Future Double Bruins Highlight Belmont as a Destination for Health Care Training

Why nearly 50 undergraduate students stayed at Belmont to pursue doctoral degrees related to health care

Forty-eight Belmont undergraduate students are now involved in postgraduate programs studying health care in the industry’s national capital. These students are now expanding their backgrounds across a wide array of pre-health programs to pursue the six doctoral degrees Belmont offers related to health care — physical therapy (eight students), pharmacy (14 students), occupational therapy (11 students), nursing (six students), mental health counseling (three students), and most recently medicine (six students) with the opening of the Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine (FCOM).

These students credit the rigorous training and tremendous support they received during their undergraduate years for preparing them for this monumental step in their young careers.

Stephen English (‘17), one of the 50 members of the FCOM inaugural class, initially graduated from Belmont with a degree in audio engineering. He later returned to Belmont years later upon realizing health care was his true passion and took his pre-health pre-requisites through Belmont’s adult degree program.

“I trusted Belmont would challenge me academically in a way that would prepare me for medical school, and my decision to attend the Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine is a continuation of that trust,” he said. “Being part of the inaugural class feels like I can contribute back to the school that provided me with all the tools to succeed.  It is an honor to be walking alongside Belmont in laying the groundwork for countless future generations of medical students.”

Anna Huelskoetter (‘24), an undergraduate nursing major, is now earning her DNP degree and echoed English’s sentiments.

“I loved my undergraduate experience at Belmont, and as I have started working as a nurse, I realized how well-prepared I was to start taking care of my own patients,” said Huelskoetter. “I chose to continue my education at Belmont because I know my confidence and knowledge will grow and allow me to become a great primary care provider.”

The community fostered at Belmont also entices many undergraduate students to stay and earn their doctorate degrees, something Harinson Sanchez (‘24) spoke to. Sanchez will pursue his Doctor of Pharmacy degree through the 2+4 Early Assurance Program.

“Belmont feels like home,” he said. “The community we have built together is supportive and inspiring — there was no way I would have walked away from that.”

Morgan Wilkes (‘24), an exercise science graduate now enrolled in Belmont’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program, paralleled Sanchez’s remarks about the community fostered by the university.

“Belmont has given me a community of peers and professors that have changed my life and forever altered the way I care for others, and I know that will only exponentially grow in my years to come at Belmont,” she said.