In October, the Health Professionals Society club hosted Dr. Melissa P. Murray as a guest speaker, offering attendees the opportunity to acquire better knowledge of the plethora of careers within the medical field.
Dr. Murray is a certified Clinical Pathologist with special expertise in the field of breast cancer. Through her visit to Townsend Harris, she offered Harrisites insight on pursuing careers within the medical field, regardless of the health career pathways that attendees originally intended to pursue.
During the session, she shed light on numerous medical specialties, giving students an overview of the general steps required to work in health-based fields. “There’s much more to being a doctor than just physically examining and treating patients. Being a pathologist, you are more behind the scenes,” said attendee sophomore Natalie Tamma.
While establishing a comfortable environment open to discussion, Dr. Murray encouraged students to explore their own ambitions. “The part I found most memorable, and which I’ll keep in mind for future reference, was Dr. Murray’s explanation of different medical degrees. Knowing the different options there will help in having a better experience in the future,” said freshman Ivanelly Ramirez. Other club members said that Dr. Murray clarified a handful of stereotypes associated with medical careers.
Senior Isabel Jagrasan, HPS President (and Editor in Chief for The Classic), said, “She talked about the difference between being a DO [Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine] and a PhD, and [discussed] how that might be looked down upon from people she spoke to once she got into the career. This encouraged students to understand that there is no significant difference between the two and that being a doctor is still being a doctor.”
Isabel said that the club is planning similar events in the future, “We hope to have more speakers from a variety of professions that our club members are specifically interested in.We also hope to bring in professionals who would be interested in providing hands-on demonstrations so that our club members are more actively engaged.”
