Pre-Medicine

Choosing a Major 
Upon starting your undergraduate education, one of the first decisions you are faced with is choosing a major. It is important to choose a major that you both enjoy and can excel in academically. To prepare for medical school, you have the option to select the UCCS Pre-Medicine Track. 

Click Here to access the Program Catalog for the Pre-Medicine Track Information

IMPORTANT: The Pre-Medicine Track is not a major or a minor, but a listing of prerequisite courses and recommendations needed to be eligible for admission to the University of Colorado School of Medicine at the Anschutz Medical Campus: http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/medicalschool/

Other medical schools may have different requirements.  Students should check admissions requirements for all schools to which they plan to apply. For more information about medical school and osteopathic school requirements, visit: Required Premedical Coursework and Competencies | Students & Residents and Choose D.O. Explorer | AACOM

Completion of requisite coursework does not guarantee acceptance into any professional degree

Coming Soon! 

• The Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics (CASPer) exam is a situational judgment test designed to assess one's personal and professional attributes, including: Collaboration, Communication, Empathy, Equity, Ethics, Motivation, Problem Solving, Professionalism, Resilience, and Self Awareness. 
   
  • It is a virtually proctored assessment. Each section contains a video-based and word-based scenario and open-ended questions.

  • For more information, visit: About Casper - Take Casper 

     

Shadowing 

• Shadowing provides an opportunity to follow and observe a physician as they perform their jobs and to gain a “day in the life” perspective. 

• When identifying a physician to shadow, many students select a general practitioner of family medicine or internal medicine to gain an overall perspective. If you find yourself interested in a particular field, you can opt to seek out physicians that specialize in that area or similar fields. 

• If you have a relationship with your own doctor(s), or know any doctors, it is often best to start by asking them if they are open to providing shadowing opportunities. Use your network- friends and family and you can also ask your teachers, professors, and advisors if they know any doctors that other students have shadowed in the past. 

• To learn more about shadowing, visit: Shadowing a Doctor | Students & Residents

Clinical Experience 

• Another way to get clinical experience is to seek out entry-level employment or earn a certification to work in the healthcare field. More information about some of these opportunities can be found here: Entry Level Healthcare Jobs and Certification Info | T. Rowe Price Career and Innovation Center

• To read more about gaining clinical experience options, visit: Five Ways to Gain Experience Without Shadowing | Students & Residents

Community Engagement and Volunteer Opportunities:

• Volunteerism is another way to strengthen your medical school application.

• Numerous nonprofit and community organizations offer volunteer opportunities. View the Resources Tab for links to local organizations that may provide such opportunities. 

Research

• Conducting research is another way to enhance your medical school application. You should not pursue research just to ‘check a box’ but rather because you are interested in the competency of scientific inquiry. A good way to find out about research opportunities is to reach out to the faculty.

• • Department of Biology:
   https://biology.uccs.edu/research

• • Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry:
   https://chemistry.uccs.edu/undergraduate/chemistry-and-biochemistry-research

• • Human Physiology and Nutrition: 
  Go to your faculty members directly for research interest. Check their website here for current internship opportunities: https://johnsonbethel.uccs.edu/hpnu-programs

• • UCCS Center for Student Research: 
  https://studentresearch.uccs.edu/

• • CU Anschutz Opportunities for Undergraduate Students: https://www.ucdenver.edu/lynxconnect/undergraduate-research/other

• Research and Course Credit: 
  In some instances, you can line up academic and/or laboratory research with course credit. Students can enroll in a Research Practicum with a faculty mentor to earn credit for research.  You can also earn credit for your Research or Creative Work and Register for 9499. The course will appear as ‘Undergraduate Research’ on your transcript. Reach out to the UCCS Center for Student Research at: email- CSR@uccs.edu