CHCS Perspectives Summer/Fall 2013

PERSPECTIVES • SUMMER-FALL 2013 – Page 13 T he revamped student orientation process for newly admitted College of Health Care Sciences’ students and their families, which was held on May 28, allowed about 350 new students, parents, and guests to visit the Fort Lauderdale Campus and learn about the many resources NSU has to offer and become ac- quainted with the main campus. Students and families were greeted by friendly CHCS student affairs staff and faculty members as well as cur- rent student leaders. Upon arrival, the incoming students were given professional lunch bags they will be able to use throughout the year and on future clinical experiences. Lending a helping hand were several Health Professions Di- vision Office of Admissions’ staff members, who graciously assisted with the orientation check-in process. Overall, the majority of new students are attending NSU from outside the state of Florida, and many com- mented that their arrival to NSU was smooth and easy thanks to the pre- communication plan from the Office of Admissions and the enhanced student orientation program. One new feature of the orientation program was an enhanced confer- ence-style rotation of educational sessions and workshops where students were able to learn about the many available NSU resources while engag- ing with current students, faculty/staff members, and administration. One highly rated workshop was the “I Wish I Had Known” current stu- dent leader panel, which brought together current CHCS students to speak with incoming students and answer their questions about life as a CHCS student. Faculty and staff members were not permitted to attend this session to allow open discussion and sharing, which let the participat- ing students open up about their fears about attending graduate school and get their questions answered. Parents and guests of new students also had their own session during the orientation program where they were able to sit down with Office of Student Affairs staff members and learn about the ways they could better support their health care professional students in their time at NSU. In addition, attendees were reminded that because incoming students will have very rigorous coursework over the next few years, they will not always have the same amount of time to devote to family activities. One of the most noteworthy aspects of the orientation program is that it opens up a dialogue between students, faculty/staff members, and their families about what to expect over the next several years in graduate school. FRESH DIRECTION FOR NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION Jonathon May, M.A., Assistant Director of Student Affairs A new student being welcomed by Jonathon May from the CHCS Office of Student Affairs. A first-year physical therapy student being welcomed by a faculty member. New students show their Shark pride during the orientation program’s welcome session. “...many commented that their arrival to NSU was smooth and easy thanks to the pre-communication plan from the Office of Admissions and the enhanced student orientation program.”