Pre-Health Advisor, Carmen Gamlin had the opportunity to sit down with Admissions Counselor, Theresa Hunziker, MHA from A.T. Still University (ATSU) for a three question interview about the First in Whole Person Healthcare University.
…Everything effects everything else. There’s a side of healthcare that’s not just the physical side. So understanding that there are personal factors, there are mental factors, there are social factors that effect health.
About ATSU
I think something that really, kind of sums up who we are and is kind of an essence of our mission is teaching students about that wholestic care; treating the patient as a whole!
ATSU was founded 129 years ago as a Osteopathic School. Today, the University continues it’s Osteopathic lineage with a mission that is grounded on preparing healthcare providers who focuses on caring for the whole patient. In addition, a big part of who ATSU is community health and serving underserved populations.
Since we started as a DO school, we really in all of our programs so in PA, OT, Audiology: even though they are more speciality types of programs, we still are kind of keeping that idea of you’re treating the patient as a whole and you’re concentrating on the patient whenever you are providing care.
Although founded as an Osteopathic University, ATSU offers programs in many other areas of healthcare! Here are the programs offered at A.T. Still University.
- Dentistry-DMD
- Osteopathic-DO
- Occupational Therapy
- Physician Assistant
- Physical Therapy
- Dr. of Audiology
- Athletic Training
- Masters in Biomedical Sciences
Admission Counselor Theresa Hunziker, MHA expresses more about ATSU’s mission, the type of students they look for and how ATSU provides the necessary tools for their students to uphold their mission.
Looking for students that have exposure to underserved populations or really just have a commitment or interest in wanting to give back and help with that problem and giving our students that opportunity in our curriculum to either work in community health centers or work in the community while they’re on campus and work in community service and give back in that way too.
ATSU Community
ATSU has two locations and each campus’ community and the communities they serve differ from the other. Kirksville, Missouri, which is the original DO school is more of a smaller community. Whereas, their campus in Mesa Arizona is which offers more variety healthcare programs like Dental, PT, OT, and Audiology, is in a bigger city area and larger communities.
Our first campus was in Kirksville, Missouri…Community is a small community, more of a rural commuity; population is about 20,000. So small town, you get that small town community feel and support. We also have a campus in Meza Arizona, which is about 20 minutes from Phoenix…so that’s kind of night and day.
Clinical Rotations
ATSU provides their students the opportunity to treat patients all over; not just in communities they are familiar with. DO Students are able to do clinical rotations in any of ATSU’s clinical site in the US in their third and fourth year. In addition, Dental Students have the opportunity to do clinical rotations in different locations every few weeks.
One of the neat things about our DO, Dental Program and our PA program too – the rotation sites we have…they’re all across the US!
Something about our Dental Programs is that you do get to do that…During students’ fourth year, we have external rotations as part of our clinical experience they get to go through and we have relationships with community health centers in both the Midwest for Missouri and areas all across the US and for Arizona its in Arizona and areas all across the US too and students will go out a few weeks at a time and they’ll come back.
Admissions Counselor, Theresa Hunziker, MHA shared upcoming Events at A.T. Still University
Please Review Programs ATSU have to offer as well as the events!