Email HPA@vt.edu, OR
• Call 540-231-7287
  [Leave a message if you call outside of office hours or we're on another call.]
• We'll respond to messages and emails during office hours.

OFFICE LOCATION

Health Professions Advising is located within Career and Professional Development in the Smith Career Center. All our services are by phone, email, and Zoom.

• HPA offers general information sessions and opportunities to meet with health professional school reps, and on-demand videos.
• See the HPA events calendar. 
• Complete this brief enrollment form and we will add you to the HPA Hub so you receive information on event offerings.

CAREERS IN MEDICINE CLASS

• 1-credit | A-F graded | fall semester only
• Course: BIOL 1214.
• Fall 2020: Wednesdays, 5:30-6:20pm.
• Open to any interested VT student.
• A variety of health professionals and admissions officers speak to the class about careers, preparation and admission processes.

EXPLORE HEALTH CAREERS

• NIH: Explore health & medical science careers
• Health career info includes the specific professions listed below (and more).
  • Chiropractic
  • Dentistry
  • Medicine overview:
    • Allopathic (M.D.)
    • Osteopathic (D.O.)
  • Nursing
  • Occupational therapy
  • Optometry
  • Pharmacy
  • Physical therapy
  • Physician assistant
  • Veterinary medicine
  • And other graduate health professions

UNDERGRAD PREPARATION

• Timeline: what to do from first year through senior year of your undergrad program.
• Academic, extra-curricular, and co-curricular prep.
• FAQs about getting admitted, undergraduate academic preparation, getting experience, and the application process.

APPLYING

• Tips & resources
• Admission exams
• Letters of recommendation
• FAQs about getting admitted, undergradute academic preparation, getting experience, and the application process.

HEALTH PROFESSIONS EVALUATION COMMITTEE [HPEC]

Many health professional schools/programs expect, encourage, or accept, as part of the admission application process, a "committee letter of evaluation" (also known as a "committee letter") that is written by the applicant's undergraduate institution. The Health Professions Evaluation Committee (HPEC) at Virginia Tech exists to write these "committee letters." The HPEC writes such letters only after a process which includes a formal interview with the student-applicant.

• More about HPEC
• Deadlines & process for students
• Information for assessors

• HPA FAQs about getting admitted, undergraduate academic preparation, getting experience, and the application process.
• HPA FAQs related to the impact of COVID-19 on preparing for and applying to health professional school.

Usually, these decisions are made on a school-by-school basis.  Please consult with your professional programs of interest to inquire if modifications for online courses are being made due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although research, observation, and patient care experiences may be limited due to guidelines on social distancing, there are other ways for you to make progress toward your professional-school goals:

• Investigate professions programs. Now is a perfect time for you to get familiarized with specific professional programs of interest.
• Focus on your community. Do your friends or neighbors need help with childcare? Do you have an elderly community member who would appreciate regular phone calls to check in? Are you technology-savvy and able to volunteer your time remotely? Think of ways to serve your community within the current environment.
• Reflect and journal. Reflect on the experiences that you have already had. What have you accomplished and what impacts have you made? What qualities did you demonstrate? What did you learn from your experiences? Write this down to save for later when you will be writing personal statements and descriptors.
• Read and expand your understanding of others. Take this time to read some books surrounding your professional interest area. You may also consider reading to expand your cultural awareness. Perhaps you could even create a book club to discuss what you read with peers.
• Learn for free. There are several opportunities to take free online courses. For example: 
  • Harvard offers a class about pandemics.
  • Yale offers a class on the essentials of global health.
  • Johns Hopkins has a class on community change in public heath.
  • See more options at Coursera, FreeCodeCamp, and LinkedIn Learning.

In general, for prerequisite and science courses, some schools may request that those be taken with an A-F grade mode. With that said, other schools may be making adjustments to their usual policies based on the current COVID-19 situation. At this time, there is no clear consensus as to whether health professional programs will be willing to accept novel grade modes.

If you would like to discuss your particular situation with an advisor, please feel free to attend HPA drop-in advising or schedule an appointment with an HPA advisor.