Elshadai Aberra | Managing Editor

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On Wednesday, Nov. 13, Pre-Med Club brought in medical professional Dr. Stephanie Reynolds from IU Health to talk with club members. 

“She was originally a nurse, and then went to medical school to become a family practitioner,” club president and senior Jui Desai said. “Each of our speakers [each month] are really diverse because I think it’s important to illustrate different types of people in this field.”

Hearing from more diverse medical professional speakers has become one of the largest items on Pre-Med Club’s to-do list this year. The club also went on a field trip to Riley Hospital on Oct. 2.

“The field trip was a huge deal,” Desai said. “First, we had a session with medical professionals at Riley, which included both doctors (MD) and PhDs who explained their involvement in research and patient care. Then, we took a tour around the facility, and then later had lunch at one of their cafeterias where some members interacted with current medical students.”

The field trip was impactful for club members who had not seen the “behind the scenes” of hospitals before. The club’s marketing director, junior Salma Chemmaoui, said that is the aspect of the trip she appreciated the most.

“I really loved how we could experience what we usually don’t see when we go on a doctor’s visit,” Chemmaoui said. “We don’t usually see all the doctors who are behind the scenes, you know?”

In addition to the club’s first field trip, the focus of adding diverse medical professionals, such as medical students, OB/GYN, and cardiologists, to the club’s pool of speakers has also proven successful in raising student attendance at club meetings. 

“The club is always growing,” Desai said. “Last year we had about 100 members, and this year we’ve gained a lot of new students, especially ninth and 10th graders.”

When it comes to Pre-Med Club’s future, Desai said she mainly hopes for a greater variety of speakers, as when people think of the medical field, they may often focus on the surgeons of the field and not the other hundreds, if not thousands of positions. 

“We’ve focused on getting new and different speakers this year because the medical and professional field is a vast area which is important to convey to the members,” Desai said.

While Chemmaoui said she also values greater diversity among their speakers,  she says she mostly looks to include more field trips in the club’s future.

“I definitely hope that we can go on more field trips to hospitals, and in the future I hope that we can also have more job shadowing opportunities,” Chemmaoui said. 

As for students questioning whether or not they should join Pre-Med Club; Desai said that anyone even remotely curious about the medical field should join as it is educational and provides club members first hand knowledge they may not have had access to before.

“We welcome all students who are even marginally interested in the medical or healthcare field,” Desai said. “It’s a great way to broaden your experience and network with individuals who can provide great insight and advice.”