Pre-Health
Connect With UsThe Piper Center supports all pre-health students and graduates on a variety of career paths as they develop into future healthcare professionals. We work holistically with students at all stages of their career exploration, encouraging self-reflection and stressing the importance of intellectual development, personal integrity, and professionalism. Through individual coaching appointments, workshops, and opportunities to explore interests, skills, and goals, Oles build a strong foundation for a competitive application and a meaningful future career.
Acceptance rate of *competitive candidates to medical (MD & DO) schools in 2023-24
Overall acceptance rate to dental schools in the past five years (2019-2024)
MD and DO schools where Oles matriculated in the last complete application cycle (2023-24)
* competitive candidates are defined as having a GPA of 3.7 or above, and an MCAT score of 510 or higher
Internships and Research in Pre-Health
The 2024 Health Scholars at Mayo Clinic.
National Institutes of Health
Mayo Clinic SURF Program
Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP)
National Science Foundation (NSF) – Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Database
Unite for Sight
AAMC Database of Summer Undergraduate Research Programs
Summer Opportunities for Pre-Health Students
Pre-Health and STEM Summer Internships/Research Opportunities (links to Spreadsheet)
Learn more about internships, research opportunities, and fellowships or review the St. Olaf Internship Database to see where Oles have interned over the past five years.
Allina Hospitals & Clinics
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota
Fairview Hospital System
Mayo Clinic
Doctors Without Borders
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Health Corps
Regions Hospital
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration
U.S. Nursing Jobs
Seek out opportunities to explore your interests, gain valuable professional experience, and develop new skills through Student Employment.
What types of roles are there for students?
Check out the Student Employment Guide to learn about roles students currently or have previously held at St. Olaf. There are a wide variety of opportunities!
Here are a few examples:
- Peer support and leadership roles including Junior Counselor/Resident Assistant positions in Residence Life, Peer Educator in the Wellness Center, Peer Advisor in the Piper Center, TRIO Upward Bound summer staff, various roles in Admissions
- Community Work Study positions with local nonprofit organizations, including opportunities at the Greenvale Park Community School, the Middle School Youth Center, and the Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI)
- Program assistant roles with Admissions, Alumni & Parent Relations, Athletics, Theater, the Taylor Center for Equity and Inclusion, Camps, Conferences and Events, and various other departments.
Student Employment Resources
Student Employment Job Board – this is the best resource for identifying current openings on campus. Occasionally, departments will also share opportunities on Handshake.
Student Employment Guide – this guide includes many of the positions that students currently or have previously held at St. Olaf. If you see a position you are interested in, but do not see it posted as a current opportunity on the Job Board you may wish to reach out via email or by stopping in to the office to learn more about the role and hiring process.
Association of American Medical Colleges
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
American Dental Education Association
Physician Assistant Education Association Program Directory
American Occupational Therapy Association
American Physical Therapy Association
American Veterinary Medical Association
Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health
National Society of Genetic Counselors
American Academy of Audiology
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Learn about additional health careers at explorehealthcareers.org.
If you are considering graduate school, explore these pages to learn more and reach out to a Piper Center coach for further discussion.
For students planning a medical experience abroad, it is strongly recommend that you prepare for the experience by viewing this Global Ambassadors for Patient Safety training workshop prior to leaving.
Nursing at St. Olaf
The St. Olaf College Nursing Program takes a holistic approach to the field of nursing; integrating development of the whole person, a commitment to lifelong learning, and service to others. Ole nurses are well prepared for professional practice and/or graduate school to earn advanced degrees. After four years of study, students are eligible to complete the RN licensure examination offered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
(Image on the right) Ole nursing majors using the new nursing department simulation for class.
Coaching and Resources
St. Olaf has a range of pre-health internships from structured shadowing during interim to cohort summer internships at hospitals. The Piper Center has collaborated with organizations from a small private business to a destination medical center to encourage students to explore a range of medical settings.
Please stop by the Piper Center anytime during business hours to have an initial conversation with a Peer Advisor. When you are ready to go further and meet with our Pre-Health career coach, Dana Rechtzigel, please schedule an appointment through Handshake. To meet with Kevin Crisp, Chair of Health Professions Committee, please refer to his Google calendar for drop-in days and times.
Piper Center Events
Dana L Rechtzigel (she, her, hers)
Associate Director, Career Development and Coaching, Pre-Health
Office Hours: M-F by Appointment in Handshake; Drop In's: Thursdays 3-5pm Make An Appointment
View Profile →Paul Edwards (he, him, his)
Associate Director of Career Development and Coaching, STEM
Kevin Crisp
Professor of Biology; Director of Health Professions Committee
Alumni in the Spotlight
The Pain Managers
The patient was a young man, an assistant at a school for troubled youth. One day, a situation at the school got out of hand. A student attacked him, crushing his left hand and breaking his fingers.
Read More
A perfect place to prepare for dental school
Annika Johnson ’18 came to St. Olaf College knowing that with just 66 schools of dentistry in the nation, the application process is extremely competitive — even more so, in many ways, than medical school.
Explore
Opportunities That Have A Real Impact: Rockswold Health Scholars Program
Neurosurgeon Gaylan Rockswold ’62 created a program that gives current St. Olaf students hands-on medical and research experience — and an incredible mentor.
Watch Now
St. Olaf announces 2018 Alumni Award winners
St. Olaf College recently announced its 2018 Alumni Award winners: Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Wendy Helgemo ’91, Alumni Achievement Award recipient Craig Hella Johnson ’84, and Outstanding Service Award recipient Jon Hallberg ’88.
Jon Hallberg ’88 is the medical director of the University of Minnesota Physicians Mill City Clinic and associate professor of family medicine and community health. He recently ended a 21-year tenure as medical director of the Minnesota Twins Employee Assistance Program and has been the regular medical commentator on Minnesota Public Radio’s regional “All Things Considered” since 2003.
Watch Now
Oles in the News: Minnesota Public Radio features St. Olaf’s Rural Health Initiative
St. Olaf junior’s global health nonprofit shortlisted for $1 million award
Health Care in the Heartland
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