At Seton Hall’s annual Health Professions Expo, students can meet and network with professionals in a variety of health fields.
Events that connect students with potential employers are a common occurrence on campuses, but colleges may be doing students a disservice by neglecting to prep participants beforehand.
Nearly half (48 percent) of the 3,000 undergraduates responding to a November 2023 Student Voice survey from Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse believe their career centers should offer assistance in preparation for recruitment events. Yet, only 14 percent of respondents who reported having interacted with their career centers said they’ve received that kind of help. In addition, 56 percent want but only 19 percent have gotten help with networking.
At Seton Hall University in New Jersey last fall, students participating in the second annual Health Professionals Expo had the chance to strengthen their networking skills the day before the big event at a meet-up organized by the Pre-Professional Advising Center (P-PAC), which holds regular health professions “huddle” sessions. Besides lessons on networking, this huddle featured a networking “speed dating” activity so students could practice their elevator pitch and feel expo-ready.
The challenge: Up to six in 10 U.S. health-care professions are jobs other than doctors and nurses, but undergraduates thinking about health-care careers are often unprepared to decide on courses, choose a specific profession and apply to graduate programs, explains Chantal Vergara, director of P-PAC and co-chair of Seton Hall’s Pre-Health Advisory Committee. “Many think they want to go to medical school, but the cost and time commitment can be prohibitive. It’s important to help our students understand that there are many paths to a career in health professions other than being a doctor or nurse and how best to steer through that track.”
Career navigation resolutions: P-PAC’s aim is to help students navigate the health professions career journey with holistic developmental advising, academic coaching, skill-building workshops and help with the job application process. In 2022, the center—in partnership with Seton Hall’s career services department and the School of Health and Medical Sciences—hosted its first Health Professions Expo to raise awareness of health professions, with 20 professionals in a variety of careers invited to provide career advice, mentorship and opportunities for networking, job shadowing, research and jobs to the 150 students in attendance.
Last fall, the second annual expo included about 30 professionals and clinical sites and 196 students, with food available to all and thank-you goodie bags for the professionals.
The center hosts weekly Wednesday huddle sessions, an hour long, focused on a topic pertaining to the pre–health professions experience. Between eight and 12 students have attended each week to learn while connecting with each other, Vergara says. “Our huddles are social support groups for our pre-health students. During these sessions, we provide space for students to share struggles, learn new skills and connect with others going through the pre-health journey.”
What’s different: On the day before last year’s expo, the P-PAC offered a huddle session highlighting the importance of networking in preparation for the event. Students received a list of professionals who would be at the expo as well as a handout with networking practice prompts, and two peer advisers and Vergara led the huddle. “The goal was to demonstrate to undergrads how networking can lead to possible mentorships, internships, shadowing, research and clinical experiences that are especially crucial for the development of future health-care workers,” Vergara says.
The 28 student participants—a few of whom had been to huddles before—got assistance with identifying their purpose, determining when and where to network, crafting a clear personalized message, preparing an elevator pitch, and then practicing that pitch in the mock speed networking activity. Other support included tips for how to dress and what to bring to the event, as well as ways to initiate conversation and advice on effective follow-up.
The session, especially the speed networking, “was nerve-racking for some students, so we started off with an icebreaker and reviewed our safe space rules,” explains Vergara. During the activity, each student gave their pitch, then listened to their partner’s pitch before rotating to the next person in the room.
The impact: “Students who are able to build relationships with practicing health professionals, employers in medical settings, researchers and admissions representatives at professional schools of interest will benefit when it comes to opportunities such as letters of recommendation or clinical, shadowing and research opportunities,” Vergara says.
The positive impact, she adds, can be seen in students at all stages of their career journeys: exploratory, when students are learning about the multitude of health fields; execution, when students are aligning academic courses with extracurriculars that provide health-related career experiences; and application, when students are studying for admissions exams, writing their personal statements and gathering letters of recommendation.
One sophomore premed student who attended the networking huddle and expo last year was seeking shadowing and mentorship opportunities. “I was able to use my elevator pitch that we practiced at the huddle,” the student said. “Practicing my networking skills at the P-PAC before the expo really helped me feel more confident and less nervous during the expo. I am excited to stay in contact with a few of the professionals I met.” In addition, knowing his networking skills were freshly polished, he had some conversations that opened his mind to new career possibilities, including physical therapy.
What’s next: The networking-focused huddle last year ran 30 minutes over the planned hour because students were so engaged, reports Vergara. So now talks are in the works about making networking a three-part huddle series—still scheduled right before the expo—with follow-up sessions that allow for more practice and improvements.
Partnering further with the career center and health and medical sciences school could also increase the size of the networking huddle prior to this year’s Health Professions Expo, and beyond.
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