Students give CSC health professions programs high marks
Chadron State College’s health professions program received high marks from current students last week during Health Professions Day, but the approximately 200 students from 30 regional high schools in attendance were told they will have to work hard to succeed in the program.
The Chadron State students said the professors and curriculum that the college has in place are high quality and students joining the program will succeed if they buckle down and work.
One of the CSC health professions students, Tiffany Harris of Wallace, said the college curriculum requires more work than in high school, and it takes discipline and good time management to pull satisfactory grades.
A freshman from Chadron, Angela Osborn, said college students should never skip classes and need to “make the time between classes count.” Osborn and Chris Green of Ord advised the high school students to take all the science and math courses possible.
Brad Fillmore, CSC assistant professor of science, said it takes what he called “professional responsibility” to earn the grades and achieve the test scores that gain entrance into medical schools.
“You’re in charge of your life in college,” Fillmore said. “We don’t want to flunk anyone, but we won’t give you a better grade than you deserve and lower our standards because we know what’s on the other end (in med school).
In response to a question about what college is like, Jordan Colwell of Alliance noted, “You don’t have parents telling you what to do, you can’t be afraid of change and you find out a lot about who you are.”
Carrie Dunn of Falls City, the president of the Health Professions Club, said the college’s tutoring and supplemental instruction programs are extremely helpful. “But you have to learn to help yourself,” she added.
Alex Laudenklos of Monroe said the fact that Chadron State has donor bodies that are used in anatomy and physiology courses gives CSC students a big edge when they go on to medical school. Some colleges in the state still use cats in the labs, he noted.
Laudenklos added that experiences with the donor bodies have caused some CSC students to decide to select a different major.
Colwell said anyone who plans a career in health professions should “shadow” a doctor or other health professional in their hometown. “That way you find out if you could do all the things they do,” he said.
Megan Pelton of Chadron said it’s important that health professionals have a passion for their work. “If you love, you’ll live it and that’s what it takes,” she stated.
Muriah Messersmith of Maywood said obtaining a Certified Nursing Assistant’s license and working in a hospital or care facility is another good way to help gain entrance into medical school because it impresses those making the selections “that you want to work with people.” Dunn agreed, noting that medical school personnel definitely prefer students who have had patient contact.
Photo information:
The Chadron State students were among those forming a panel that discussed the requirements and responsibilities necessary to gain entrance and succeed in medical school during Health Professions Day at CSC last Wednesday. They are, from left, William Everitt of Chappell, Chris Green of Ord, Angela Osborn and Megan Pelton, both of Chadron, and Alex Laudenklos of Monroe.
Category: Campus News