To inform students about careers in healthcare, the Office of Career Development will host the second annual Pre-Health Day on Feb. 13 in the Carl DeSantis Building.
The event will include breakout sessions with health professionals from different fields, a keynote speaker, professional and graduate panels, roundtable discussions, mock interviews and a graduate school programs tabling.
Emilio Lorenzo, assistant director of Career Advisement, explained that the purpose of the event is to help healthcare students explore different careers in the medical field, network with professionals and plan for their futures.
“We have a lot of career fairs, [which are] great for business students and [are] an opportunity for healthcare students,” Lorenzo said. “But if I’m going into healthcare, I specifically want to talk to a doctor, a surgeon, a dentist.”
Valentina Ramírez, sophomore biology major, attended Pre-Health Day in 2015 and said that Pre-Health Day has something for everyone.
“If you’re looking for improvement or to build more connections with people, everyone has a lot of insight and advice,” she said. “They can tell you where you can improve and what you do well and open you to new experiences that you didn’t think about and opportunities that you can start exploring.”
She did a mock interview last year and plans to do one again this year to see if she’s improved.
“Hopefully, I’ll make some more connections,” she said. “Last year, I met a pediatrician who I still talk to on a monthly basis.”
Tatyana Severe, junior biology major, also attended Pre-Health Day last year and said she plans on applying to a graduate program.
“Pre-Health Day gave me another sense of motivation and drive to continue on the path I’m on and understand if someone else can do it, and they’re making it, all I have to do is stay focused, and I can be where they are today,” she said.
Severe recommended that other students interested in health professions attend the event.
“If you’re a freshman or sophomore and don’t really know what you want to do, it helps you understand that as long as you have a passion and a drive, all you have to do is study and stay focused,” she said.
Lorenzo advised students to dress professionally and to come with questions prepared.
“You’re going to be networking with people, getting feedback, listening to presentations,” he said. “It’s always good to represent yourself in a strong way.”
Students can sign up for the event on CAREERShark. For more information, email career@nova.edu or call 954-262-7266.
Photo printed with permission from E. Lorenzo.
