Last Updated on July 27, 2023 by Laura Turner
Pre-health conferences offer invaluable opportunities to comprehensively understand the healthcare field and become a competitive applicant.
What are Pre-Health Conferences?
First, let’s start with a basic definition of pre-health conferences and what they consist of. Pre-health conferences are a series of events that bring together pre-health students, providing them with an array of resources and opportunities and giving these students a glimpse of what life as a medical professional looks like. These conferences can occur online or in person and usually consist of guest speakers and workshops from many different health professions, such as physicians, physician assistants, medical students, dentists, and more. They provide advice for pre-health students, discuss significant issues in healthcare, and other topics related to the healthcare industry. For instance, guest speakers may discuss healthcare disparities and challenges within the healthcare industry, along with lectures on essential skills, such as leadership, communication, and teamwork. Other common topics discussed in pre-health conferences are the many different healthcare fields, such as research, public health, healthcare administration, and more. These conferences provide pre-health students with a wide range of topics regarding the healthcare field, allowing students to gain a comprehensive understanding of the healthcare industry and the issues that medical professionals face today.
Benefits of Pre-Health Conferences
There are many benefits of attending pre-health conferences as a pre-health student.
One benefit of attending pre-health conferences is networking with healthcare professionals, allowing you to learn about various medical programs that may interest you. Networking is the process of forming critical professional connections with individuals in your field of interest to grow professionally as a person. In pre-health conferences, almost all types of healthcare professionals gather to lead discussions and workshops, making it the perfect place to network with these professionals regarding your future career path. For instance, medical school admissions officers often attend these pre-health conferences. Networking with these officers allows students to understand the admissions process better and ask any questions they have regarding the overall process. You can have one-on-one conversations with these professionals and gain a deeper understanding of the steps you need to take to get to your desired career.
Another benefit of pre-health conferences is gaining access to lectures and workshops provided by healthcare professionals. The lectures, workshops, and presentations at these conferences cover a wide range of topics, giving students a better insight into what they need to do to get into their desired graduate-level education program. The variety of healthcare professionals at conferences allows students to gain insight into the different fields while also learning about current events and issues specific to each. This exposure allows pre-health students to ask any questions they have while giving them the proper resources and opportunities to continue their education and advance their careers.
Another benefit is that pre-health conferences allow pre-health students to interact with other students, forming a sense of community and support system. Pre-health students often feel isolated or stressed, and interacting with others may lift these feelings. Forming a support system throughout this process is very important, and pre-health conferences provide valuable time to build connections with other students who have the same passions and are going through the same process. Pre-health conferences bring together students from different backgrounds with the same passion for healthcare/medicine. Connecting with these students may help other pre-health students feel more encouraged about the overall process, as peers can provide advice and reflect on experiences.
How to Get the Most Out of Conferences
Pre-health conferences consist of a wide variety of events, so you must have some sort of plan regarding what you hope to achieve. Here are a few tips on how to navigate pre-health conferences:
Research the Conference
Researching the conference beforehand is an excellent idea to gain insight into all the presentations and workshops occurring so that you have a clear plan on where you want to be and at what time. This allows you to hear about topics that interest you and network and gain advice from these professionals.
Build a Schedule
Creating a schedule of which workshops you will attend is also essential. You are not required to attend every single session. However, you are encouraged to attend as many as you can to gain the most insight into the medical field and connect with the most medical professionals. Since your time is limited, you should prioritize which sessions to attend based on your professional goals.
Engage Fully
The value you get from a conference will be proportional to your engagement in the sessions and events. Plan to listen fully, take notes, and be ready to ask your questions when prompted. The professionals participating want to help you – so let them!
About the National Pre-Health Conference
Each year, the National Pre-Health Community, a nationwide group of pre-health college students, organizes the National Pre-Health Conference. This conference is open to all pre-health students, researchers, current health professions grad students, and healthcare professionals. Attending the National Pre-Health Conference allows students to understand better the different career paths in medicine and healthcare, the importance of professional networking in healthcare, how to become competitive for healthcare-related professional schools, and how to stay connected with the pre-health community online.
The National Pre-Health Conference of 2023 will be based on the theme “Broaden your Horizons.” It will be a 3-day conference from July 26 – July 28 between 10:30 AM and 6:00 PM EST each day. You can access the conference registration and schedule of events by clicking on this link: NPHC 2023 — National Pre-Health Community (nationalprehealthconf.org). Note that attending the conference includes a discount for a subscription to UWorld, an MCAT prep resource that provides over 3,000+ MCAT Practice questions!
Register now for the next National Pre-Health Conference on July 26th – 28th:
National Pre-Health Conference: Broaden Your Horizons (zoom.us)