Biology and Spanish Double Major to Attend PA School

Rebecca O’Rourke ‘20 of Eaton, Mass. will attend the Tufts University School of Medicine Physician Assistant (PA) program after studying Biology at RWU.  

“I always knew I wanted to go into the medical field, and I knew Roger Williams had an awesome science program with a lot of opportunities. It just made sense for me to study biology at Roger,” said O’Rourke.  

O’Rourke was supported by RWU’s Health Professions Advising track, which offers pre-professional preparation for health science fields.  

“I worked with two pre-health advisors who made sure I was on the right track with prerequisite classes and grades,” said O’Rourke. “They told me what I needed to do outside of academics to get accepted. Even after I graduated, I was in contact with my advisors. They read my personal statement before I applied to PA school and one of them wrote a letter of recommendation.” 

Opportunities outside the classroom allowed O’Rourke to broaden her skillsets and gain essential hands-on experience. She joined the Foundation for the International Medical Relief of Children club on campus and participated in a medical service trip to Peru with other RWU students. There, she took part in public health initiatives and worked with patients.  

“It was a life changing experience,” said O’Rourke.  

By double-majoring in Spanish as well as biology, O’Rourke is prepared to communicate with Spanish-speaking patients as a PA. She originally was minoring in Spanish, but worked closely with a professor to boost her minor into a second major.  

“My professors did everything they could to help me,” said O’Rourke. “They gave me  all the help that I needed outside of class to excel and become a good candidate for PA school.”