purdue university health professions advising
About the Health Professions Advising Office

Located in 1-123 Lilly Hall, the Health Professions Advising Office is the main source on campus for information about health careers, requirements for specific careers, and applying to professional programs in healthcare. The office also offers a professional file service that stores and distributes your collected letters of recommendation to professional programs. Most of the resources developed by the office are available to other advisors on campus, so you can begin your search for information with your Academic Advisor and this Web site. If you don't see the information you need, feel free to contact the Health Professions Advisor with your questions.

Students from all majors and with interests in any healthcare field are welcomed and encouraged to make use of the Office of Health Professions Advising as a supplement to their academic advising. Appointments can be made by calling (765) 494-4747. Students can also e-mail the advisor, Amy Terstriep, directly at prehealth@purdue.edu.

The Health Professions Advisor

Besides developing advising materials such as the Career Guides and Advising Information Pages found on this site, the Health Professions Advisor provides workshops on topics such as Applying to Medical School and Professional School Interviews, writes a newsletter (coming soon to this website), and meets individually with students to discuss their future plans and options.

Purdue's Health Professions Advisor is Amy Terstriep, Ph.D. As an advisor, she helps students learn about different health careers including information about job tasks, the job outlook, the necessary prerequisite courses and aptitude tests, and any other credentials needed to apply. She also assists students during their application process to professional school to help them make informed decisions and to put together the strongest application possible. As a resource person on campus, she provides information for prospective students and their families, alerts advisors to changes in professional school requirements, and tracks applicant information to improve the services offered at Purdue. Dr. Terstriep is a member of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions.

Dr. Terstriep came to Purdue after 10 years at Albion College in Michigan. At Albion, Terstriep taught in the Anthropology and Sociology Department for several years, ran the Institute for Pre-Medical and Health Care Studies for five years, and finally worked as the Associate Registrar. Her academic background is in medical anthropology and her research interests include the genetics of deafness as well as clinical and technological approaches to working with deaf people. As part of her training she took courses in medical, dental, and veterinary schools as well as nursing and public health programs.