It is no secret that at RMUoHP we are student-centered and work hard to make sure every student who walks through our doors will be successful healthcare professionals when they walk out. As faculty and employees, we love seeing students’ smiling faces in the hallways or on our computer screens, and we are always here to help. But, have you ever wondered who those PA students are playing flag-football outside Building 1? Who are the DPT students in Building 3, getting their shoulders manipulated by fellow students and faculty during lab? Or, who is the Family Nurse Practitioner Doctor of Nursing Practice candidate who just published her Dissertation*? As the Associate Director of Institutional Research, these are the questions that I get to answer in an attempt to further the University’s Mission of educating current and future healthcare professionals for outcomes-oriented, evidence-based practice. The more we know about our current students, the better we can serve them.
So, who are our students? Currently, there are 844 students attending RMUoHP, 173 of whom were new students this summer, and 175 were new students this fall. Welcome to the RMU family, new students!
Fun facts about our current students:
59% of our total students are women, however there are more women in post-professional programs (e.g., Doctor of Occupational Therapy program) than entry-level programs (e.g., Master of Physician Assistant Studies program)
- 45.78% women in entry-level programs
- 70.16% women in post-professional programs
RMU has an almost equal number of entry-level students compared to post-professional students.
- 50.71% (429) of RMU students are in post-professional programs
The average age of students at RMU is 34.
- 41 for post-professional programs
- 27 for entry-level programs
Currently, the largest number of students are enrolled in Doctor of Physical Therapy (251 students), Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Science (127 students), and our post-professional Doctor of Speech-Language Pathology (116 students) programs.
RMU has students enrolled from all 50 States!
- 373 from Utah
- 68 from California
- 37 from Texas
- 9 from Minnesota (my ROOTS!!)
But, no matter where our students come from, or what program they are in, RMU faculty and staff endeavor to make this a place where students can thrive, and to be a jumping point into growing and enhancing successful careers.
Emily Dykstra, PhD
Associate Director of Institutional Research
*Petersen, Tiffany L. (2018). “Shifting Paradigms: Development of a Nursing Identity in Paramedics Educated as Nurses.” RMU Dissertations: 1-140.
