Christian Colleges offering Pre-Med Programs

By Calli Wolfenden, Staff Writer
 

The field of medicine has been around a long time, with recorded surgeries going back as far as ancient Egypt. Though the practice has seen much change over time, from folk medicine, herbs, and religious rituals to modern medicine, diagnoses, and treatment, the goal remains the same: to help and heal people. Caring for others continues to be the central goal of medicine and the driving factor behind all the work, schooling, and practice that goes into to becoming a doctor of any kind.

With this in mind, it’s easy to see how faith naturally aligns with the field of medicine, where compassion, integrity, and love are necessary traits to provide others with the best care. Choosing to pursue a pre-medicine program at a Christian college, therefore, is a great way to build up both your academic profile and your understanding of love, service, and care through the growing and nurturing of your faith. A Christian college could be the perfect place to prepare you for both medical school and a life driven by faith in a scientific field.

List of potential careers for someone who pursues a medical degree:

• Physician: Physicians are medical professionals who treat, diagnose, and help prevent injuries and illnesses. They perform medical procedures, physical exams, order diagnostic tests and interpret results, and prescribe medication and other forms of treatment to patients. Physicians can work in private practices, clinics, hospitals, or other various settings.
• Surgeon: Surgeons are physicians who treat the conditions of patients through surgical procedures to remove, repair, or replace parts of the body. Surgeons evaluate patients for diseases, injuries, or deformities before the surgery, inform the patients about the benefits and potential risks, develop a surgical plan, and manage post-operation care and recovery, in addition to performing the actual surgery.
• Cardiologist: A cardiologist is a physician who works specifically with the heart and blood vessels, treating any conditions or illnesses related to them. They run tests, manage diseases like heart attack and high blood pressure (amongst many others), and come up with treatment plans involving medication, lifestyle changes, and sometimes even procedures, like putting in stents.
• Oncologist: An oncologist is a doctor who specializes in cancer, it’s diagnosis, and it’s treatment. Through various tests, they determine the kind and stage of cancer a patient has, then develop treatment plans they believe will be most effective, such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy. They will monitor progress, adjust treatment as needed, and manage changes or side effects with the patients.
• Neurologist: A neurologist is a doctor who specializes in the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system, treating and diagnosing diseases/disorders having to do with them. They evaluate symptoms, run tests (such as MRIs), and come up with treatment plans to improve quality of life, including methods like medication and non-surgical therapies.

Placement rates for medical degrees vary, though the outlook based on the NRMP’s 2025 Match Rate is quite positive. The reward for a career with a medical degree is high, both in terms of financial value and impact, as the work of healing has immense effect on patients’ quality of life. In terms of financial reward, the average salary for someone with a medical degree, who has finished residency, is around $239,200. For clear reasons, even though placement rates are considered to be high, medical programs are quite competitive, which means that you’ll need to stand apart from the crowd. That said, what are some things that you can do while pursuing a pre-medicine program in your undergraduate career to best set yourself up for success with a medical degree?

Your GPA will be massively important to medical schools, so do your best to keep high grades. A pre-medicine program will often involve certain pre-requisites, however the exact classes required vary by medical school. Typically, biology, statistics, English, and biochemistry are required classes, in addition to other science classes and labs. Do your research on your desired medical school to ensure you know which prerequisites you need, take them as early as you can in your college career, and make sure that your grades in those classes are as high as possible.

Preparing yourself for the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) is another key step to take during your pre-medicine program. Your MCAT scores play a big part in your eligibility to medical schools, so you’ll want to make dedicated time for studying and prep for this test, which you should plan to take the second semester of your Junior year of college (no later than April) if you’re planning to go straight to medical school upon graduation. You’ll want to score between 510-512 to be competitive, but higher is always better. You can retake the MCAT 3 times within one calendar year, and up to 7 times in your lifetime.

Service hours are also a huge part of a successful medical school application. There are different types of service hours that medical schools look at that applicants need to have: shadowing experience with a doctor, volunteer experience, clinical experience, leadership experience, and research experience. The number of hours that are required from each category varies depending on the requirements set by the individual medical schools. According to AAMC.org, matriculants (those enrolled in medical school) in 2025 completed an average of 717 hours of service per person, which gives you a reference for what the competitive expectation may be.

Strong time management and organization are going to be key characteristics for success, as can be seen by the amount of responsibilities, service hours, and studying that you’ll need to complete before medical school even begins. Being tough and steady under pressure is a requirement; the medical field is full of stressful situations, patients with critical conditions, and life and death decisions, and your ability to be calm and perform as you have been trained in these instances is imperative. Integrity and honesty are key, as doing the right thing for the patients is the priority. Empathy and strong communication skills are necessary as you’ll be working with patients, explaining diagnoses, treatment options, and other medical concepts and it’s important to do so with consideration and clarity. The ability to work with others cooperatively will come in handy, as working with nurses and other doctors is par for the course. Someone with this combination of characteristics may be well suited for a career in the medical field, whether in a hospital or in ministry.

Work Cited:

• “A Guide to Extracurriculars for Medical School: Types + How to Choose.” MedSchoolCoach, 17 Dec. 2025, www.medschoolcoach.com/medical-school-extracurricular-activities-shadowing-volunteering-research-clinical-experience-leadership/.
• “NRMP Releases 2025 Main Residency Match Results and Data Report, Providing in-Depth Insight into the Largest Residency Match in History.” NRMP, 29 May 2025, www.nrmp.org/about/news/2025/05/nrmp-releases-2025-main-residency-match-results-and-data-report-providing-in-depth-insight-into-the-largest-residency-match-in-history/.
• “Pre-Requisites for Medical School.” MedSchoolCoach, 12 Aug. 2025, www.medschoolcoach.com/pre-requisites-for-medical-school-database/.
• Balch, Bridget. “U.S. Medical Schools Enroll Record Number of Students in 2025.” AAMC, 9 Dec. 2025, www.aamc.org/news/us-medical-schools-enroll-record-number-students-2025. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Physicians and Surgeons, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physicians-and-surgeons.htm (visited March 30, 2026). Tao, Ken. “What Is a Good MCAT Score?” MedSchoolCoach, 12 Nov. 2025, www.medschoolcoach.com/mcat-scores/.

By Calli Wolfenden, Staff Writer
 

Ephesians 2:10
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (NIV)

Matthew 10:8
“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” (NIV)

Those with a medical degree have the unique opportunity to share the gospel while providing care, healing, and education. These individuals can be a pillar of a church community, providing clinics, health screenings, or even preaching about how to care for our bodies in a Biblical way. They can advise members, leadership, and even speak into the community, inviting people to church through their care and compassion.

Medical missions are also a great option for someone with a medical degree. Providing care, aide, and showing love and compassion are great ways to open doors for evangelism while being an example of the love of God. Whether short term or long term, providing medical service as part of a ministry or a missions trip has the opportunity to change lives, both physically and spiritually.

A medical degree and the following career have so much potential for reward, far beyond just financial, but life-changing impact. If you are passionate about caring for others, science, problem solving, are organized and manage your time well, and maintain sharp focus and steady hands under pressure, then perhaps the Lord is calling your to pursue a pre-medicine program!