Extracurricular Pre-Health Experiences
There are many activities outside of the classroom that will enhance your experience as a pre-health student at Jacksonville University and increase your competitive edge for health professional programs. We encourage you to get involved early and stay engaged throughout your time at JU.
Jacksonville University Medical Pre-Professional Society (JUMPS)
Students are encouraged to join JUMPS, a student-run club holding meetings throughout the academic year. JUMPS invites speakers from a wide-range of relevant fields, hosts admissions officers/recruiters from professional school programs, arranges local field trips, and more!
Undergraduate Research
All health professional programs value research experience as it not only introduces you to exciting research projects and cutting-edge research techniques, but importantly teaches you a critical way of thinking and assessing problems. There are many research opportunities available to JU students. Our faculty members have diverse research and scholarship interests, providing our students with a large breadth of research opportunities to pursue right here on campus. Students can develop undergraduate research projects with faculty mentors and even earn college course credit. In addition, our students have been successful in summer research programs, including the extremely competitive National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs, both nationally and internationally.
Internships and Work Experiences in the Health Profession Fields
Our students are encouraged to seek health field internships and/or employment during their time at JU. Being immersed in your field of interest provides invaluable experiential learning. Our faculty can help you identify and apply for opportunities. Recently, our students have secured competitive national internships, participated in the Clinical Research Internship Study Program (CRISP) locally at Mayo Clinic, and obtained medical scribe positions at local area hospitals. Internships also are available at the Mayo Clinic Florida for Jacksonville University students who are interested in careers in the medical or biomedical/ biochemical/ pharmacological research fields. These Undergraduate Biomedical Research Internships (U-BRI) involve a full academic year-long project involving research under the direction of a Principal Investigator at the Mayo Clinic Florida, and under the supervision of JU faculty.
JU’s Career Management office is another resource available to help our students locate and apply to these types of opportunities.
Clinical Shadowing
Clinical shadowing is a valuable extracurricular experience for any health profession
field. Depending on the type of program you wish to pursue, clinical shadowing may
even be required. We have relationships with local practices and hospitals where our
students have been successful in obtaining shadowing opportunities. Always remember
to keep a record of these events so you have them ready to share when it comes time
to apply to your selected programs.
Community Outreach and Volunteering
In line with JU’s mission, most health profession fields are looking for members who have a commitment to the core of all healthcare career paths - serving the community. You can achieve this through a variety of opportunities at JU. Many of our students volunteer at local hospitals and are involved with the Red Cross. JU students and faculty also participate in the North Florida Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) workshops, an exciting collaborative event engaging middle school-aged girls in hands-on science activities to inspire them to pursue STEM-related careers. The service activities that will help you in pursuing your career don't have to be health- or science-related. Health profession programs want to see that you dedicate your time in a way that serves your community and cultivates your interests. You may want to earn a Service Learning minor or certificate to further explore civic engagement and community partnerships.