Institute for Health Studies

Careers in health care are expanding rapidly -- are you ready to claim your space?

Health care is a four trillion-dollar industry in the United States. Every day, physicians and other providers see patients, health insurers process claims, researchers test drug innovations and bio-medical engineers develop new products in need of marketing and training support. For thoughtful, educated individuals, health care offers employment opportunities at all levels of academic preparation in communities of all sizes. 

Adrian College is one of a handful of private colleges that has focused on this opportunity.

In response, we have organized our many academic and administrative resources in one place, with one job: to advise, educate and support students planning careers in health care.

Consider the following: 

• We offer courses to expand your knowledge of health care and its professional alternatives.
• Our course offerings meet student interests in the basic sciences, bio-ethics, health informatics, exercise science, health education, social work and elsewhere.
• Our internship placements and active advising around your specific interests help you secure direct patient care and research experiences. 
• We help you monitor admission requirements at key professional schools, plan, sequence and complete courses they require, and support you throughout the complex application process. 

Some students enter health careers directly from Adrian; some enroll in masters or clinical doctorate programs; and some enter medical, dental, veterinary or other professional school. Many find their academic and career goals change over time. This is to be expected, and we encourage each student to have a "Plan B."

Whatever your major, you'll be free to tap my 25 years as a health care executive in hospitals, with health insurers and for physician practices. In a way, I represent the person you will face in 4 years as you seek employment or admission to a graduate program. With the support of Adrian's dedicated faculty, my job is to be sure you are prepared to meet that challenge academically, professionally and emotionally.

It would be our pleasure to assist you in realizing your academic and career goals in health care. Please email or call me with questions at an time.

Margaret Amory
Director, Institute for Health Studies

Our Mission

The central mission of the Institute for Health Studies is to position our students to secure their academic, professional and personal goals in the health professions. 

To accomplish this result, we seek opportunities for the scientific and liberal arts to inform each other, for students to develop cultural insight, to practice critical assessment of risk and to find the combination of focus and flexibility that permits life and career satisfaction. 

The Adrian College Institute for Health Studies and its Health Professions Advisors support students from any major in securing: 

• foundational knowledge required to enter and perform well in professional and graduate school leading to careers in health care
• awareness that the liberal arts—history, science, philosophy, communication—all influence scientific direction, health policy and patient service
• knowledge of the complex issues faced in health care delivery
• experiential learning opportunities in health care 
• opportunities to explore global health issues through service learning around the world
• support for research initiatives that will sharpen their lab and analytical skills
• the ability to make an informed choice from among a wide range of health care career alternatives

Delivery of health care, research in the life sciences and development of innovative biomedical technologies are complex tasks requiring concrete skills. The technical skills on which these services depend are, however, only one component of quality care. 

These skills are best applied by an individual who habitually connects ideas across disciplines, who extends critical analysis to each task, who communicates effectively within and across cultures, and who is skilled in written communication—in short, the precise skills acquired in a quality liberal arts education. 

Each year, 40-50% of freshmen entering Adrian College express a career interest in life science- and health-related fields—yet they have enrolled at a liberal arts college. Simply stated, our students understand that a technical degree would provide just one skill set. Given the pace of technological and social change, they know intuitively that a wide-ranging, liberal arts education is a valuable commodity. Some of our current students will work in roles we cannot imagine today, and they will need every skill we can provide to build a sustainable and creative future.

The Adrian College Institute for Health Studies anticipates and prepares our students for this future.