Pre-Health Advisor - Norwich University

Fulfills the mission of Norwich University by serving as the primary point of contact and mentor for students interested in a career in medicine. The primary focus of this position is pre-health advising, but first-year advising in related STEM fields will be assigned to supplement the pre-health caseload. All Professional Academic Advisors are assigned to a specific group of majors and become experts in their assigned curricula by embedding in the relevant academic programs, attending department meetings, and actively engaging with faculty. Employing the 'Advising as Teaching' philosophy adopted by the Norwich Academic Advising Council, Advisors educate students about degree requirements, understanding the curriculum for their major(s), and policies in the Academic Catalog, as well as providing consistent and supportive guidance for students and helping connect them to relevant resources and tools.

Essential Functions

• Offers comprehensive pre-health guidance, including extracurricular planning and professional development.
• Helps students identify and secure meaningful clinical experiences and research opportunities.
• Supports students in the application process including help with crafting narratives and strategies for securing effective recommendations.
• Maintains membership in the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP) with participation in both national and local area network (LAN) meetings to facilitate interaction with admissions personnel from medical schools and other professional organizations and ensure understanding of applicant criteria is current
• Serves as a mentor for the Norwich Pre-Health Professions student club.
• Meets and serves as liaison for recruiters for Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) and Uniformed Services University (USU) and Board of Fellows.
• Directs prospective and current students to appropriate departments in allied health. Such as nursing, occupational therapy and physical therapy.
• Serves as a secondary advisor to all students interested in the pre-health professions not covered by existing programs at Norwich.
• Identifies new areas of interest in health professions and provide guidance for students: speech language pathology, respiratory therapy, audiology, nutrition, etc.
• Provides appropriate and up-to-date guidance for students interested in: Medicine (MD/DO), Veterinary Practice (DVM/VMD), Dentistry (DDS/DMD), Pharmacy (PharmD), Physician Assistant (PA)
• Maintains expertise in Norwich specific history, mission, vision, values and culture; relevant curriculum and degree programs (majors, minors, concentrations); general education requirements or options; academic policies, procedures, rules and regulations; and on-campus student success resources.
• Plans and executes appropriate and successful advising interactions; communicate respectfully with advisees and their success team; facilitate problem-solving, decision- making, and meaning-making; support future planning and goal setting; and, explain the logic and purpose of the curriculum.
• Communicates and connects with incoming students during summer before enrollment, creating students' class schedules in Banner according to appropriate curriculum and degree requirements.
• Connects with advisees regularly via email communication and in-person meetings, especially during time-sensitive time periods such as add/drop, pre-registration advising, and mid-terms grades.
• Embeds support for effective learning and productivity strategies - time management, study skills, healthy habits, self-advocacy, etc. - into advising practices.
• Teaches students the mechanics of creating a schedule, choosing and registering for classes at the appropriate time, and interpreting their degree audit in DegreeWorks.
• Responds promptly to flags raised in the student success tracking system by offering timely support and communication to the flagged student(s) and success team.
• Collaborates with CASA and advises colleagues to promote extracurricular programs, workshops, and special events that increase NU students' engagement.
• Develops advising best practices through continuous professional development and commitment to transformational advising practices.
• Practice NACADA's Core Values - Caring, Commitment, Empowerment, Inclusivity, Integrity, Professionalism, and Respect - in advising and through professional development.
• Work collaboratively and professionally with CASA colleagues on unit mission goals, and specific tasks, as determined by CASA leadership.

Other Functions

• Maintains confidentiality of sensitive or private information.
• Communicates with employees, students, and others in a respectful and clear manner.
• Serves on University committees, councils, workgroups, or other designated bodies as assigned.
• Achieves, maintains proficiency in, and utilizes computers, telephones, and other job-related equipment, including related systems and software.
• Speaks, reads, and writes in English.
• Communicates by telephone, email, letter, in person, or other means or device.
• Performs other tasks as assigned by supervisor.

• Bachelor's degree in a related field required. Master's degree in related field preferred.
• 1 year of work experience in a health professions context preferred
• In-depth knowledge of admissions requirements in health-related graduate school programs preferred
• Demonstrated effectiveness in pre-health academic advising preferred
• Ability to show understanding of the relevant history, approaches, strategies, and theories of academic advising in the creation and maintenance of inclusive environments.
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the unique characteristics, needs and experiences of multiple student populations, legal guidelines of privacy and confidentiality, and appropriate IT systems applicable to advising roles.
• Ability to articulate a personal philosophy of advising and engage in assessment and development of advising practice.
• Excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills
• Attention to detail supported by personal accountability systems
• Ability to work effectively with diverse student populations
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, SharePoint, Teams, and Outlook) required. Experience with Navigate, DegreeWorks and competence with other work-related technologies preferred.
• Able to sit, squat, reach, push, pull, and manipulate related equipment; lift 15 pounds; travel outdoors to various parts of the campus
• Work some evening or weekend hours

Environmental Conditions

• Indoor work at a computer workstation
• Low level of exposure to noise, dust, fumes, vibrations, and temperature changes.

Norwich University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to providing a positive education and work environment that recognizes and respects the dignity of all students, faculty and staff. Reasonable accommodations will be made for the known disability of an otherwise qualified applicant. Please contact the Office of Human Resources at nuhr@norwich.edu for assistance.

All candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without requiring immigration sponsorship, including but not limited to non-immigrant visas such as H1B, STEM, or F1, now or in the future. A post offer, pre-employment background check will be required of the successful candidate.