Premedical Programs
Clinical Experiences
Students from all majors can gain valuable clinical experience by participating in a number of our PPO-sponsored mini-courses. A central component of these mini-courses is on-site volunteer experience within a community partner organization. PPO-sponsored mini-courses and the corresponding clinical experiences are summarized below. More detailed descriptions can be found on our courses page and below for HELP:
- MED 210 – Premedical Community Experience where students are oriented to and trained to provide services as a volunteer at a local healthcare center serving the underserved population.
- MED 339 – International Medical Experience where students complete a full fall semester course to prepare for a medical/dental/public health brigade to Central America. The following January, students travel with local physicians and faculty to Central America to work with an international service organization providing healthcare to underserved populations in rural communities.
- UDI 276 – Predentistry Experience at Good Neighbor House where junior pre-dentistry students volunteer and shadow dentists practicing in a nonprofit environment working with underserved populations that do not have ready access to dental services.
Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP)
University of Dayton students have the opportunity to gain clinical experience by participating in HELP, an innovative model program designed to improve the hospital experience of older patients. Students must be registered for the premed mini-course MED 220 which is a 1 semester hour, pass/fail course. Students must also complete the training program, including a sixteen-hour volunteer training session prior to the start of the program, and commit to a minimum of sixty volunteer hours throughout the semester.
- MED 220 – Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) where students are trained to carry out bedside interventions and then experience a high level of responsibility and patient contact by volunteering to work with the elderly inpatient population at Miami Valley Hospital.