Completing the Biomedical Studies Concentration

Completion of a Biomedical Studies Concentration requires not only a set of courses but also a set of experiences including career research, practical preparation, and a senior capstone project. This contract: 1) will help you organize your concentration requirements; 2) contains information about pertinent resources; 3) serves as a contact point between you, the Biomedical Studies Coordinator (Dr. Jean Porterfield), and the Center for Experiential Learning (particularly Sandy Malecha). You are encouraged to let the Biomedical Studies Coordinator (BSC), Center for Experiential Learning (CEL) staff, and others (including members of the St. Olaf College Health Professions Committee) help you in achieving your goals. This page is organized as follows:

A PDF version of the contract is available here.

Program Description

The Biomedical Studies Concentration is intended as a plan of study that will enhance students' preparation for careers including traditional areas of healthcare such as human medicine and dentistry, but also complementary professions like chiropractic, various therapies (physical, occupational, speech, music, dance, etc.), nursing, and work in hospital administration, hospital ministry, and biomedical ethics. Students planning for a future in medicine should not simply use the concentration to investigate the career of a physician; concentrators will enhance their perspective and experience in a variety of opportunities in biomedical fields.

Biomedical Studies is a multidisciplinary program offering a contract concentration that can be earned in conjunction with any B.A. academic major. The Biomedical Studies Concentration consists of five courses and a senior capstone experience. All students must take a foundation course (Biology 123 or 243) depending on their course of study. In addition, students are required to choose one course from opportunities in each of three core components: practical application, experiential learning, and ethical consideration. Within each of these three components, several choices fulfill the requirement. The fifth course is a Level II or III elective outside the student's major.

Please note that the Biomedical Studies Concentration also consists of non-course requirements, including participation in some Center for Experiential Learning (CEL) workshops, attendance at career-related events, preparation of a resume, and conducting career research.

By the senior year, students will have completed a concentration that allows for the development of individual interests and prepares each to pursue further education and/or work in the specific healthcare related fields of study.

Important Notes:

  • To begin the Biomedical Studies Concentration, you must meet with the Biomedical Studies Coordinator usually during your sophomore year at St. Olaf.
  • All work for your Biomedical Studies Contract must be completed and submitted to the Biomedical Studies Coordinator by May 1 of your senior year .

The Contract

Students are required to initiate a contract with the Coordinator of the Biomedical Studies Concentration usually by the end of their sophomore year.  The following timeline will help students stay on task and offer a sense of what should be done and when the task should be completed.  If the contract is initiated after the sophomore year, the timeline can be modified by consulting with the Biomedical Studies Coordinator.

Timeline
(BSC = Biomedical Studies Coordinator, CEL = Center for Experiential Learning)

Sophomore Year (First Year Students if ready):

  • Attend a CEL Biomedical Studies Information Session
  • Career Exploration Workshop & the initiation of the Biomedical Studies Contract (BSC)
  • Exploration of 3 Career Interests (BSC, CEL, and/or Academic Advisor)
  • Attend 2 Career Related Events/Programs (BSC, CEL, other BSC-approved options)
  • Start a Career Journal – OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED
  • Start Informational Interviews*

Junior Year

  • First Draft of Resume (CEL)*
  • Attend 2 Career Related Events/Programs (BSC, CEL, other BSC approved options)
  • Practice Personal Statement 3 pages or 5000 characters (CEL) – OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED

Senior Year

  • Updated Resume – final draft form for Senior year (CEL)
  • Attend 2 Career Related Events/Programs
  • Complete Senior Capstone Activity (BSC)

*Sophomore or Junior year

Part I: Contract Initiation

Part II: Career Research

This part of the Biomedical Studies Concentration provides you with a context for learning about different careers that might suit your talents, interests, and motivations. Completion of the requirements in Parts 1-4 below will involve utilizing the excellent resources of the Center for Experiential Learning (CEL) , and there are many other places to go for information. For example, ExploreHealthCareers.org is a very useful general resource, and the Biomedical Studies web page contains a links page.

  1. Attend the CEL's Exploring Careers in the Biomedical Sciences workshop (required). This workshop that will teach you how to use key resources to explore careers and search for opportunities in biomedical science and health care related fields.
  2. Explore 3 potential careers in the healthcare arena using resources from the Biomedical Studies Concentration space in the Hustad Science Library, Center for Experiential Learning, internet, publications and interviews with healthcare professionals.  Specifically, with the help of an Academic Advisor, map out the undergraduate requirements and think about the graduate/professional school requirements including entrance exams and required experience; also note major responsibilities, working environments, etc.  Complete a CEL Career Exploration Worksheet for each career. Once 3 worksheets are finished, submit them to Jean Porterfield (RNS 428).
  3. At least 2 informational interviews must be completed by the Concentrator.  An informational interview is an opportunity for you, the student, to ask questions and gather information from professionals in your career areas of interest.  Visits to graduate schools or medical schools may satisfy this component (see BSC).  Ideally, it's an opportunity to visit a professional at her/his place of work and get a feel for the working environment, job responsibilities, and the best avenues/paths to enter such a career.  Choose to speak with St. Olaf alumni and/or professionals in your community working in areas that match your interests.  The staff of the CEL and Coordinator of the Biomedical Studies Concentration can help you identify resources and prepare to meet with available professionals. Use the CEL's Informational Interview form to organize your interview; this form must be completed and submitted to Jean Porterfield.
  4. Concentrators must attend at least 4 career related sessions with alumni or other health professionals where careers in the healthcare arena are presented.  The program/session must be sponsored by Biomedical Studies and/or the Center for Experiential Learning (other options such as Departmental Seminars must be approved by the Biomedical Studies Coordinator). Many events are sent to the Biomedical Studies' and the CEL's email aliases. Please do attend more than four events if you like! However, you only need record four events on this contract. The CEL's Identifying Vocational Interests workshop is recommended as a valuable career exploration activity to help you understand how your VISA (Values, Interests, Skills and Abilities) relate to specific career options and introduce two assessment inventories.

Concentrators are strongly encouraged to keep a career journal, which should be reflective as well as informational.  Document facts as they are learned but also ask questions and express concerns.  Think about resources that are available to you to gather as much information as possible and that will offer needed answers.  This journal will serve as a reference for now and in the future when you build your resume and personal statement, and also as you apply for undergraduate and graduate opportunities.

Part III: Resume/CV

Completion of a resume or curriculum vitae (CV) is required for this concentration. In order to assist you in creating a resume/CV that best represents you, we require that you first work with a CEL peer advisor (Number 1 below), then with a CEL staff member (Number 2 below). The CEL can also help you develop a personal statement; see the CEL resources for writing an effective personal statement as a starting point.

  1. Prepare a draft of your resume or CV and visit the Center for Experiential Learning (anytime M-F, 9am to 5pm) to have a Peer Advisor review it. Please note the name of the Peer Advisor you worked with, and the date you worked together.
  2. Set up an appointment with a CEL staff person (you can set it up in person during your Peer Advisor conference, or just call x3268). After you make the suggested changes to your resume/CV, the CEL staff person will approve it by signing off on Part III.

Completion of a personal statement is optional but recommended as you complete the Biomedical Studies Concentration. With the help of the Biomedical Studies Coordinator, faculty members of the Health Professions Committee, advisors, and counselors from the CEL, the concentrator can complete 1-2 drafts of a personal statement used to apply to graduate/professional school.

Part IV: Courses

Concentrators must take complete courses or activities . The five courses include:

  • A foundation course in human biology (Biology 123 or 243);
  • One course from each of three core components:
    • Practical application (must be outside your major)
    • Ethical issues
    • An additional Level II or III elective (must be outside your major)
  • An experiential learning course (internship for credit, approved off-campus course) *OR* a non-academic experience (volunteer experience, non-credit internship, shadowing).

Once you have a probable plan for all five courses, request BSC approval. If you need to change one or more of the planned courses after approval, simply make the change(s) here and submit again for a new approval. Certifying that you have actually completed the courses is done automatically as part of the final concentration certification.

Part V: Senior Capstone

Concentrators must complete a senior capstone experience. The senior capstone project could be a panel or talk organized by the student(s), a pamphlet, a web site, a portfolio, an integrative paper, or another approved project. This document showcases past senior capstone projects.

  • Propose a project and have it approved by the BSC Coordinator
  • If project involves an event date, consult the St. Olaf Events Calendar to check for conflicts, and register your event there.
  • If you plan to arrange a panel, use the CEL's Biomedical Career Panel checklist to guide your planning.
  • Upon completion of the capstone, submit either a summary of the project (if an event), or the project itself (if a brochure, powerpoint, web page, etc.).

Final Approval

Once all of the non-course elements of the contract (including your senior capstone) are completed, you can submit the whole contract for BSC approval. It's OK to submit the contract for final approval even if you are still enrolled in a required course – the final audit will occur after senior grades are submitted.