The Mountaineer

Issue date: 5/13/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Dean Young Medical professional gives a casting demonstration.

With 460 Mt. SAC students in attendance, the Caduceus club held the 2008 Health Conference and Fair Friday, April 25.
Held at the Sophie B. Clarke Theatre on campus, the fair is an opportunity for health care students to explore every option of the career field before pursuing a degree to become a doctor or a nurse. Professionals and members of the medical field who attended the conference taught multiple workshops providing guidance for students who were interested.
"Many students and people do not realize that there are many other jobs in the medical field besides being a doctor or a nurse, and that is the main purpose of this event," club adviser Dr. Carmen Rexach said.
The conference also gave students the opportunity to explore their transfer school options. With over 20 schools from all over California, the fair is a chance for students to meet with advisers and counselors from multiple schools to determine the requirements for attendance.
"It was awesome that I could talk to multiple members of the medical profession and finally talk to other schools besides what is in SoCal," freshman Joseph Baldwin said after attending the career fair.
The event began with a speech from Dr. Rozzelln Byous, a physician's assistant at USC medical center. She told stories of life as a medical professional, and her words motivated sophomore Dao Minh to pursue his career as an X-ray technician.
"I have been confused about what exactly to do in life and after listening to the speech by Dr. Byous, I am convinced that I can be an X-ray technician," Minh said.
After the crowd broke up into smaller groups, they attended workshops taught by doctors and other members of the field according to what fields students are interested in pursuing. There was also an opportunity for one-on-one discussions with the speakers and schools that offer an array of degrees.
Rexach was impressed with the outcome of the event.
"Last year we only had 250 people attend our conference and with 460 this year, we had a lot of participation," she said.
After coming to Mt. SAC several years ago, Rexach founded this event and brought back the Caduceus club.
With over 330 members registered, they began planning this event one year ago. Their meeting Wednesday, April 29 began an entire year of determining how the club can make the 2009 Health Conference better.
"A physician is only as competent as the support he receives from all the members of the staff," Rexach said. "This country is very short of nurses and other professions and hopefully this conference helped students determine their futures."

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