For Ethan Rummel, UNT Health bachelor’s program was key step on path to medical school
Ethan Rummel has had his sights set on the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine since
he was a sophomore in high school.
Even then, he knew that getting into medical school wouldn’t be easy. So, he got to work improving his grades and became an Emergency Medical Technician to get clinical experience.
On days when he felt his motivation waning, Rummel, a native of Fort Worth, would drive to the UNT Health Fort Worth campus and sit in the parking lot, looking up at the buildings. Refocusing on his goals. To get into TCOM. To become a doctor.
To improve his shot at acceptance he also enrolled in the then brand-new Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences program at UNT Health’s College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences. He was the first student accepted into the program in 2022 and a year and half later he was among the program’s first class of graduates.
Now he can add another first to the list. Rummel was the first graduate of the bachelor’s program to be accepted to medical school.
This summer, he started his first year of medical school as a member of TCOM’s Class of 2029.
His journey to get here began at an uncertain time.
At the age of 15, he was diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis, a renal condition that damaged his kidneys and sidelined him from two of his passions— playing football and playing trumpet in the marching band.
“Giving up my extracurriculars led me to understand just how little direction I had in my life, which is one of the many reasons that I started considering medicine as a career,” Rummel said.
“I remember feeling really isolated and alone. I didn’t feel like I had anything to focus on or be happy about.”
His treatments required frequent visits to hospitals and doctor’s offices. Through these close interactions with physicians and nurses, he found an intense interest in medicine.
“I just fell in love with what I was seeing in the people and the profession. I started to look into it and ask myself ‘How do I do this?’ and ‘Is it even possible?’,” Rummel said.
“I took all the health-related classes my school offered and during my senior year I was awarded one of 24 seats in an EMT training program. I graduated first in my class and began working as an EMT in 2020.”
After high school, he took classes at Tarrant County College, earning his associates degree while completing thousands of hours of clinical experience as an EMT.
The job gave him a chance to test the waters of a potential career in the medical field and offered him a backup option if his plans for medical school didn’t work out. His experiences cemented his desire to become a physician.
“I loved being there for patients during their times of need but felt restricted by the limited scope of how I was able to help them,” Rummel said.
While considering his options for completing a bachelor’s degree, he came across a post on LinkedIn about UNT Health’s new BS in Biomedical Sciences program. He immediately knew the program was right for him.
“With the program connected to UNT Health and to TCOM I knew I would be challenged, and I would get a realistic picture of what Med School could be like.”
“Pretty much the second the application opened, I applied. I was really excited,” Rummel said.
The innovative online program – the first of its kind at UNT Health Fort Worth – launched in 2022 and was designed to provide an affordable and flexible option for students with prior college credits to complete their bachelor’s degrees. The program offers a pathway for graduates to enter the biomedical science or health care workforce or continue to an advanced science or professional health care degree program.
“One of the big things that attracted me to the program was the flexibility. It was very important to me to have the opportunity to continue working as an EMT and to keep getting clinical experience while I was enrolled,” Rummel said.
Once classes started Rummel found that even though the program was brand new, it provided the rigorous experience that he was looking for.
“It felt a lot less like an online program than I was expecting,” Rummel said.
“The Analysis of Scientific Literature course was probably one of the most impactful courses that I’ve taken in my life. Learning how to quickly digest a piece of scientific literature is just an invaluable skill that has come in handy so many times.”
Another benefit of the program is the personalized support each student receives based on their needs and goals.
“Our mission with the program is to meet students where they are— whether that means strengthening research and writing skills, deepening knowledge in the sciences, or developing time-management through our accelerated curriculum,” said Dr. Marcel Satsky Kerr, professor of Pharmacology and Neuroscience and associate dean for Undergraduate Education at the College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences.
“For others, it may come from co-curricular opportunities such as MCAT prep, faculty committee letters, or personal statement workshops. Together, these elements demonstrate the program’s ability to prepare students for the next step in their professional journeys.”
After graduation in 2023, Rummel went to work applying to medical schools. He was accepted to two including his first choice, TCOM.
“We are thrilled to see Ethan reach his dream of medical school and know he will become an excellent ambassador of TCOM’s medical education program just as he was as a member of the first class of graduates from UNT Health’s BS of Biomedical Sciences program,” Kerr said.
Rummel says the knowledge and skills he gained in the program will serve him well throughout medical school and into his career as a physician. He’s keeping his options open for which specialty he will pursue, but at this point, he is interested in primary care or emergency medicine and wants to serve patients in a rural or underserved community.
Whatever path he chooses, he wants to make a difference.
“I want to be a competent and enthusiastic provider and I want to be able to make a positive difference in people’s lives. And if I can accomplish that, I think at the end of the day, I’m going to regard my career as a pretty big success,” Rummel said.
This summer, Rummel has checked off a few more firsts—he received his first new stethoscope as a medical student and last month he received his first white coat at TCOM’s White Coat Ceremony.
With his first semester of med school well underway, Rummel says that when he comes to campus now, he feels a tremendous sense of pride for the hard work that got him here.
“TCOM has felt like my home since I started here, I would not have it any other way.”