Radiological & Health Professions

Meet an Allied Health Major

sara

Sara Raymond ’13 (General Science)

Extra-curricular activities: 

  • Children’s Reading Tutor

Read about why Sara chose her major [+]

Why did you choose your major? 

I transferred into Manhattan College in the spring of my sophomore year, and intially I was considering a career in physical therapy, but I wasn’t 100 percent sure. All I knew for sure at that point was that I wanted to pursue a career in healthcare. Allied health with a concentration in general sciences was recommended to me, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision.

What has been your favorite class? 

My favorite class has definitely been Ethics in Healthcare (AHS 420). It really opened my eyes to what I will be facing as a healthcare provider and the types of decisions I will have to make.

Have you done any internships?

I’m interning at a chiropractic office, and it has been such a great experience. Everyone has been to a doctor’s office before, but usually as the patient. Working in the office has given me such a different perspective as to what it’s like on the other side. Instead of being the patient talking to the provider, I’m the provider talking to the patient. It is definitely helping me develop my skills as a provider and teaching me ways to communicate with patients.

What are your plans after graduation?

I want to become a nurse practitioner. I will be doing an accelerated program to become a registered nurse, and then I hope to go on to get a master’s — who knows, maybe even a doctorate!

Have any faculty particularly influenced you?

Dr. McLean has made a huge impact on my academic experience. She taught my favorite class, Ethics in Healthcare. Her discussions really helped me develop my views and opinions as a future healthcare provider. She made me think about how I would respond to situations that I never would have thought of on my own before being faced with them.

What’s your favorite thing about this major?

I love that I have had the freedom to change my mind about the direction I want to go in, without being set back. I have gone through so many different ideas — physical therapy, physician’s assistant, medical school, nursing — all while being able to stay within my major and take a bunch of different courses that can apply to any one of those professions.

What’s the most difficult thing about this major?

The course load can get to be a lot sometimes, with the variety of science classes and labs that go along with them. I had to learn to manage my time really well in order to succeed, which proved to be pretty difficult.

What advice would you give to new students trying to select a major?

Don’t stress it! You have to take so many different types of classes and you will learn a lot about yourself and the direction you want to go in. The important thing is to end up doing what makes you happy. It doesn’t really matter what it takes to get you there.

 

kaitlin

Kaitlin Zielaznicki ’14 (Health Care Administration)

Extra-curricular activities: 

  • Student Government
  • Lasallian Action Committee
  • College Republicans
  • Swimming/Diving Team

Read about Kaitlin’s favorite class [+]

What has been your favorite class? 

Legal Aspects in Health Care (RHS 481) was my favorite class. I enjoyed this class because of the challenges it presented to me. After learning and studying the different laws I was able, through critical thinking, to construct my own arguments to solve the problems at hand.

Why did you choose your major? 

I originally chose this major, but with the general science concentration, because I wanted to be a physician’s assistant. But after spending time volunteering in a hospital, I realized that being a physician’s assistant was probably not the career for me. After taking a healthcare law class, I realized that I still wanted to be in the healthcare field, but decided I wanted to switch my allied health concentration to healthcare administration. Although I thoroughly enjoy studying about the actual medicine side of healthcare, my core focus has shifted to studying the business, legal and behind-the-scenes aspects of the U.S. healthcare system.

Have you done any internships?

I have worked in a hospital shadowing nurses during the summer. I have also worked in a dental office doing administrative work.

What are your plans after graduation?

My dream job would be working with a professional sports team as a liaison to their healthcare provider. I think a career working in this field would be filled with excitement and challenges. Since I have been an athlete all of my life, I think I would be truly happy with this career choice.

What are the faculty like?

Most faculty members in my department are adjunct professors who are professionals in the subject area that they teach. This is a bonus to being a healthcare administration major since we are learning from the people who are working in the actual field that we are studying. Most professors teach more than one course in my department. I like this because you get to know the professors and they get to know you. Although they mostly have jobs off campus, they all make it very clear that they are available outside of class if we ever need to meet with them.

What’s your favorite thing about this major?

My favorite thing about my major is that there is only a small group of students studying allied health. Since we all take the same classes, we have really gotten to know each other during the past few years. It is easy to share textbooks, finish projects, and it is great when we need to form a study group together. I have become great friends with many of these students and I am currently living with someone I met through my allied heath classes. I also like that our professors teach multiple courses so they have the opportunity to get to know us as students. I am happy to be in such a small major because I feel that the focus on each of us as individuals is very easy on our professors and advisers. I think the connections we make with each other as students and with our professors will help us network for our future careers.

What’s the most difficult thing about this major?

The most difficult courses for me have been accounting and economic courses. Before now, I had taken mostly science classes, but this year has been the first time that I am taking such financially-heavy courses. Since I have no background in these subjects, I have found the first time learning curve very difficult. Although it has been challenging, I am glad I have been able to go to other healthcare administration majors and ask them for help whenever needed.

What advice would you give to new students trying to select a major?

If students are trying to decide on a major, I would tell them to trust their instincts. For years, I thought I wanted to be a physician’s assistant and one day when looking at graduate schools, I knew it was not right for me. Students stuck trying to decide on a major should try and volunteer or shadow professionals in their potential majors to see if they enjoy what they are studying in a real workplace environment. They may think they love what they are studying until they actually get hands-on experience. I would also tell them to try different things by joining different clubs and participating in extra-curricular activities so they can gain a broader view of life after school.