About The Student Doctor Network

An Outgrowth of Our Nonprofit Mission

Founded in the Yosemite Valley in 1983 by family medicine physicians and educators, our nonprofit organization began as a forum to shape the future of primary care education. Over the past 40 years, we have evolved into a broader network that serves students pursuing every health profession in the U.S. and Canada.

Today, we provide advising and peer support to tens of thousands of aspiring health professionals, students who might otherwise lack the financial means or mentorship to navigate the application process. Learn more about HPSA here. Learn more about HPSA here.

Vision

We envision a future where every student, no matter their background, identity, or financial resources, enters the health-professional application process on equal footing. No longer should wealth or privilege tip the scales.

Mission

We help students from healthcare gap regions increase their chances for admission to health professional schools.

  • We identify students from health workforce shortage areas and provide them donor-supported coaching and advising.
  • We provide a wide range of donor supported resources and tools to assist student on their educational journey.
  • We promote health care practice in healthcare shortage areas.
  • We identify and promote health professional schools, organizations, and associations that align with our vision.

Values

  • Health care is a fundamental right, not a privilege. At the Student Doctor Network, we believe everyone deserves an open path to medical education. By fostering and supporting a diverse community of future physicians, we ensure that patients across America can find doctors who understand and reflect their unique backgrounds and experiences. This diversity strengthens the quality of care for all.
  • We hold privacy in the highest regard. Members trust us with their information, and we honor that trust by never selling or sharing personal data. This commitment guarantees that every student can engage with our resources and community forums without concern that their details will be exposed or monetized.
  • Applying to medical, dental, or other professional schools should not be a for-profit venture. All of our content (forums, applicant feedback, interview tips, and more) is made possible through the generosity of donors who share our belief in equal access. Because we have no corporate affiliations and do not promote any commercial services, every resource remains unbiased and freely available to students.
  • We stand firmly behind the scientific method and evidence-based medicine. Rigorous research and healthy academic debate are the cornerstones of medical progress; conversely, conspiracy-driven, anti-science agendas hinder the advancement of care and jeopardize public health. At SDN, we promote facts, critical thinking, and peer-reviewed evidence as the foundation of our discussions and recommendations.
  • Finally, we embrace the volunteer spirit as essential to the future of health care. Most of our contributors are volunteers who dedicate their time and expertise to help others navigate the often-daunting application process. A small in-house team of four staff members coordinates these efforts, and every dollar we receive is reinvested into improving and expanding services for students. This collective generosity of time, talent, and resources drives SDN’s mission forward.

This is a community of love, support, and hope… not of profit or fear. If this sounds like a place for you, welcome!

Who we serve

SDN unites thousands of current and aspiring healthcare students and professionals in a community dedicated to sharing knowledge, providing mentorship, and inspiring one another. We ensure our members have access to free professional advising and information.

Whether contemplating a gap year, coping with the demands of challenging coursework, or navigating the complexities of the Match process, our members can connect with individuals who genuinely understand their experiences. This supportive network fosters growth, encouragement, and a sense of belonging for all members along their healthcare journey.

Our community includes most doctoral-level health fields:

Our Uniqueness

The Student Doctor Network is the first and still the only platform that unites medical professionals and students across the entire healthcare community. Healthcare delivery does not occur in isolation; rather, doctors collaborate seamlessly to ensure patients receive the best possible care. We believe that students develop into more competent and compassionate providers when they start their education together. Every member of the health care team plays a vital role in a patient’s well-being, and it is crucial to foster an appreciation for the team-based approach from the very beginning.

We firmly believe that students deserve open and unrestricted access to admissions information. That’s why the SDN Forums are completely free and accessible to everyone, with no paywalls or hidden fees. We do not charge students for our advising services or resources; instead, we rely on donations and sponsorships to sustain our platform. Additionally, we value your right to privacy. We never sell or share member data and do not use member information for marketing purposes.

We value the diversity of people and ideas. On the SDN Forums, all comments are displayed in the order they are posted. Because our platform features threaded discussions, we do not use upvoting or downvoting to promote or hide comments. We believe that downvoting a comment can contribute to an echo chamber, potentially reinforcing existing biases and limiting open dialogue.

Rather than relying on downvotes, we depend on our community members to notify the volunteer team about inappropriate comments. When alerted, a volunteer will promptly review the situation and take appropriate action. We remove members who are unable to engage respectfully. (See our three rules here.)

Because of the inherent design of our forum, students may receive feedback or input that doesn’t always align with their ideas or opinions. As aspiring doctors, we expect our members to engage in critical thinking and take-in all available information and opinions, an essential component of medical education. Evaluating, challenging, and integrating different viewpoints and experiences is fundamental to advanced learning and ultimately helps our members become more competent providers.

Our Members

Our community of over 875,000 members truly embodies the spirit of SDN. At the heart of this community are the SDN Forums, our primary peer-support platform, which offers more than 23 million posts addressing every aspect of the healthcare education journey. Our membership is remarkably diverse, encompassing college students, aspiring healthcare professionals, attending doctors, and seasoned advisors and faculty from across the United States and Canada.

Newsroom

Discover more about the latest updates, highlights, and insightful stories by visiting our dedicated Newsroom. Here, you will find a comprehensive collection of our clippings, articles, and press releases that showcase the vibrant and dynamic coverage related to our platform. Our Newsroom serves as an excellent resource for anyone interested in understanding how SDN has become a source for news within the medical, dental, and healthcare communities.

Contact Us

We welcome your feedback! Please get in touch with us via our web form or using the information below:

Health Professional Student Association
16835 Algonquin St, Suite 106
Huntington Beach, CA 92649

(562) 208-5421