The Bryn Mawr 101: Health Professions Advising Office (HPAO)

Bryn Mawr's Health Professions Advising Office (HPAO) provides individualized guidance, workshops, and resources to prepare students for success in any health-related career. Below, the office shares more about the resources offered.

Can you start by introducing your office—its name, mission, and the role it plays at Bryn Mawr? 

Bryn Mawr’s Health Professions Advising Office (HPAO) includes two units –Health Professions Advising, which provide resources and assistance to undergraduates and alums interested in any of the health professions, and the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program, which enables “career changers” to prepare for medical school.  

How does the liberal arts environment shape a student’s preparation for a career in health professions?  

The liberal arts environment is an ideal context to prepare for the health professions. It offers students a firm foundation in a broad array of disciplines, equipping students with tools to understand complicated situations, to adapt to new technical knowledge, to think critically, and to become agents of change in healthcare. 

How does your office support students who are considering a career in health professions? What resources and opportunities are available? 

HPAO helps students pursue the courses and the experiences to explore and to prepare for health professions programs. We help students realize and cultivate the broad array of intrapersonal, interpersonal, analytic, and scientific competencies that schools seek.   

We offer practical information, resources, and personalized advising for students at every stage of their preparation. We anticipate significant concerns, such as integrating prehealth courses with major requirements, gaining experience outside the classroom during the academic year and the summer, and considering preparation for standardized admission tests. We provide support for all phases of the application process, including individual feedback and preparation as well as a letter supporting all our applicants to the health professions schools that require this. Our support extends beyond graduation to help our alums.  

"We provide support for all phases of the application process, including individual feedback and preparation as well as a letter supporting all our applicants ..."

HPAO supports Health Interest Programming (HIP), bringing together undergraduates and postbaccalaureate premedical students to plan events related to healthcare. For undergraduates and alums, HPAO offers sessions about health professions training in various fields. 

Bryn Mawr offers several health-related combined-degree partnerships, including: 

• 4 + 1 Master of Bioethics (MBE) Program at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Students apply after sophomore year and take up to 3 courses towards the degree as an undergraduate. 
• 4+1 Master's Programs at the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH). 
• BUSPH Select Scholars program offers accelerated master's degree 4+1 programs:
• A Master of Science (MS) in Population Health Research with several specializations or a Master of Science in Applied Biostatistics
• Also, students can earn a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in 4+1.5 to 2 years.
• Students apply during their senior year. Among the program benefits is consideration for scholarships to support up to 50% of tuition
• Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing MSN Entry into Nursing Program. This facilitates the path for our students to pursue an accelerated MSN degree at Hopkins. Students take prerequisites while at Bryn Mawr and apply to this program during their senior year.  

What should incoming first-year students know about the pre-health track before arriving on campus? 

Incoming students do not need any specific knowledge about the “prehealth track” before they reach campus. Joining our community with curiosity and an openness to learn new things and to gain new experiences will prepare students for the next steps!  

Who are the members of your Office’s team, and how can students connect with them? 

We encourage all students and alums to meet with the Health Professions Advisor. Our office includes staff who support undergraduates and postbaccalaureate students. HPAO is in Park Science building, where many prehealth courses meet. Stop by the HPAO lounge for prehealth students; check out our written resources; grab a cup of coffee and help yourself to some candy! Sign up for our prehealth list serv and we’ll give you a special gift for prehealth students!  

"... students can select majors in various fields while completing the requirements for standardized tests and courses for graduate training."

Are there any common misconceptions about being a pre-health student at Bryn Mawr that you’d like to clear up?  

• It is never too early to begin planning for health professions. Early planning makes it easier to engage in special opportunities, such as study abroad, and helps you to avoid potential pitfalls.
• There is no “premed” or “health professions” major. With planning, students can select majors in various fields while completing the requirements for standardized tests and courses for graduate training.
• The pre-health community at Bryn Mawr is supportive and collaborative, with STEM faculty who are dedicated to student success and students who seek to encourage and learn from their peers.