Medicine / Physical Therapy / Veterinary Medicine / Pharmacy / Dentistry / Optometry

Medicine

Recent Luther graduates have attended medical schools throughout the United States and can find their niche in medicine in any of the following areas:

• Anesthesiology
• Dermatology
• Emergency Medicine
• Family Medicine
• Internal Medicine
• Medical Genetics
• Neurology
• Nuclear Medicine
• Obstetrics/Gynecology
• Ophthalmology
• Osteopathology
• Pathology
• Pediatrics
• Psychiatry
• Radiation Oncology
• Radiology, Diagnostic
• Sleep Medicine
• Surgery
• Urology

Physical Therapy

Physical therapists work in a variety of settings, including:

• Hospitals
• Outpatient clinics
• Nursing homes
• Home care agencies
• Corporations
• Schools
• Rehabilitation centers

In these settings, therapists may practice as generalists or choose to specialize in one of several areas:

• Orthopedics
• Sports physical therapy
• Geriatrics
• Pediatrics
• Neurology
• Cardiopulmonary

In addition, physical therapists can pursue avenues in administration, research and education.

Veterinary Medicine

A veterinarian has many career options. About 40 percent of all veterinarians treat small animals or pets. A large number of veterinarians specialize in the health and breeding of cattle, poultry, sheep, swine, or horses. Many inspect meat, poultry and other foods as part of state-sponsored or federally funded public health programs. Others teach in veterinary colleges. Research is an area which continues to grow in veterinary medicine. Veterinarians are conducting research related to animal diseases, food and drug testing, and animal injuries. In addition, because of the many correlative findings linked to animals, medical research teams have been formed to seek knowledge about the prevention and treatment of human diseases.

Pharmacy

Luther graduates who have pursued pharmacology are working as clinical pharmacists and researchers at universities, production technologists in the pharmaceutical industry, and family pharmacists in neighborhood pharmacies, among other placements.

Students interested in exploring pharmacology and other health careers should consider an internship during the three-week January Term or during the regular semester. These internships are primarily observational, but provide a practical introduction to the many health-care professions.

Internship placements are available in large medical complexes, county hospitals, medical laboratories, public health programs, and private practices. These programs vary to allow advisors the freedom to match specific internships with the career goals of the student.

Dentistry

Luther pre-dentistry students enroll in dental schools across the country and work in a variety of settings, ranging from solo practices to major medical complexes in the following areas:

• General dentistry
• Dental public health
• Endodontics
• Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
• Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
• Pediatric Dentistry
• Periodontics
• Prothodontics

Optometry

Luther graduates who pursue optometry work in private practice and in large medical facilities across the country. For more information about graduate experiences, please consult a pre-optometry advisor in the biology department.