Students aspiring to work in the health care profession are not limited to becoming a doctor or nurse.
Students will be able to learn about the wide range of jobs in the field, from optometry to biomedical engineering, as well as meet and greet representatives from regional health schools at the Health Professions Fair today.
“”It’s a good idea for underclassmen who are interested in the profession and don’t know how to get there.
“”
– Jessica Haley, first-year medical student
The fair will allow students to meet directly with representatives from each school to learn about grade point average requirements, what kind and how much experience is needed in a clinical setting and which tests are needed to gain acceptance into that school.
“”Any questions the students have will hear (the answer) from the source,”” said Nancy J. Stiller, assistant director of the University College. “”Students will be able to come away with a pocket full of information.””
Many students are surprised by the myriad of obstacles that crop up before applying to health school, Stiller said.
The fair will also provide students a chance to learn about the different areas and jobs in the health field. Many students don’t know about the technical positions available and will be able to learn more about those jobs, Stiller said.
“”There are more options in the medical profession instead of the conventional jobs,”” said Jessica Haley, a first-year medical student at the UA.
The fair will also allow students and representatives from each school to meet in an informal way, Stiller said. This will permit students to learn more about the schools before making a decision on which one to attend.
Vivian Lien, a first-year medical student at the UA, said the fair is a great opportunity to learn about the profession for students who don’t have a career agenda.
Stiller said roughly 400 students attended the previous Health Professions Fair. She said she would like to see more students attend because of what she called a “”huge shortage”” in the profession.
Loan Pham, a first-year medical student at the UA, said the fair is great for getting students to think about the medical profession. They’ll be able to learn the requirements of each school and can work all four years of their undergraduate career to get accepted.
Some schools represented today will be the UA College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, U.S Navy and Army Medical Programs and Southern California College of Optometry.
After the fair, many students realize the wide range of options, Stiller said.
“”It’s a good idea for underclassmen who are interested in the profession and don’t know how to get there,”” Haley said.
The Health Professions Fair will take place at the North Ballroom in the Student Union Memorial Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
