Pre-Medical Club inspires future health care workers at Mesa Community College
The Pre-Medical Club at Mesa Community College supports students interested in a healthcare profession by providing the opportunity to build a well-connected network of of peers, and equip students with practical resources needed to enter the medical industry.
The Pre-Med Club consists of seven officer leaders that each bring a unique set of skills and commitment to the club. Club President William Bryan spoke to the Mesa Legend on how the student organization is providing excitement and enthusiasm for the future of medical students.
“The primary goal of the Pre-Med Club is to help students that are aspiring to become doctors, physician assistants, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, pharmacists and any other relevant medical profession achieve their goals,” said Bryan.
Bryan mentions the many resources the club provides and how Pre-Med can be a good place to make connections with other students that are studying in the same program.
Resources and services offered by the Pre-Med Club
Among the most resources made available by MCC’s Pre-Med Club are its organized tours of medical schools and health programs. These trips expose students to real programs they may later apply to.
“The club likes to offer tours. So, say students are interested in touring a school or they didn’t even know a school had a program they’re interested in, there might be a tour that semester that has the degree they’re interested in pursuing, so they get to attend the tour, ask questions with the faculty, and see what the building’s like,” said Bryan.
The Pre-Med Club also invites guest speakers from various health professions to speak at meetings and give students a chance to be have direct contact with professionals with much experience.
The club’s most recent guest speaker event was on Friday with speaker Michelle Lin, a medical physician, who owns her own practice in the Las Vegas area.
Club establishes community between students with similar goal
According to Bryan, one of the defining features of MCC’s Pre-Med Club is the support its members find among their own ranks especially in times when students struggle to stay motivated with heavy course loads and busy schedules.
“It feels really good to feed off the mutual motivation and then bring it back to other students to share so that I say is about the gist of the purpose of the Pre-Med club at MCC,” said Bryan
Members also participate in many team bonding activities such as volunteer opportunities, recently with Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit aimed at helping children in need of nutrition.
Bryan describes the importance of team bonding in events like these and working together to give back to people in need but also get the chance to learn more about each other as a club.
Students support Valley health professionals
Bryan also mentioned the club’s collaboration with Hospice of the Valley, where the program allows students to visit patients with dementia every week. In doing so, this club became more attentive and communicative, earning themselves information about the challenges that faces people with dementia and their families.
The club plans to write holiday cards that will be mailed out to Hospice of the Valley patients in December. These cards are meant to put smiles on the faces of those going through dementia or Alzheimer’s during the holiday season.
How social media is used as a tool for the Pre-Med Club
The Pre-Med Club also looks out for mental health and wellness of MCC students. For October, which is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month, the club utilizes social media posts to promote positive mental health.
Club officers joined in with a campaign of sharing personal tips for staying mentally and physically wellbeing, showing relatable, everyday tips. In these posts, club members discuss activities they like to do to take care of their mental health and encourage students to to find an outlet that takes them away from the chaos of daily life.
“Shedding light on that and having us really spread awareness to that important matter is done with the intention to help others do the same, and just kind of a reminder saying hey, we’ re all human. We all have mental health. We all have our struggles, our setbacks, and no one is alone,” said Bryan.
The Pre-Med Club has big plans for MCC students
As the Pre-Med club grows, so do their plans for the future. A long-term goal of the club is to attend University of California, Davis’ annual pre-med event in California. Bryan describes the event as possibly the biggest medical educational event in the nation for students intending to go to medical school.
They intend to raise sufficient funds to enable a few students to attend the event, meet some top-rated medical schools and programs across the nation, gaining experience that will further help them in their field.
The club also includes future fundraising to maintain financial stability while offering its members more opportunities.
Although the club is located in MCC’s Southern and Dobson campus, Bryan mentions wanting the club to have a big leadership goal and having a presence at the Red Mountain campus as well.
The Pre-Med Club is open at any time to all students who wish to join. Bryan mentions that their goal is to make sure that any person interested in medicine feels they belong there, either through full participation, a tour, or even a simple volunteering activity.
