Two students in lab coats work on their research.

Healthcare Career Pathways

Grinnell’s small class sizes, close mentorship from professors, and many research opportunities will thoroughly prepare you for a career in healthcare. At Grinnell, you will take demanding courses in the sciences at the highest level, while building valuable communications and teamwork skills. With a degree from Grinnell, you’ll thrive in your training for any one of the many healthcare professions—including medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, nursing, veterinary sciences, public health, research, and pharmacy.

Popular Majors for Healthcare Careers

Medical and other health professional schools value the well-rounded education you get at Grinnell. You can major in anything that interests you—as long as you take care to think ahead and do the science prerequisites for any healthcare program you hope to enter. While a science major helps students get the required science courses they need for medical school, majors in the humanities and social sciences develop essential skills to the practice of medicine and healthcare, such as communication, critical thinking, and cultural competency.

Biological Chemistry

The biological chemistry major builds a strong foundation for graduate studies in healthcare fields and incorporates many common medical school prerequisites into its major requirements. Students also develop critical thinking skills and proficiency with laboratory work.

Learn more about the biological chemistry major

Students having class outside on the grass

Sociology

The study of sociology encourages students interested in medicine to think critically and imaginatively about society. Coursework in ethics, data analysis, written and oral communication, and social determinants of health develop the soft skills that medical students need to succeed in the industry.

Learn more about sociology at Grinnell

Biology

A strong foundation in the life sciences prepares students well for postgraduate studies in a healthcare field. The life sciences are the basis for all healthcare professions, so a biology degree provides a firm foundation.

Learn more about biology at Grinnell

Neuroscience

Learn how to think critically and creatively while exploring our most complex and essential organ — the nervous system. Neuroscience begins with biology, chemistry, and psychology, and it ultimately intersects with a variety of disciplines, including art, music, education, and philosophy.

Learn more about the neuroscience concentration

Science, Medicine, and Society

Explore the ways that science, medicine, and technology have shaped the modern world, and how these fields interact. You’ll study these themes and discover their larger social, economic, and political impacts.

Learn more about the science, medicine, and society concentration

Student doing research in a field at CERA

Environmental Studies

Gain experience in evidence- gathering and critical thinking while you explore the issues posed by the relationship between humans and the natural environment.

Learn more about the environmental studies concentration

Explore all our majors and concentrations

Ambulnz

Boston Children's Hospital

Lankenau Institute of Medical Research

M Health Fairview

Mayo Clinic

National Institutes of Health

Northwestern Lurie Cancer Center

Pillar Clinical Research

Rural Area Veterinary Services

Southwest Pediatrics

University of Chicago

Medical school acceptance rates

The five-year rolling average acceptance rate for 2021–25 is 76%. For applicants with either a GPA of 3.7+ or an MCAT score at the 85th percentile or higher, the average acceptance rate rises to 86%. Annually, 25–30 Grinnellians apply to medical school. Applicants to other professions have similar success rates.

Recent offers for medical school admission include:

Baylor College of Medicine
Duke University School of Medicine
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine
University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Yale School of Medicine

Medical School and Other Clinical Practices

Students committed to patient care can pursue careers in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, veterinary medicine, and other clinical professions. After completing a B.A. at Grinnell, graduates enter professional programs ranging from two to four years and go on to practice in hospitals, clinics, and community health settings.

Biomedical Research

Students drawn to scientific discovery can pursue careers in biomedical research. Some graduates seek employment with biotechnology companies, academic medical centers, and government laboratories. Others pursue master’s, doctoral, or combined degrees to further their scientific training and advance their careers.

Public Health

Students who want to improve health at the population level can pursue graduate training in public health. Some complete their B.A. and pursue a two-year program, while others participate in Grinnell’s 4-1 Public Health Cooperative Degree Program with the University of Iowa. Graduates go on to address health disparities and strengthen health systems.

Essi takes a selfie in front of the medical conference building.

Essi’s Journey

Essi Adokou ’25 came to Grinnell planning a pre-medicine pathway, but without a specific major in mind. She knew she wanted to study something biology related, and her interests led her to fields of study that excited her.

Read about how Grinnell prepared Essi

MJ Ketcha wearing a white medical coat and sitting on stone steps.

Grinnell Helps Forge a Path to Medical School

MJ Ketcha ’23 recently started an M.D./PhD program at Washington University’s Medical School through the Medical Scientist Training Program. He is learning what it means to do clinical work while also building his skills as a medical researcher. When he started at Grinnell College, however, he thought he would take a different path. He found lots of support along the way as he navigated his shifting direction.

Read about how Grinnell prepared MJ for medical school

Photo of Kayla Figatner in a white doctor's coat on the roof of a building

Prepared for Medical School, Thanks to Grinnell

“I feel like Grinnell is perfect for people considering healthcare,” says Kayla Figatner ’22. “I think you get a really strong base in the sciences, but the curriculum also allows you to branch out and gain proficiency and other skills that you’ll need — sociology, psychology, all of that.”

Read about how Grinnell prepared Kayla for medical school

Career Resources

The Grinnell College Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS) should be one of your first stops when you’re ready to start thinking about a career in healthcare and how to get there. The CLS offers guidance, resources, and support — including financial support — to help you explore your career pathway.

Many students also take advantage of the CLS’ Health Professions Career Community, which offers opportunities to connect with like-minded students and an expert adviser to learn about resources, hands-on experiences, and research opportunities to help you achieve your goals.

Here are just a few of the resources available at the CLS:

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Academic Advising and Career Exploration

You will be supported by a collaborative advising network that includes faculty advisers, members of the Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC), and career advisers at the Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS).

Your faculty academic adviser works with you to plan coursework and connect your academic interests to potential health careers. CLS career advisers support career exploration through career treks, shadowing opportunities, internships, and conversations with alumni and admissions representatives across a range of health professions.

As you prepare to apply to professional school, you will work closely with HPAC faculty and the CLS’s Health Professions Career Community director, who brings expertise in health professions admissions. Together, they guide students through the application process, including timelines, school lists, essay feedback, and mock interview coaching.

This collaborative approach helps students explore careers, gain meaningful experience, and prepare strong applications to health professions programs. It helps students build a strong academic foundation, navigate the required courses and prerequisites for graduate programs, gain meaningful experience, and prepare strong applications to health professions programs.

Internships and Other Opportunities

Your career adviser at the Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS) can help you find internships, externships, summer research experiences, job shadows, mentoring, and other opportunities for real-life job experience in healthcare.

Networking with Alumni and Recruiters

Grinnell alumni working in healthcare are happy to connect with students who want to explore similar career paths. Alumni in these careers can provide good insights into what it is like to work in their field. Your career community leader at the Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS) can help you connect with Grinnell alumni in the professional healthcare field that appeals to you.

Connecting with Recruiters

Your CLS adviser can help connect you with professional school recruiters and recruiters looking for candidates for jobs in healthcare.

Funding for Career-Building Experiences

Interested in an unpaid internship, but can’t afford to live in a faraway city without a paycheck? The Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS) may be able to help. Financial support for internships, transportation, professional clothing, and more are available for students with need.

Professor Clark Lindgren Receives NIH Grant to Study Synaptic Stability

Clark Lindgren, Patricia A. Johnson Professor of Neuroscience, has been awarded a $515,078 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Four students with the AMEC balloon arch at the conference entrance.

Students Bring Back Lessons, Opportunities for Growth From a Premedical Conference

Planning in advance to give a presentation about their conference experience, four premedical students reflect on what they learned and the takeaways they want to share with their peers.

A woman with purple braids and a blue sweater looks over the shoulder of a student. She is pointing something out in the cells that the student is viewing through a microscope.

Grinnellians Pursue a Lung Cancer Cure

During her research sabbatical, Charvann Bailey joined forces with Doug Spitz ’78 at the University of Iowa. Together, the two biologists are uncovering a molecule to treat aggressive lung cancer.

Professor Joe Neisser standing next to a black stone bust

Philosophy Professor Neisser Receives Grant for Memory Research

Professor Joe Neisser received NIH grant for an interdisciplinary project tied to epilepsy treatment

Grinnell Turns Curiosity into Calling

How Ashley Pacheco '24 leveraged her Grinnell experiences into a career in medicine.

Collin Kramer works with younger students

Well Prepared for Med School with Space for Other Interests

Collin Kramer ’15, a third-year medical student at the University of Iowa, came to Grinnell knowing that he wanted to study medicine. Thanks to the small class sizes, dedicated faculty, and abundant research opportunities offered by Grinnell’s biological chemistry program, Kramer graduated feeling well-prepared for medical school.

Three students with fire equipment on and ambulance behind them.

Serving Side by Side: Grinnell Students Work with the Grinnell Fire Department

Three Grinnell College students are serving alongside the City of Grinnell’s Fire Department as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and firefighters—strengthening the connection between campus and community in meaningful ways.

Resources for Students Interested in Healthcare Careers

Health Professions Career Community — This CLS Career Community supports students and young alumni pursuing graduate-level professional degrees in the health professions. This includes well-known fields such as human medicine, veterinary medicine, and public health, as well as critical but less commonly explored fields such as genetic counseling, healthcare administration, and speech-language pathology. A full list of the professions can be found on the Health Professions page of the CLS website.

Students applying for gap-year roles to further develop clinical or research skills before applying to professional schools can also get support from this resource. Common gap-year positions include research assistant, clinical research coordinator, medical or dental assistant, optometric technician, veterinary technician, nurse aide, patient navigator, and EMT.

Public Health Cooperative Degree Program — Grinnell College and the University of Iowa have established a cooperative degree program leading to a Bachelor of Arts from Grinnell and a Master of Public Health (MPH) through the University of Iowa (UI) College of Public Health, in one additional year.

Health Professions Advisory Committee — The Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) helps prepare students for application to health professional graduate schools. Committee advisers help students plan their course of study and are responsible for the preparation of committee letters of recommendation. The HPAC works closely with the Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS), which can help students and young alumni explore healthcare fields, find internship opportunities and community connections, think about the personal statement, and prepare for interviews.