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Academic Advising Overview Statement I define my advising role at WOU in several ways, each of which will be addressed in this section. (1) My official assigned advising roles are in pre-dental/dental hygiene and microbiologybiotechnology. I I inherited the former by virtue of whom I replaced; I maintain an on-line pre-dental hygiene advising website (provided for this file, linked HERE), an on-line dental hygiene advising website (provided for this file, linked HERE), and semi-annual contact with nearly all Oregon-based dental program admission offices/officers. (2) Any student who requests a recommendation letter, in my professional opinion, also counts as an advising responsibility because I only write letters for students who discuss their career interests with me, provide me with transcripts/resume materials, and take at least 2 courses from me (1 of which must be upper division). (3) Research advisees, whether as independent students or GERMS participants, also count as advising responsibilities, in large part because nearly all overlap with point (2). (4) Miscellaneous advising-related activities, such as mentoring dental practica, facilitating interviews, or voluntarily running a bioethics course for pre-health professionals. 1. Official/Assigned Advising Since coming to WOU (including my first year here in 1997-8), I have advised 10-30 students each year. Of these 5-6 are pre-dental (most Biology Majors), 5-6 are pre-dental hygiene (nearly all non-majors), 5-6 are interested in specific careers or graduate training in microbiology/biotechnology, and 5-6 are mystery people who either never show up or, when they do, have nothing to do with my advising realm (i.e. were mis-assigned by Central Advising). My pre-dental students have shown a high degree of success, with about 75% placed professional programs within 1-2 years. Until recently, however, my pre-dental hygiene students have not shown a high degree of success - mostly because the OHSU's 2002 decision to eliminate their hygiene program increased competition to the point that students with anything less than an A were not considered. And, unfortunately, pre-dental hygiene students are, in general, poorly prepared for the demands of science at WOU. Recent expansions of Dental Hygiene programs (e.g. Eastern, OIT, and Pacific) are helping this problem greatly - as is my blatant advise to students that nothing less than an A or B is acceptable. In some cases, this does mean that students leave WOU - but I see no other way to manage chronic failure and severely unrealized self-expectations. About half of my drop-out hygiene students pursue lower level training programs in dental assisting. Successful Hygiene Advisees Holli Love - Misty Sommefelt - Julie Evans - Klamath Basin/OIT Program, 2005 Successful Dentistry Advisees Mathilde Resnick - NYU, 2006 Theresa Fenton - OHSU, 2006 Erin Estep - OHSU, 2006 (started with me, switched to medicine, switched back after graduating) Brandon Turley - OHSU, 2004 Luke Gambee - Successful Microbiology/Biotechnology Advisees Melissa Austin - OSU Microbiology Graduate Program, 2002 Peter Williams - LC Resources/BASi
Northwest Labs, McMinneville, 2003 2. Recommendation Letter Recipients/Outcomes 2006: Evangel Lander - nursing school advanced masters program pending 2006: Catherine Dahl - dental school application pending 2006: Nathan Howell - dental school application pending* 2006: Nathan Howell
- 2006: Mathilde Resnick - 2005: Maria Quezada - pre-medicine, transferred to PSU, received internship and scholarship* 2005: Monica Smith - WSU Botany Graduate Program* 2005: Tyler Treharne - 2004: Becky Glodt - WOU MAT Program 2004: DJ Ellis - OSU MAT Program 2004: Melissa Boschee - Oregon Department of Agriculture Lab Technician* 2003: Peter Wiliams - LC Resources/BASi Northwest Labs, McMinneville, 2003* 2003: Carrie Wales - 2003: Viral Patel - 2003: Rogan Rattray - OSU Microbiology Graduate Program 2003: Danny Lodge - 2003: Natalie Muren - 2003: Sean Vigil - 2003: Amber Robbins - Linfield Nursing Program 2003: Sara Crosky - 2002: Melissa Austin - OSU Microbiology Graduate Program 2002: Kelly Shipley - WOU MAT Program 2002: Jessica Bahari-Kashani
- U. 2002: Jessica Cameron - 2002: Bobbi Doyle - WOU MAT Program 2002: BJ Wylam - WOU MAT Program 2002: Mandy Ziglinsky -
Secondary Science Teacher, *Also research advisees from summer programs or independent study
projects. 3. Summer Research Advisees - Undergraduates
Only 2004-6: Nathan Howell, applying to dental schools 2003-5: Terry Manning, WOU Disability Services Coordinator, future Peace Corps Volunteer 2004-6: Jennifer Esparza, WOU fifth year senior - pre-medicine 2004-5: Will Drury,
2005: Morgan Huffstetter, WOU continuing - pre-medicine 2004: Jared Brougher, WOU MAT Program 2004: Elizabeth Jacobsumuhlen, US Customs Internship (last I heard in 2004) 2004: Jana Brooks, OSU Research Technician, likely applying to medical schools 2004: Maria Quezada, PSU continuing - pre-medicine 2003: Christina
Vann/Lodge, 2002-3: Peter Williams - LC Resources/BASi Northwest Labs, McMinneville, 2003 2003: Melissa Boschee, Oregon Department of Agriculture Lab Technician 2002: Jessica 4. Miscellaneous Advising-Related Activities (a) Mentoring
Job Shadow Practica: I serve as the advisor for 1-3 Biology 406
job shadowing practica per year (i.e. each being 30
hours per 1 credit), most for pre-dental hygiene or pre-dental students. 75% of the students already know someone in
the field and request work with them.
25% of the students request placement and so I maintain a local
relationship with Dr. Turgesen and his staff in (2) Interview Panels/Pre-Professional Review: Between 2000-2003, I attempted to spearhead an unofficial effort to promote practice interviews with a pre-professional faculty panel. Although I had good faculty interest and support, student interest was sadly minimal. In reviewing my recommendation letter list, only Sara Crosky jumps out as someone I remember interviewing (and, indeed, she was accepted to medical school). Given our strong pre-professional enrollment patterns, I am hoping to revitalize a pre-professional committee again this year, focusing on all steps of the application process. (3) Bioethics
Course: Compelled by a variety of
advising-related factors, I decided to voluntarily run (i.e. not paid or
FTE-credited) a 2 credit independent study/seminar course in Medical
Bioethics for pre-professional students in spring, 2004. Dr. Galvan was also interested and so we
divided the weekly topics in half and tackled everything from euthanasia to
abortion to organ donation, using a case-study-oriented text used by several
medical schools. Dr. Tamina Toray was also invited as a speaker on the topic
of death and dying. A key assignment
in this course was to develop and review personal statements, required for
admission to most pre-medical/dental programs. The following students signed up for this
course and many said it was one of their most meaningful course experiences
at WOU: Terry Manning (WOU staff,
still thinking about medical school), Jessica Powell (applying to medical
school at this time), Nathan Howell (applying to dental school at this time),
Maria Quezada (transferred to PSU, applying to medical school at this time), Jennifer
Esparza (still completing coursework at WOU, still pre-medical), and Jana
Brooks (lost contact after she moved to Washington DC in 2005, was - at the
time - applying to medical school). |