POSITION ID: 7634 POSITION OBJECTIVE
The pre-health advisor is responsible for coordinating and continuing to develop a comprehensive pre-health advising program for current undergraduates and alumni of the undergraduate programs at Case Western Reserve University. The advisor will serve as the principal source of information and advice about preparation for health professions including dentistry, optometry, physical therapy, pharmacy, public health, and veterinary medicine. Advising for careers in nursing is handled by the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. The pre-health advisor will also work in conjunction with the pre-medical advisor and will directly advise a portion of the cohort of students interested in attending medical school.
In these roles, the pre-health advisor
- Meets with individual students and alumni to provide guidance and respond to questions
- Prepares composite letters of recommendation as requested by students applying to health-related graduate programs
- Designs and delivers group advising sessions aimed at students at various stages of their undergraduate work
- Prepares print and electronic advising resources
This person will work closely with the undergraduate admissions office of the university and serve as the principal point of contact for health profession admissions offices at other institutions. The pre-health advisor is also responsible for the assessment of the health professions career advising program and developing innovative initiatives to better prepare students for careers in the health professions. The advisor also participates in the broad range of activities and programs offered by Post-graduate Planning and Experiential Education in support of the overall mission of Student Success.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Advise individual students and alumni planning a health-related career. (25%)
- Advise individual students on matters related to course selection in preparation for applying to medical school health-related graduate programs and post-baccalaureate options for completing pre-medical requirements.
- Advise students about research, clinical, and community service opportunities to explore and test their interests in health-related careers.
- Advise students interested in exploring their options among the health careers, students concerned about their prospects for admission to their desired program, and students who are disappointed with the outcome of their medical school applications.
- Advise individual students about the application process to medical school health-related graduate programs, including reviewing drafts of their essays and providing guidance about appropriate sources of letters of recommendation.
- Plan and offer monthly group meetings with a focus on educational programming concerning all aspects of dental school preparation.
- Identify and nominate students for university prizes and national scholarship/fellowship competitions.
- Design and deliver group-advising sessions aimed at students at various stages of their undergraduate work. (20%)
- Execute and enhance a developmental series of group advising sessions that address the preparation and concerns of students planning to apply to a health-related career, starting with sessions for prospective undergraduates and continuing with sessions for new students beginning their health profession curriculum and for students engaged in the medical school health profession application process.
- Advise and support student organizations related to medical health professions.
- Develop and deliver programming aimed at introducing students to the range of career options in the health professions, drawing on admissions officers, alumni, and other professionals in these careers. (20%)
- Invite and host representatives of medical health profession schools and related programs for presentations to students.
- Maintain reference and resource materials about medical health profession schools and health the medical professions, and coordinate the development of print and online advising information.
- Advise the Pre-Professional Scholars Program medical and dental students. (13%)
- Work closely with the school of medicine and school of dental medicine admissions administration to communicate with students the expectations of the program.
- Provide general academic advice and mentoring to program students, responding to their inquiries, helping them establish educational goals, and fostering engagement with appropriate resources and opportunities.
- Monitor the academic progress of students, identifying those who may be in academic or programmatic difficulty, working with them to develop a plan for addressing the difficulties, and making referrals as necessary.
- Serve as a resource and point of contact with post-graduate planning and experiential education for departments that teach courses that form part of the curricula that lead to health-related graduate/professional programs, providing information about the expectations of health-related graduate/professional programs, our students' success in the admissions processes, and areas of potential curricular reform. (10%)
- Coordinate and prepare composite letters of recommendation requested by students applying to medical school health-related graduate programs and other health-related graduate or professional programs.
- Participate in the training of faculty serving as academic advisors to share information relevant to advising students planning to attend medical school and other health-related graduate/professional programs.
NONESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Provide information to the undergraduate admissions office to help admissions officers respond to questions from prospective students and their families concerning preparation for health-related graduate/professional programs, participating in group sessions and admissions open houses, as requested. Participate in the admissions interview and selection process for applicants to the pre-professional scholars' program in medicine/dentistry. (5%)
- Generate and analyze data and reports about health profession admissions selection criteria and the acceptance rates of applicants from Case Western Reserve University to those programs. (5%)
- Develop professional relationships on a national level with admissions organizations related to health professions, as well as admissions officers of programs to which university students and alumni apply or should consider applying. (2%)
CONTACTS
- Department
- Daily contact with staff responsible for pre-professional advising for the exchange of information, consultation, and decision making.
- University
- Daily contact with colleagues in post-graduate planning and experiential education as well as staff from other student success offices.
- Regular contact with the undergraduate admissions office about programming for prospective students and the selection process for the pre-professional scholars' Program.
- Regular contact with the admissions officers of the school of medicine, the school of dental medicine, and the school of graduate studies.
- Regular contact with departments and faculty responsible for curricular programs that prepare students for medical or other healthcare professional school.
- Regular contact with the Center for Community Engagement and Learning.
- Regular contact with faculty serving as academic advisors to undergraduates to share information about preparation for medical school.
- Occasional contact with Academic Resources, Disability Resources, Health and Counseling Services, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, members of the Residence Life and Greek Life staffs, and other offices concerning individual student issues related to applying to healthcare professional schools and programming for student groups.
- Occasional contact with the Office of Student Affairs regarding disciplinary issues related to students' applications to professional school.
- Occasional contact with the Office of Financial Aid for discussion of student concerns.
- Occasional contact with the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and the Office of the General Counsel about individual student matters.
- External
- On-going contact with healthcare professional schools and post-baccalaureate programs aimed at preparing students as candidates for professional school.
- Regular contact with professional associations related to preparation for and admission to professional school.
- Regular consultation with colleagues in similar positions at other colleges and universities.
- Occasional contact with parents and/or family members of students or prospective students to answer questions about the admissions process to professional schools.
- Students
- Daily contact with undergraduates considering healthcare-related careers.
- Regular contact with alumni seeking advice about applying to healthcare-related graduate/professional programs.
- Regular contact with student organizations related to healthcare professions.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY
WORKING CONDITIONS
- General office environment
- Fast-paced administrative office setting, with frequent interruptions, conflicting priorities, and complex office functions.
- Occasional evenings and weekends required.
DIVERSITY STATEMENTIn employment, as in education, Case Western Reserve University is committed to Equal Opportunity and Diversity. Women, veterans, members of underrepresented minority groups, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS
Case Western Reserve University provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Office of Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity at 216-368-8877 to request reasonable accommodation. Determinations as to granting reasonable accommodations for any applicant will be made on a case-by-case basis.
NOTE: CWRU offers a flexible benefits package including a tuition waiver for employees and dependents; respond in confidence, including salary history.
CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY, Human Resources Job Code #7634
APPLY TO
jobs@case.edu
APPLY AT
http://www.case.edu/finadmin/humres/employment/career.html
REQUIREMENTS
- Experience:
- 5 years of experience working in one of the following healthcare professions: dentistry, optometry, physical therapy, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, or medicine
- OR 5 years of experience in advising (for health careers) or admissions (for healthcare programs) in a 4-year college or university environment.
- Education: Master’s degree required.
REQUIRED SKILLS
- Record of initiative and leadership in developing educational and advising programs for high-ability students (preferred).
- Leadership experience in a health profession or health-focused academic department.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to support and challenge a diverse population of high-ability undergraduates.
- Ability to apply independent judgment and decision-making skills to issues related to university policies and procedures.
- Proven success working in a collaborative environment.
- Ability to assimilate and communicate information to a variety of audiences.
- Proficiency in current software applications: electronic calendar, word-processing, email, database (preferred)
- Ability to learn quickly the student information system.
- Ability to meet consistent attendance.
- Ability to interact with colleagues, supervisors, and customers face to face.