The Russell G. Weigand Center for Professional Excellence (WCPE) serves as home base for Elmhurst University’s commitment to professional preparation as part of the comprehensive education of every student. Through a wide range of services and resources, the WCPE will help you ignite your professional curiosity, competencies and purpose, and prepare you to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.

An Elmhurst University education nurtures professionalism grounded in a combination of expertise in a chosen field, strong personal values, wide-ranging skills and career competencies, entrepreneurial energy, commitment to social justice, international awareness and a breadth of intellectual perspective. It is our conviction that our society and world need people who understand this model of professionalism and are ready to live it out.

Home to the University’s initiatives related to professional preparation, career education, pre-professional guidance and career experiences, the WCPE offers a wide selection of programs, opportunities and experiences, including:

• Effective career counseling and guidance, coordinated with academic advising

• Opportunities to undertake internships for hands on experience

• Leadership development opportunities

• Opportunities to establish lasting relationships with professional mentors

• Opportunities for student development through short-term career exploration

• Specialized advising for those planning a career in health care or law

Career Education

Career education aids students and alumni in continuing career development, exploration and self-assessment through such programs as:

• Career development classes and seminars

• Computer-assisted career guidance

• Internet access for job information and career development

• Informational interviews

• Job search, résumé writing and interviewing workshops

• Career assessments

• Library of career resources

• Online résumé review

Mentoring

Mentoring enables students to interact regularly, one-on-one, with experienced professionals. The WCPE's program is gold accredited by the International Mentoring Association (IMA) for best practices in mentoring. The purpose is to expose students to the importance of combining competencies learned in a major field of study with critical thinking, problem solving, communication skills, self-confidence, personal integrity, social and civic responsibility, and a commitment to lifelong learning and professional development.

The program focuses on what it means to be a professional rather than on the specifics of any particular business or profession. The personal interaction afforded by the mentoring relationship meets the needs of students in ways that classroom programs alone cannot meet.

The mentoring program begins with an orientation for mentors and proteges (students). Mentors and proteges generally meet once every four to six weeks either in person or virtually throughout the semester or academic year. Scheduling, platform, and topics are arranged between the mentor and the protégé. Throughout the mentoring experience, students are exposed to how a professional functions in various parts of professional life. In the process, the program emphasizes and develops students’ leadership skills and expands their professional network. Combining classroom theory with work-world experience, students may participate in experiential learning opportunities as a part of the WCPE mentoring program.

Short-Term Career Exploration

Short-term career exploration offers students the opportunity to explore different careers as they make decisions involving their education, career and future. Students may meet with professionals once or twice per term and accompany them through the workday, learning what their careers are all about. Students shadow professionals in an exceptional range of careers. For some careers where job shadowing is not available, an informational interview with a professional also serves as a means for students to explore the details of a career.

Students are encouraged to use this experience as a springboard for further discussion with the shadowed professional. For example, students might ask the professional questions inspired by current events, or ask for relevant literature to review. Students are also encouraged to speak with the professional about his or her own career and other opportunities in the field. At the end of the experience, students are asked to complete a reflective survey.

Career Experiences

Gaining career experience to supplement classroom learning is a critical component in the career growth trajectory of a student. To aid in the process, the WCPE facilitates multiple avenues to access experiential opportunities:

• Online listings for full-time, part-time and internship opportunities are available via Handshake at elmhurst.joinhandshake.com

• Career Fairs and Networking Events

• Mock Interviewing

• On-campus Interviewing

Internships are also an excellent way for a student to get a close-up look at a field that interests them. By participating in an internship, students gain professional experience, confidence and a competitive edge.

• Elmhurst interns take on in-depth, substantive projects at Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits and government agencies. Students have worked at hundreds of sites, including high profile companies such as Ernst and Young, Argonne National Laboratory, Chicago Cubs and Walt Disney World.

• An internship enhances a student’s resume, gives them marketable skills and professional contacts, and can also provide the inside track for a full-time job offer.

• Students integrate career-related experience into their education by participating in supervised work and even earn course credit. The experience complements and enhances classroom learning while creating links between the University and the world of work.

• Students of any major are eligible to take on an internship. Depending on their discipline, they work with their advisor and the WCPE to choose an internship that matches their goals and interests.

Internship Credit

Students can receive academic credit for an internship but are not required to register for credit. It also is possible to receive credit and be paid. Internships for credit may be taken during Fall, J-Term, Spring and Summer Terms. Internship sites may be on or off-campus. The academic credit internship course also fulfills the Experiential Learning Tag requirement.

Health Professions Advising

Specialized advising is available to any student or alumnus who wishes to explore or learn about careers in health care.

Goals of Health Professions Advising

• To provide specialized academic and career advising and a program of activities, events and speakers to inform students about the health professions

• To offer appropriate resources and information about professional school programs, admission criteria and professional school tests

• To encourage and support academic and clinical programs and affiliations

• To coordinate the evaluation and recommendation committee process for health care students

Diversity Statement

Health Professions Advising supports individuals of all backgrounds by promoting study-abroad experiences, encouraging students to learn multiple languages, providing programs on diversity, advising students on the impact culture has on interpersonal communication, and expecting understanding and respect of others, regardless of their similarities or differences, in health care settings and beyond. In addition, the director of Health Professions Advising realizes that learning about culture is an ongoing process, and that there is no finite point to reach in our knowledge of ourselves and others.

Health care is a highly collaborative field, and practitioners must be culturally aware and sensitive to all patients/clients and team members in any medical setting or establishment to effectively fulfill their role.

By supporting individuals of all backgrounds, the director will aid students in their pursuit of serving others in a health-related capacity and overall development as globally aware citizens.

Professional Health Care Programs and Tracks at Elmhurst University

Professional programs and tracks lead directly to a health care career when the bachelor’s degree is completed. Professional programs and tracks at Elmhurst University include:

• Diagnostic Medical Sonography (with Health Science Technology major)

• Exercise Science

• Medical Laboratory Science (with Biology major)

• Nuclear Medicine Technology (with Health Science Technology major)

• Nursing

• Public Health

• Radiation Therapy (with Health Science Technology major)

Nursing, public health, and exercise science are majors at Elmhurst. Students pursuing medical laboratory science major in biology and can apply to Elmhurst’s affiliate partners Hines VA Hospital and NorthShore University HealthSystem. Students pursuing diagnostic medical sonography (DMS), nuclear medicine technology (NMT) and radiation therapy (RT) are health science technology majors. Elmhurst has partnerships with Northwestern Memorial Hospital for DMS, NMT, and RT. Admission to Elmhurst University does not guarantee admission to an affiliate track, and students must meet certain requirements to be eligible to apply. Interested students are responsible for learning about the requirements for any academic affiliation via the Health Professions Advising website (elmhurst.edu/hpa) in addition to meeting with their faculty advisor and the health professions advisor every semester to determine and maintain eligibility. Additional information about academic affiliations can also be found in this catalog under the Biology Department.

Pre-Professional Health Care Programs at Elmhurst University

The pre-professional programs involve undergraduate study that leads toward an application to professional or graduate school for completion of a student’s education. Pre-professional programs do not require a specific major (unless a student is applying for one of Elmhurst’s affiliate tracks with a hospital or professional school). Instead, students may choose any academic major. Courses required for entry into graduate or professional school are incorporated into students’ academic schedules. Typically, completion of a bachelor’s degree is an important step in preparation for further study in professional school.

Students who are pursuing a pre-professional program in health care will work with their faculty academic advisor as well as the health professions advisor. Students are strongly encouraged to plan an early consultation with the health professions advisor and to learn about academic and co-curricular requirements for the health professions. The advisor also provides information to students on entrance examinations and submitting applications to professional school.

The pre-professional programs include but are not limited to:

• Chiropractic

• Dentistry

• Medicine

• Occupational Therapy

• Optometry

• Pharmacy

• Physical Therapy

• Physician Assistant Studies

• Podiatry

• Speech-Language Pathology

• Veterinary Medicine

Recommended Courses

Recommended course lists for each health care program can be found on the Health Professions Advising website. It is important for students to realize that these lists are general recommendations since prerequisite courses vary from one school to the next. Thus, an individualized plan of coursework should be developed in consultation with the health professions advisor.

Health Professions Recommendation Committee

The health professions advisor coordinates a recommendation committee of faculty and staff for students applying to medical, dental and podiatric medical schools and to some affiliate programs. These committees interview and evaluate students, and the advisor prepares letters of recommendation for applicants.

Students should contact the advisor to learn about the process during the fall of their junior year, or at least a year and a half prior to their planned entrance into professional school.

Medical Humanities Minor

Open to all students, the medical humanities minor is designed to serve as a basis for the development and understanding of the skills and attributes associated with humanistic health care delivery. The minor includes coursework, research, scholarship and a clinical internship. Please refer to the Medical Humanities section of this catalog.

Professional School and Hospital Affiliate Partners

The Health Professions Advising program offers several affiliations with professional schools and hospitals for early admission or special consideration for various health professions. Below is a listing of all the affiliations. Information about each affiliation and the requirements can be found on the Health Professions Advising website (elmhurst.edu/hpa). In addition, students must meet with the advisor to discuss all requirements and to determine their eligibility to apply. Some affiliations require specific majors, GPAs, and entrance exam scores and limit transfer credit. Admission to Elmhurst University does not guarantee admission to an affiliate partner.

• Chiropractic Medicine: National University of Health Sciences

• Chiropractic Medicine: Northwestern Health Sciences University

• Dentistry: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

• Diagnostic Medical Sonography: Northwestern Memorial Hospital

• Medical Laboratory Science: Hines Hospital

• Medical Laboratory Science: NorthShore University HealthSystem

• Medicine: A.T. Still University

• Medicine: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

• Nuclear Medicine Technology: Northwestern Memorial Hospital

• Optometry: Illinois College of Optometry

• Optometry: Midwestern University

• Pharmacy: Midwestern University, Chicago College of Pharmacy

• Pharmacy: Roosevelt University, College of Pharmacy

• Podiatry: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

• Respiratory Care: Rush University

• Radiation Therapy: Northwestern Memorial Hospital

• Veterinary Medicine: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

All affiliations with professional schools and hospitals are subject to change.

Pre-Law Advising

Students interested in pursuing legal education and becoming an attorney should meet with the pre-law advisor, in addition to their faculty advisor, early in their undergraduate career. The pre-law advisor is available to assist students in planning an undergraduate course of study that will help make them a well-rounded candidate for law schools. Most law schools prefer a broad undergraduate liberal arts program and do not exhibit preferences toward applicants with a particular major. Therefore, there is no prescribed major or pre-law curriculum that students are required to follow. Students planning on applying to law school should take courses that develop rigorous and disciplined thinking as well as writing and oratory skills.

Pre-Law advising is available to help students craft a portfolio of on and off-campus extra-curriculars that will help them with their personal and professional growth.  Pre-law advising is also available to assist students with all aspects of application planning for law school.  Services specific to applying to law school can include: Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) planning, CAS application assistance, personal statement and resume review, and advice regarding letters of recommendation, choosing the right law school, and financial aid options.

Students planning to go directly from undergraduate studies into law school should plan to take the law school entrance exam (LSAT) in the summer before, or early fall of, their senior year. Students should plan to study for the LSAT for 15-20 hours per week for 2-3 months prior to the exam. The GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is accepted at some law schools in lieu of the LSAT. Consult with the pre-law advisor to determine which is the better option for you. Applications to law school should be submitted in the late fall of senior year.

Students interested in exploring a career in the legal professions (attorney, paralegal, or other related career) should consider enrolling in CPP 298 Exploring the Legal Profession. In addition, students may meet with the pre-law advisor to learn about the different legal professions.