New Students Get Overview of Year Ahead in College of Health Professions
| To learn at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), students first need to learn about the university and their programs, and that’s what hundreds of new students in the College of Health Professions did Aug. 15 during the New Student Welcome Program.
“Orientation is useful in getting acclimated to the expectations of the department, what we as students will be doing in clinical and for studying,” said Robert Burton, a new student in the college’s Nuclear Medicine Imaging Sciences program. “Seeing everyone remotely on Zoom is one thing but getting to meet with them in person and interact with them is valuable.”
Robert Burton, a new student in the Nuclear Medicine Imaging Sciences program, stands outside a I. Dodd Wilson lecture hall before returning to the New Student Welcome event inside.
A native of New Orleans and a military veteran who served as a medic, Burton was drawn to the program because of its structure, which parallels didactic instruction with hands-on training. Every Monday, Burton will participate in live, online classes, but Tuesday through Friday, he will train in a clinical setting in Dallas.
Burton said he was impressed with the “wealth of resources” available to students on campus, and that those resources not only are available remotely, but are easily accessible.
“The purpose of the college’s New Student Welcome Program, held on the first morning of fall classes, is to officially welcome students to campus and to give them a brief overview of student support services and personnel,” said Phyllis Fields, M.Ed., the college’s associate dean of student affairs. “We want students to know they are fully supported mentally, physically, and academically.”
Matthew Chandler, a new dental hygiene student from Horatio, Arkansas, also said he feels supported by all the services and amenities that are available at UAMS, and he found the information presented at the welcome event helpful, especially regarding student health insurance, psychological counseling support and other health services.
Several students said they found it reassuring during the New Student Welcome to meet their peers in person, even though they already had started communicating through social media to answer each other’s questions.
Students aren’t the only ones who benefit from the presentations during the orientation sessions.
“New faculty and staff in attendance receive the same overview of student support services and personnel,” Fields said. “For other faculty, staff, and even presenters in attendance, the New Student Welcome serves as a refresher. One presenter shared with me that they are happy they stayed for the entire program because they learned something new.”
Learning new subject matter in the course of professional education can be intimidating, but a student success program is available to provide support and instruction on the best ways to learn and prepare to take tests.
New dental hygiene student Allison Tubbs of Cabot said, “I need to not be so hard on myself, and I just need to know that it’s going to work out. I am going to have to put a lot of work and effort into it to succeed. I am ready to get started.”