According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of healthcare occupations is expected to grow 19 percent from 2014 to 2024. As the medical field continues to grow, the need for medical professionals also increases. One of the newest SLHS clubs is the Future Medical Professionals, which aims to prepare students who plan to be a part of this rapidly expanding field.

Future Medical Professionals offers unique opportunities, such as volunteering, donating, guest speakers, and job shadows. This opens the door to students who are unsure of what career they want to pursue, and want to explore options.

“Future Medical Professionals looks good on a [college] resume, but it shouldn’t be your only reason,” senior co-founder Corinne Koziel said. “There is a lot of experience to gain from this club.”

Seniors Corrine “Tinny” Koziel and Simranpreet Kaur created this club with the intention of giving students the chance to become involved with healthcare, while still experiencing the rigor that comes with a full day at school.

“I got accepted into EHP [Emerging Health Program], but I wanted to stay here for the full day and still have interactions in the medical field,” said Kaur.

Last winter, Koziel came up with the idea of Future Medical Professionals and presented it to Kaur, who was delighted and joined in with Koziel to help form the club. The idea was approved by the administration, and they chose guidance counselor Mrs. Tamme Westbrooks as their adviser.

“I look up to Mrs. Westbrooks as a mentor,” Koziel said, “and I realized that she was probably one of the only people that would be able to make this idea happen.”

Both Kaur and Koziel agree that learning about yourself is best done through exposing yourself to opportunities and experiences, and this club has many to offer.

“Future Medical Professionals prepares students for the future [by] allowing us to further discover specific jobs in the medical field,” freshman club member Paige Zamichieli said. “I became interested in this club because I have always wanted to pursue a job in the medical field, and I thought that the club would be helpful.”

For many students in the club, like Zamichieli, the medical field has always been their dream, even at a young age.

“Ever since I was a little girl, I always imagined myself in a white doctor’s suit,” Kaur said. “I wanted to become something for myself and my family to be proud of.”

Recently, school nurse Ms. Merrilyn Pysher spoke to the club about her occupation and experiences.

“[The medical field] is really growing in the need that there are always jobs and opportunities,” Ms. Pysher said. “It encompasses so much that you can always change your direction.”

Kaur and Koziel plan to have Ms. Pysher visit the club again to teach CPR and First Aid classes.

“If you have this dream of going into the healthfield, you can find resources within Future Medical Professionals to prepare yourself,” Kaur said. “It also allows you to get experience and to find what you like.”

The club began to meet in the beginning of December 2016. Meetings are held during Spartan period on Day 1. Members of the club are expected to be in good academic standing and must have an interest in learning more about medical careers.