Hello to all of you first-year students considering careers in health professions!
As you get yourself ready to prepare for your future application to a health professions program such as medicine, dentistry, optometry, physical therapy, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, physician assistant, nursing, occupational therapy, and any other fields; you need to consider the different facets of your preparation and work on a plan.
To start begin setting goals related to the pre-requisite courses you need to complete alongside the courses for your major. To view a short video on the course selection for health professions go to: http://www.wesleyan.edu/careercenter/students/health/index.html
Here are some other goals you might want to consider:
Draft a tentative four-year plan for courses and include a study abroad experience if that is something you are hoping to incorporate into your educational experience and your future summer experiences
How do you plan to explore your health profession? Consider doing some research online but also starting to volunteer in a clinical setting that involves your health profession
How will you maintain balance in your life and stay healthy?
Plan on gaining some shadowing experiences to observe a provider interacting with patients on a day-to-day basis
Set goals for getting involved with community service here in Middletown
Join a student organization and engage within your campus community
Take advantage of the wonderful and diverse courses available to you
Build relationships with faculty and staff
Personal growth and becoming more resilient
Critical thinking, ethical responsibility, teamwork, cultural competence and scientific inquiry grounded in research
Engage in self-assessment along the way and set goals to comport yourself as a future pre-professional for the health career of your choice
Read the Health Professions Newsletter and attend as many HP Events as you can
Visit with the Health Professions Advisor at least once per semester
Preparing for the health professions is a long process and there are so many other goals I could list here but instead I encourage you to think about any goals you may have that are not listed and incorporate them into your plan
Once you set your goals, begin developing your action plan. As you move forward and have questions, please come see me. I would be happy to meet you and help in any way I can. Once you are on campus, you may set up an appointment on HandShake, or call our reception at (860) 685-2180 or just drop by the Gordon Career Center in Boger Hall (across from Usdan).
There will be an Overview of the Health Professions Coursework on July 27 and a Health Professions Overview for First Years during New Student Orientation (NSO) week. I will also be at the Academic Forum and will have 30-minute drop-in appointments for the first two week of classes. Enjoy the rest of your summer and I hope to see you this fall!
Take care,
Mildred Rodríguez, Ph.D.
Health Professions Advisor
mrodriguez01@wesleyan.edu
Scroll down this webpage and read my short bio at: http://www.wesleyan.edu/careercenter/advisors.html