Contact

Lisa Harris

Director, Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study and Health Professions Advising

Shadowing

Shadowing allows students to observe the day-to-day experience of healthcare professionals as they interact with patients and within the healthcare team.

Shadowing provides students with a clearer understanding of the realities of the profession, helping to confirm (or not) that one’s chosen career path is a good fit. In addition, graduate health profession programs, such as medical schools, look to see that a student has shadowed extensively in order to ensure that the student understands the profession and the educational journey required.

The Vovis Center recommends shadowing across a range of specialities and settings to deepen that understanding. There are several ways to gain shadowing experience at Knox:

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1- or 3- day Shadowing Experiences

The Vovis Center coordinates 1-day and 3-day immersive shadowing programs during spring, summer, and winter breaks. These opportunities are partially or fully funded and allow Knox students to spend full days shadowing across various specialities and units within a hospital or clinic. Programs run across the region and have included public health departments, Graham Hospital in Canton and Memorial Hospital in Carthage.

Four people stand next to an operation table, under the lights and in full scrubs.

OSF St. Mary’s Medical Center and Graham Health System in Galesburg

Galesburg is home to two healthcare systems, OSF and Graham. With the help of Health Professions Advising, students can set up short term shadowing opportunities at hospitals and clinics in town, a short bus ride away from campus.

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Design Your Own Shadowing

Students hoping to shadow in their hometown during academic breaks can reach out to Health Professions Advising for guidance and support.

Programs and Workshops

Health Professions Advising offers a variety of events throughout the year, specifically curated for pre-health students.

Designed by the Vovis Center and facilitated by the Pre-Health Ambassadors, a group of pre-health student leaders, Health Professions Advising events appeal to pre-health students from first year to fourth year. Read about our most popular events below.

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Explore the Health Professions

Offered every year in the fall, this event introduces students new to pre-health to the variety of ways they can explore health career options. This introductory workshop covers shadowing, clinical experience, and an overview of the resources offered by the Vovis Center.

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Pre-Health Peer Mentorship Program

First-year pre-health students can opt in to be paired with a mentor for their first term. Peer Mentors are exemplary third and fourth year pre-health students; they connect one-on-one with mentees to share experiences, provide guidance, and help acclimate new students to Knox.

A close up of a students hand holding sutures.

Suture Clinic and other hands-on workshops

These hands-on and applied workshops give pre-health students the opportunity to learn how to suture, put on personal protective equipment (PPE), take blood pressure, put on splints, and more, run by healthcare professionals currently working in the field.

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Admissions Rep Visits

The Vovis Center regularly hosts admissions representatives and visitors from health professions programs, such as the Rural Medical Education Program (RMED) at University of Illinois Rockford, the Nursing program at RUSH University, University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, and the Occupational Therapy program at Washington University. These are great opportunities for students to learn about these programs and schools.

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Planning Your Pre-health Summer

Every year we curate a list of pre-health-related summer opportunities at Knox and beyond. Pre-health Ambassadors who have participated in these programs share their experience and offer advice on how to apply.

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Ignite the Fire Pre-health Conference

This biannual conference connects pre-health students to expert guidance on how to prepare for standardized exams, level up study strategies, and be the strongest candidate possible at the time of application. Knox alumni healthcare professionals provide real-life insights and guidance for current students over lunch and panel discussions.