Roman Miller, 91¶ÌÊÓÆµ professor of biology, said the four students attending Hershey Medical "embody 91¶ÌÊÓÆµ's values of service for Christ, compassion and integrity." (Left to right): Ben Ruth, Jon Spicher, Brianna Oelschlager and Austin Baer.

91¶ÌÊÓÆµ well-represented at Hershey Medical Center

Four 91¶ÌÊÓÆµ (91¶ÌÊÓÆµ) graduates are part of the fall class at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, giving the Pennsylvania campus an “91¶ÌÊÓÆµ feel.”

“We were surprised to find that 91¶ÌÊÓÆµ is one of the best represented schools in our class, excluding Penn State itself,” said Brianna Oelschlager, ’11.

Oelschlager, Austin Baer ’06, Ben Ruth ’09 and Jon Spicher ’10 are the latest students to enter Hershey Medical Center after graduating from 91¶ÌÊÓÆµ. Other graduates include Anny Smucker, a 2008 alum who served as a mentor to Oelschlager as she made the transition to medical school.

“Anny answered all my questions about coming to Hershey which helped ease my transition into medical school,” said Oelschlager. “She told me that the classes at 91¶ÌÊÓÆµ taught her how to study, which put her one step ahead of many of her classmates.”

Over the past 10 years, more than 90 percent of 91¶ÌÊÓÆµ students who completed the pre-medical program were accepted to medical school, compared to the current national average of 46 percent.

David Leaman, PhD, a 1960 graduate of 91¶ÌÊÓÆµ and physician at Hershey Medical Center said 91¶ÌÊÓÆµ students are prepared for the rigors of medical school. “The education they received, coupled with a strong work ethic and positive attitude, allows them to adjust quicker to medical school than some students.”

Oelschlager said their class schedule has consisted of time in anatomy lab, daily lectures and a course on the “Foundations of Clinical Medicine.”

“The class on the ‘Foundations of Clinical Medicine’ is really interesting because we learn how to perform a cardiac exam and to identify abnormal heart and lung sounds,” said Oelschlager. “But right now our time is mostly devoted to lectures on anatomy and being in the lab.”

With another nine weeks remaining in anatomy, Oelschlager knows their journey into the medical field has just begun.

“I am starting to see that what we are learning now is just building on the foundation of knowledge we gained at 91¶ÌÊÓÆµ,” said Oelschlager.

Discussion on “91¶ÌÊÓÆµ well-represented at Hershey Medical Center

  1. What about the nursing students that just graduated at the same time as these medical students that also work at Penn State Hershey Medical center?

    1. Tammy, we’d love to know about the 91¶ÌÊÓÆµ nurses and their impact at Penn State Hershey Medical Center! One of the alum in this photo tipped us off to this story by sending the photo. Let us know about you and other nurses and we’ll gladly publish an update!

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