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Seton Hall University
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Explore Health Professions

Our mission is to support and guide pre-health students as they explore and prepare for a variety of careers in the health professions. Whether you are just beginning to consider a career in health or you have already chosen a specific path, we are here to provide the resources and support you need.

Why Choose a Health Profession?

Pursuing a career in the health professions can be incredibly rewarding. Health professionals have the opportunity to make significant impacts on individuals and communities through direct patient care, research, administration, and education. Some reasons to consider a health profession include:

  • Helping Others: Directly improving the lives and health of patients.
  • Diverse Career Opportunities: A wide range of specialties and settings.
  • Growing Field: Increasing demand for health professionals.
  • Intellectual Challenge: Continuous learning and problem-solving.

Health Professions Overview

Here are some of the many health professions you might consider:

Exploring Different Health Professions

To help you get started, here are some steps you can take:

  1. Self-Assessment: Reflect on your interests, strengths, and values. Consider what aspects of healthcare most appeal to you.
  2. Advising Appointments: Schedule an appointment at the P-PAC using COMPASS to discuss your interests, career goals, and academic planning.
  3. Workshops and Info Sessions: Attend P-PAC workshops on various health professions, application processes, and professional skills development.
  4. Research: Use online resources to learn about different health professions, educational requirements, and career outlooks.
  5. Network: Talk to professionals, attend our Health Professions Expo, join student organizations.
  6. Gain Experience: Volunteer, shadow, or work in healthcare settings to gain practical experience.
  7. Academic Planning: Ensure you are taking the necessary coursework and maintaining a strong GPA.
  8. Stay Informed: Read books, listen to podcasts, subscribe to our newsletters, follow us on Instagram, and ENGAGE.

If you know you want to work in healthcare but you have not decided what career path you are interested in pursuing, it is important to take the time to explore different career paths and what it is like to hold various jobs in the healthcare setting.

Let’s assess:

  • How long do you want to be in school?
  • What tasks do you see yourself doing with patients?
  • How many hours per week do you want to work? How flexible do you want your schedule to be?
  • Do you want to work under the supervision of someone else or work alone?
  • What kinds of patients do you want to work with?

Resources

Web Resources 

Below are resources to use as guides to explore the possibilities of various careers in healthcare:

Print Resources

Here is a list of books and podcasts to explore that provide insight as to what it is like to be in various health professionals, how to apply to professional school, and what to expect from professional school:

  1. When Breath Becomes Air – Paul Kalanithi
  2. Teeth: Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for Oral Health in America – Mary Otto
  3. The Panic Virus – Seth Mnookin
  4. The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer - Siddhartha Mukherjee
  5. Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance – Alex Hutchinson
  6. What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear – Danielle Ofri
  7. Do No Harm – Henry Marsh
  8. All In – The Making of A Physician Assistant – Joann Calhoun
  9. Healing Children – Kurt Newman
  10. Better – Atul Gawande
  11. Every Patient Tells a Story: Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis – Lisa Sanders