Earn a bachelor’s degree from Knox and a master’s degree in nursing from Rush University College of Nursing that prepares you for RN and CNL certification. Complete prerequisite coursework at Knox with a minimum 3.0 GPA, and earn a guaranteed place in Rush’s program.
Medicine
Interested in a future career as a doctor, nurse, physician assistant, physical therapist, optometrist, dentist—or some other health-related field? Start here.
Course Spotlight
Students planning on medical school aren’t restricted to any particular major, but you will need to pursue coursework that prepares you for standardized exams like the MCAT and for medical school admission.
- BIOL 130 Molecular Biology and Genetics
- CHEM 100 , CHEM 101, CHEM 102 Integrated General Chemistry
- BCHM 301 Biochemistry I: Structure and Function
- CHEM 211 Organic Chemistry I
- HLTH 212 Medical Anthropology
- Pre-Health Educational Plan
Cooperative Programs
Working in healthcare nearly always requires an advanced degree. While Knox can help you win admittance to medical schools across the country, we also have strong relationships with the institutions the following institutions that can make the transition to the next step in your education easier.
Spend three years at Knox, where you’ll take required coursework in the life sciences, psychology, statistics, physiology, and the social sciences. Then join the occupational therapy program at Washington University in St. Louis as a full-time student. You’ll graduate a full year sooner than a traditional graduate program in occupational therapy.
Begin work toward a doctor of optometry degree after just three years at Knox. Students must complete a required slate of science, statistics, psychology, and mathematics coursework to apply.
There’s more to health than hard science. Explore the psychological, cultural, spiritual, economic, and ethical factors that affect health at both the personal and population-wide levels for a more holistic understanding of what it means to give care.
Explore Different Health Professions at Knox
You’ll need additional education to pursue a health career after leaving Knox—but your dedicated pre-health advisor can help you determine which profession is right for you while you’re an undergraduate. Take advantage of our many shadowing programs and get a better understanding of the day-to-day experience of healthcare professionals as they work with patients. You’ll not only get a clearer understanding of whether a particular role is the right fit for you. You’ll also get the kind of practical experience that graduate health programs value most in applicants.
Spend 1–3 days during spring, winter, or summer break shadowing in various specialties and units within a regional hospital or clinic. Previous placements have included public health departments, Graham Hospital in Canton, Illinois; and Memorial Hospital in Carthage, Illinois.
You can receive valuable shadowing experiences within reach of the Knox campus. Galesburg is home to two sizable healthcare systems that frequently host students who want to explore a wider range of career options.
Spend two weeks at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria’s JUMP Trading and Simulation Center attending “medical boot camp.” You’ll interact with patients, conduct physical exams, diagnose illnesses, and learn to solve problems on the fly. You’ll even learn how to perform an ultrasound, suture a wound, and intubate a patient.
You can become a working healthcare professional before you even graduate through CNA or EMT certification—the kind of experience that will make you stand out when applying for graduate programs.
Knox occasionally offers an EMT-B certification course on campus that prepares you for the EMT-B National Registry Exam, qualifying you for a license in most states. CNA training is available through Carl Sandburg College and the Galesburg Area Vocational Center.
What Our Pre-Health/Medicine Alumni Are Doing
They’re going on to medical school, nursing school, optometry school, and more. They are also educators themselves. Cardiologist Rick Nishimura, M.D. ’75 won the Mayo Clinic’s Outstanding Cardiovascular Diseases Teacher Award so often that it was renamed the Dr. Rick Nishimura Teacher of the Year Award.
- Brendan Powers ’20 MSN, CIL | Registered Surgical Nurse, Riverside Medical Center
- Courtney Dramm ’19 P-AC | Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant, TeamHealth
- Eric Espinoza ’19 | Clinical Research Specialist, University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Alyssa Stepanian-Anderson ’18 RN | Labor & Delivery Nurse, Northwestern Memorial Hospital
- Kelly Feng ’21 | M.D. Candidate at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Real-World, Hands-On Learning Experiences
Health Research
Learn how working scientists explore new treatments, evaluate the effectiveness of existing therapies, and improve healthcare delivery. Pre-health students take on faculty-guided research projects across all disciplines, from learning the basics as part of a collaborative research team to taking on more intensive work through the Knox Summer Scholars programs.
Study Abroad
Pre-health students often pursue a rigorous course load—but there are still plenty of opportunities to study abroad while you’re at Knox. From short-term immersive experiences like working at a clinic in Oaxaca, Mexico, to spending an entire semester studying public health in Denmark, you’ll develop a deeper understanding of global health practices and deepen your understanding of your future career options.
Community Service
Community service is a requirement for every Knox student—and there are many local service opportunities for students who want to pursue a health career. Volunteer at a local hospice. Work with kids at an after-school program. Teach an exercise class at a local senior center. Whatever you’re passionate about, you’ll find a way you can make a difference.
Pre-Health in the News
Find out what our Pre-Health/Medicine students and professors are up to.
Jump Program Puts Knox Students Ahead for Medical School
Over the course of two weeks, they attended lectures, skills courses, simulations, and focused learning sessions on the fundamentals of healthcare.
Ignite the Fire: Knox College's First Pre-health Student Conference
Participants got expert advice from alumni on choosing the right healthcare career, networked with local healthcare providers, and took part in interactive workshops about study strategies, test preparation, and managing the pressures of being a pre-health student.
Healthcare Beyond the Classroom: Knox Pre-Med Students Scrub In To Immersive Shadowing
A range of programs introduced students to occupational and physical therapists, explored geriatric medicine, and took them to public health departments across the region.
We know the secret to getting into med school.
It starts with working closely with our pre-health advisors. Contact us for more information about opportunities, course work, and where a Knox degree can take you.
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