Careers: Conventional Medicine
Students graduating from the Integrative Therapeutic Practices Program at Metro State College will be well-prepared to enter a number of healthcare fields. Many ITP majors minor in Pre-Health Care. This minor captures prerequisites needed to apply to medical, nursing, physician assistant and physical therapy programs.
Medical School
You can apply to medical schools all over the United States as well as other parts of the world. Medical doctors complete four years of graduate school, a residency (which varies in length depending upon the specialty) and a series of medical board examinations.
- Information on the University of Colorado's School of Medicine
- Information about admissions to the School of Medicine
Nursing School
Nurses are in high demand today. Opportunities are numerous. Depending upon the educational degree obtained, nurses perform their duties with varying degrees of supervision from physicians. Some, such as nurse practitioners, work autonomously to diagnose and treat illnesses. Otherwise, nurses promote the health of individuals, families and communities and participate hugely in patient care. They may work in hospitals, home care, community agencies, schools, within the legal system and more. They can specialize in obstetrics (with some working as nurse midwifes), gynecology, pediatrics, surgery, anesthesia, emergency medicine and more. Nurses must graduate from an accredited program, pass an exam and become licensed by, or registered with, the state in which they practice.
For more information about this dynamic profession, go to the American Nurses Association and the American Holistic Nursing Association.
Students interested in becoming nurses may want to check out the following three programs in the Denver metropolitan area:
- Department of Nursing, Metropolitan State College of Denver offers two options: 1) a nursing completion program that awards a Bachelor of Science in Nursing to students who have earned an associate's degree in nursing or are already registered nurses and 2) an accelerated nursing program for those with non-nursing bachelor's degrees.
- University of Colorado, College of Nursing offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs in nursing.
- Regis University, Loretto Heights School of Nursing offers two degree programs: Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and the Master of Science (MS) in Nursing.
Physician Assistant
Physician assistants (P.A.s) work in hospitals and practice alongside medical doctors to provide a range of services. They take patients' histories, do physical examinations, order and review diagnostic studies, implement treatment plans and so on. They may specialize in areas of medicine like internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, dermatology, etc.
PAs graduate from programs accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission for Education for the Physician Assistant, are certified by the National Commission for Certification of Physician Assistants and are licensed with, or registered by, the state in which they practice. For more information, go to the American Academy of Physician Assistants. That organization maintains a list of accredited schools.
- University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Physician Assistant Program
- Physician Assistant Program, Red Rocks Community College
- Students applying to this two-year program must already have a bachelor's degree, specific prerequisite classes and 2000 hours of paid healthcare experience.
Physical Therapist
Physical therapists examine, evaluate and treat patients with musculoskeletal problems of various causes including trauma/injury, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, strokes, degenerative arthritis and more.
- For more information, contact the American Physical Therapy Association
- University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Physical Therapy Program offers a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
- Regis University offers a DPT
Osteopathy offers similar privileges to these conventional medical degrees.
