0 Houghton science student holding two petri dishes.

The Houghton Student’s Pre-Health Journey

April 14, 2026

By Dr. Jamie Potter

When students聽walks聽through my door for the very first time, they usually already have an idea of what profession they want to pursue. They often know the courses they might聽need聽and that shadowing someone in the profession is聽a good idea鈥攁nd聽may even聽be聽required. They know excellent grades, top scores on entrance exams, and stellar letters of recommendation are necessary.聽However, they usually don鈥檛 know聽why聽they want to take聽the聽particular path聽they鈥檝e chosen.

Some of my students want to pursue a medical profession because they want to help people. Some have been on the receiving end of care and found the work being executed on them fascinating. Some had a close friend or family member who needed specialized care and they saw what a provider did for them in their time of greatest need. Many are pretty smart cookies with proven academic acumen, and they鈥檝e been told they should go into medicine with that aptitude. All of these reasons are good, but none of them really gets to the root of 鈥渨hy medicine is for me.鈥

Not a single student聽will walk the聽same path. Each one must develop聽an聽individual plan聽alongside their advisors, and then they must聽allow for adjustments as they聽learn and grow in their own experiences and abilities. Conversations聽with my students聽are often long,聽and sometimes hard,聽as they realize their own limitations,聽discover聽their real interests, and聽explore聽their unique skills. They start to聽find聽their聽own personal vocational path, and they聽begin聽to聽think聽deeply聽about their聽why.

In order to聽discover their true passion for the vocation of medicine,聽my聽students聽must move beyond the basics of grades,聽transcripts,聽aptitudes,聽and idealized visions of medicine to聽find their passion and聽their聽reason for pursuing this聽journey.

So, how does Houghton help聽students聽discover聽their聽why? They聽likely won鈥檛聽find it in a classroom, or a lab, or even shadowing a physician. Healthcare is聽a聽people-oriented, service-oriented field fraught with disparity, inaccessibility, and loopholes. To聽prepare students for the reality of serving in the medical field,聽they must engage with medicine and the healthcare field聽in the most realistic ways聽possible.

Houghton students聽need to step out of their聽classrooms聽and into their聽community.聽Our students are encouraged to engage in service opportunities聽like聽volunteering at the campus influenza vaccine聽clinic,聽assisting聽the Red Cross at community聽blood drives, and聽investing in聽opportunities聽that place them in direct communication聽with our rural,聽low-income community聽here in Allegany County.

Once students聽start engaging, in addition to聽observing聽and learning, they discover they聽can play聽vital roles聽in their own communities. They start to see not聽what聽they can be鈥攁聽medical provider鈥攂ut聽who聽they can be. They聽begin聽to understand ways they can serve the people聽around them in medicine. They realize 鈥渨hy medicine聽is聽for me.鈥澛燭heir realizations are聽usually rooted in a single powerful idea:聽being聽the hands and feet of Jesus聽isn鈥檛聽a symbol聽or聽an image we can behold,聽it鈥檚聽the physical act of showing love,聽compassion聽and care for others.

Houghton professor Jamie Potter.

Jamie Potter, Ph.D., is the Interim Dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Professor of Biology and Director of Pre-Health Professions at 黑料科.

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