Why Choose Furman University for Training in the Health Careers?
THE CALENDAR: The academic year at Furman consists of three terms. The fall and spring terms are 12 weeks long. The winter term is eight weeks. During the fall and spring terms a student usually takes 12 semester hours (three courses); during the winter term, 8 semester hours (two courses). Depending on the nature and level of the course, class meetings are scheduled up to five times a week, Monday through Friday. Typically, class periods are 50 minutes in the fall and spring terms and 75 minutes in the winter term. This schedule give the pre-health student great flexibility in the scheduling of classes. Some of the benefits of the schedule are:
1. Flexibility in Scheduling-A Furman University student will have 12 terms of classes in four academic years as opposed to 8 terms as seen in schools using the traditional semester system. This allows for greater flexibility in designing a course schedule and can greatly enhances the ability of a student to major in non-science fields and attend foreign study programs.
2. More Focus on Fewer Courses Per Term-3 courses (50 minute classes, Monday through Friday) during the fall and spring terms and 2 courses (75 minute classes, Monday through Friday) during the winter term.
3. Only 2 or 3 final exams to study for at the end of each term – Since students usually take 3 courses during the fall and spring terms and 2 courses during the winter term, a student can expect to study for a fewer number of exams at the end of the term as compared to a student under a traditional semester system.
4. More Class Time Means Better Preparation – Since Furman Students attend class five days per week, they spend more time with their professors learning course material. For example, fall and spring terms typically have 55 class days while a traditional semester system would only have 48 class days.
5. Less Time to Complete Course Sequences- a student pursuing a career in medicine needs 8 science courses to prepare for the MCAT and fulfill medical school requirements. If one science course is taken each term, the student will be finished with these classes at the end of the winter term in their junior year. The MCAT is typically taken during the spring of the junior year. Thus, the necessary courses can be completed before the MCAT.
6. Can Wait Until End of Sophomore Year to Declare a Major- You will have 6 terms still left in your Junior and Senior years to schedule courses in the major or acquire more prerequisite courses for professional school. Again, this gives you more flexibility in your scheduling of classes. It also allows you to take advantage of Travel Study courses.
7. Off-Campus Courses & Foreign Study – By having three terms each year with only 8 or 12 semester hours per term one's schedule can accommodate off campus credit courses. Many students participate in the many Travel Study courses offered by Furman University faculty as well as programs like Australia Learn. For a complete listing of these courses visit the Furman University International Learning web page.
8. More Time Slots For Extracurricular Activity – There are four things that will be important when applying to a health related professional school: (1) your academics – courses, and grade point average, (2) your professional exam – MCAT, DAT, GRE, PCAT, and OAT (3) your experience in the field – shadowing, and (4) your volunteer work. Since you will be taking either 3 courses in Fall or Spring and 2 courses in the winter term, you will have time to organize an active volunteer program as well as participate in other campus activities such as music groups, athletics, the Collegiate Educational Service Corps (CESC), etc..
PROGRAMS: As mentioned in #8 above, there are fours important aspects of your preparation for professional school. These include (1) your academics – courses, and grade point average, (2) your professional exam – MCAT, DAT, GRE, PCAT, etc. (3) Your experience in the field – shadowing, and (4) Your volunteer work. Furman’s emphasis on academics and engaged learning will help fulfill the third and fourth requirement.
1. Collegiate Educational Service Corps (CESC)-Founded in 1965 by Betty Alverson, the CESC was designed under the leadership of six students as a broad-based community service organization. Divided into ten divisions, CESC is designed to reach almost every segment of the Greenville population, from elementary school children to senior citizens. It gives students a chance to divert energy from busy personal lives and focus attention on a community in need. CESC has experienced substantial growth since its founding three decades ago. Today, CESC has grown to over 1500 student volunteers in 90 agencies.
2. Furman Advantage Funds- The Furman Advantage Intern Fellowship Program offers students an opportunity to work during the summer in a field related to their career goals. Most of the awards are for a 10-week/40 hours per week internship.
3. Greenville Hospital System – University Medical Center- The Greenville Hospital System and associated University of South Carolina School of Medicine provides internships for Furman University students during the summers and academic year. Also, many of the 3rd and 4th year medical students, residents, or medical school faculty are speakers for many of the Alpha Epsilon Delta programs.
4. Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Health Honor Society- Alpha Epsilon Delta is the largest collegiate honor society in the world for pre-health career students. Furman University’s chapter, South Carolina Beta, was founded in 1938. Since that time, AED has been the cornerstone of pre-health education at Furman. AED serves three vital roles for students by providing advising, service opportunities, and informational events. Furman AED is vital in building a sense of community among students with the unique and demanding goal of entering health care.
5. Medical Ethics (Phl 28) and Medical Sociology (Soc 44)- This is a combined set of course offered every other winter term. These two courses focus on the major moral issues in our health care delivery system (Phl 28) and provide an introduction to the sociological study of medicine and the applications of sociology in medicine (Soc 44). These courses include fieldwork in the Greenville Hospital System as well as classroom discussion. This is a powerful pair of classes not offered anywhere else in the
ASSISTANCE: At Furman, you will have an Academic Advisor to help you plan your education, both short term (as in which classes to take next semester) and long term (as in what you want to do after Furman). In addition, the Health Professions Office is available to help you (1) evaluate your situation, (2) plan your curriculum, and (3) recommend appropriate experiences such as Independent Study Internships or Research
1. Consolidated Health Career Advising- Furman University maintains an Office of Health Professions which is staffed by two professors and a departmental assistant. The Office of Health Professions handles any of the over 30 major health professional fields, such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, optometry, pharmacy, and nursing. The Office of Health Professions helps coordinate on campus visits by professional schools and runs workshops dealing with the application process, writing of one’s personal essay, and interviewing.
2. Chief Health Professions Advisor- Dr. John Banisaukas is an active member of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions. Dr. Banisaukas coordinates all aspects of the Health Professions at Furman University. He aids students in course scheduling, organizes speakers and visits by professional school admission counselors, and is the faculty advisor for Alpha Epsilon Delta.
3. Health Professions Internship Coordinator – Dr. Christine Schammel works with students who wish to do internships in the health professions. She helps the students organize hospital rotations, coordinates times for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) training, and obtain necessary immunizations before students begin their hospital work.
4. Health Career Web Site: Furman University maintains a comprehensive web site with information students need in order to successfully pursue a career in medicine and other health related fields. It is highly recommended that you take some time now to peruse the site to see the courses, experiences, and future professional schools in which you might be involved.
5. Health Careers Registry- In order to better help students prepare for a health career, it is desirable that Furman students sign up in the Health Careers Registry. This can be done at any time in the office of the Chief Health Professions Advisor (Dr. John Banisaukas -- PH 224). Students so registered will receive the information they need about programs of interest to them. Signing up for the Health Careers Registry will put you on the First Class email list by which the Office of Health Professions informs students of upcoming events.
6. Professional Development: The Health Professions Office also helps students develop their curriculum vitae and professional etiquette through specific workshops held at Furman University.
Courses Required for Admittance to Medical School
If you are interested in pursuing a career in the health sciences you will need to complete the following courses before taking the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) or other health profession exams (DAT, VCAT, PCAT, OAT, etc.) in the spring of your Junior year. Specific course requirements will vary with the health profession discipline. It is important to start early in your career looking at the web sites for specific disciplines and schools.
3 Biology Courses:
- Bio 11: Foundations of Biology or have AP or IB Biology Credit
- Bio 21: Genetics
- Bio 37: Human Physiology
4 Chemistry Courses:
- Chm 11: Foundations of Chemistry I
- Chm 12: Foundations of Chemistry II
- Chm 21: Foundations of Chemistry III
- Chm 22: Molecular Structure
- Phy 11: General Physics I
- Phy 12: General Physics II
2 English Courses:
- Eng 11: Composition
- Eng 12: Reading Literature (or another upper level English course)
Many schools also require 1 or 2 courses in Math [Pre-Calculus (Mth 10 & 11s), Calculus (Mth 11 or Mth 12), or Statistics (Mth 30)]
Information in these two tables is based on data from years 2002-2005.
Some of the Medical Schools Attended by Furman University Students
| Alabama | University of Alabama - Birmingham School of Medicine South Alabama |
Connecticut | University of Connecticut |
| District of Columbia | Georgetown University - School of Medicine George Washington University |
Florida | University of Miami University of Florida University of South Florida |
| Georgia | Medical College of Georgia
Emory University School of Medicine Mercer University |
Illinois | Northwestern University Feinburg School of Medicine University of Chicago |
| Indiana | Indiana University | Kentucky | University of Kentucky University of Louisville |
| Louisiana | Tulane University | New York | SUNY at Buffalo |
| North Carolina | University of North Carolina The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University Wake Forest University School of Medicine Duke University |
Maryland | Johns Hopkins Uniformed Services |
| Massachusetts | Harvard University | Missouri | Saint Louis University School of Medicine Washington University School of Medicine University of Missouri |
| Ohio | Wright State University | Oklahoma | University of Oklahoma |
| Pennsylvania | Drexel University College of Medicine | South Carolina | Medical University of South Carolina University of South Carolina |
| Tennessee | East Tennessee State Vanderbilt University University of Tennessee |
Texas | Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine |
| Virginia | University of Virginia School of Medicine Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine Eastern Virginia Medical School |
Vermont | University of Vermont |
| West Virginia | Marshall University West Virginia University |
Areas for which Furman Provides Prerequisites and Advisory Service
| Allopathic & Osteopathic MEDICINE AUDIOLOGY BIOMETRY CHIROPRACTIC CYTOTECHNOLOGY DENTISTRY ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH EXTRACORPORAL .CIRCULATION TECH./PERFUSIONIST HEALTH EDUCATION |
HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATION INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE MEDICAL TECHOLOGIST/ CYTOTECHNOLOGIST MEDICAL ILLUSTRATION MEDICINE NURSING NUTRITION OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY OPTOMETRY |
PHARMACY/PHARMACOLOGY PHYSICAL THERAPY PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PODIATRIC MEDICINE PUBLIC HEALTH RADIOLOGIC TECHNOLOGY RESPIRATORY THERAPY SPEECH PATH/AUDIOLOGY VETERINARY MEDICINE |
What Should High School Students be Doing to Prepare for a Career in Health or Medicine?
1. Take a full course load for all four years of high school. Take as much Math, Science, and English as possible. These courses will prepare you for college work and for taking professional school exams like the MCAT (Medical Collage Aptitude Test).
2. Participate fully in Advanced Placement courses or International Baccalaureate courses. These courses will give you a good feel for what is expected in college. Also, in many cases you will come to college with credit for these classes that will allow you to move more quickly through the required college courses.
3. Show leadership skills by holding office in student organizations.
4. Show your passion for medicine by volunteering in the health fields.
5. Show your ability to function successfully outside your socioeconomic group. Again, do volunteer work in areas that allow you to work with people.
Contact
Dr. John "TJ" Banisaukas
Chemistry Department
Furman University
Greenville, SC 29613
(864)294-3042 Voice
(864)294-2084 Department
(864)294-2058 FAX