The Office of Career Services (OCS) collaborated with the School of Nursing for the Healthcare Career Fair on Nov. 4th. The fair was held in Stallings Ballroom from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. The purpose of the fair was to allow students and healthcare professionals the chance to network about career opportunities and to build relationships.

The fair had employers from different companies and hospitals come to A&T to talk with the nursing students about opportunities. Emails were sent out to students and faculty in the School of Nursing. There is also information about the fair on the OCS website.  

Students were told to bring their resumes and dressing professional was a requirement. Cynthia Downing, who is the Assistant Director for Career Counseling said, “We talked to the nursing sorority, Chi Eta Phi, so they could assist in letting people know. We also went and spoke to six classes in the School of Nursing.”

Nursing students of all classifications were encouraged to come out to the fair, according to Downing. “In the email we sent out, we said that everyone was welcome, not just juniors and seniors.” She went on to explain that while juniors and seniors are looking for more full-time work opportunities, freshmen and sophomores can still network. There were opportunities for all classifications to get part-time work or even clinical trials, which are internships where the students in nursing majors go into hospitals and start working as student nurses.

While the fair was targeted to nursing students, other students were encouraged to come speak with the employers. “Others who are interested could ask who they should speak to in order to get a job that fits their major. Even marketing majors could get information on potential jobs,” said Downing. Employers from places such as Durham Regional Hospital and East Carolina University came out on Nov. 4.

Crystal Jones, a senior pre-nursing major from Greensboro said the she learned about the fair from the OCS website. She also said, “[I] came to the fair because of the information about the different types of programs.” Her goal is to be a Registered Nurse (R.N.) and through the fair she learned about programs. “It was nice to get all of the info in one spot, and I didn’t realize that they had programs to help recent graduates and some places even provide scholarships and pay for you to get your Masters,” said Jones.  

Downing said that the students like Jones, were glad that OCS was able to bring the fair to the campus so that the information could be accessed in one location.

According to Downing the employers thought the students were well prepared to speak with the company representatives. The fair had about 60 students come in to receive information, but more students had been expected. Downing said, “There were about 56 senior nursing majors who came. We were hoping to have more juniors and seniors. It’s important for them to have experience as well.”

The Office of Career Services provides plenty of opportunities every semester for students to meet with employers through various career fairs.

 The next event from OCS will be Graduate and Professional School Day, which will be this Wednesday, Nov. 10 from 12 p.m. – 3.p.m in Stallings.

Anyone who is interested in an advanced degree is welcomed to join. Information about the event is posted on the OCS website.

• Noma Vilane