Welcome to the Pre-Healthcare Branch!

What is the Pre-Healthcare Branch?

The Healthcare mentoring branch offers a mentorship program to students interested in the healthcare field. Through this program, mentors will share their expertise, tips, experience, and knowledge of their field of study with undergraduate students at Guelph looking to pursue a career in Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Optometry, and more! They will assist mentees in identifying their professional development needs, access networks of like-minded people, build confidence, and learn about the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they will need to successfully lead within the Canadian healthcare system. The mentees will also be provided with personalized feedback, encouragement, and aid in their undergraduate years and graduate school application process. This program is such a great opportunity for any gryphons who are looking to become future healthcare workers!

Why Healthcare Mentoring?

Navigating the path to a graduate program in any healthcare field can be a very complicated and confusing process to tackle. Given all the aspects that need to be considered before applying to any school in the healthcare field, it can leave individuals with many unanswered questions and lots of stress. By being paired with a mentor in the field of Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry or Optometry who has recently gone through this journey, individuals will have the chance to ask these questions, receive guidance, tips and a foster sense of community with their mentor. Having regular meetings with a mentor will allow individuals to feel comfortable and confident in their own journey down this challenging road. Healthcare mentoring is an amazing opportunity for anyone wishing to pursue a career in healthcare!

Who Leads Our Team?

Samantha Randle

Healthcare Branch Coordinator

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Raunak Sharma

Healthcare Branch Sub-Communications Coordinator

Hi everyone, my name is Raunak, and I am a third year Bio-Medical Science student at the University of Guelph! I will be an executive member of the STEM Students Guelph Support Association for the 2021-2022 school year as the Medical Mentoring Branch’s Sub-Communications Coordinator. My duties include managing the branch's social media accounts, as well as sending and responding to any emails concerning the Medical Mentoring branch. My passions include making people smile, which has led me to pursue a career in dentistry after my undergraduate degree. In my free time, I enjoy being active by playing various sports and lifting weights. Moreover, my love for music has led me to learn seven different instruments and I have recently taken up the task of creating my own compositions. I have always been eager to aid and guide others, especially children, which has given me the opportunity to work as a camp counsellor and a Kumon teacher in the past.


Justin Chamberlain

Healthcare Branch Sub-Events Facilitator

Hi! My name is Justin, I am in second year of Biological Sciences, and I am the General Events Branch Sub-Communications Coordinator. My job with this club is to help promote all of the general events through the clubs’ social media pages, to ensure nobody misses out! I aspire to become a healthcare professional in the future, with specific interest in Clinical Immunology, Oncology or Pharmacy. In my free time I like to exercise, play basketball and watch YouTube and Netflix.


Sanya Sareen

Healthcare Branch Sub-Events Facilitator

Hey everyone! My name is Sanya and I’m in my second year of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Guelph. This is my second year on the SSGSA where I will be serving as the director of a new outreach branch to engage and inspire the youth of Guelph with the wonders of STEM. Passionate to spread my own love for STEM and the exciting opportunities it offers by intertwining various disciplines is what led me to creating this new branch. In my free time, I love being outdoors, whether it’s under the sun with a good book, or going for an adventurous hike. I’m super excited for all the new initiatives and events we have planned, and hope this can be a fun and exciting year for everyone :)


TBD

Healthcare Branch Sub-Finance Minister

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Introducing Mentornity 

Mentornity is an online management and communication platform designed specifically for mentoring, coaching and advising programs. Through this platform, it is possible for mentors and mentees to schedule and facilitate mentor meetings via third party programs such as Zoom, get integrated calendar reminders (Outlook, Google Calendar) as well as meeting notes/summaries, and has direct messaging for easy communication. Mentornity also supports all matching and pairing methods with custom algorithms to ensure that mentees are paired with the most compatible mentor. For the SSGSA, this platform allows us to send announcements to mentors and mentees, create forms and surveys for feedback and insight on meetings in hopes that we can deliver the most advantageous mentoring program as possible!

Meet Our Mentors!

Coming soon!

Fun Facts

Fun Fact 1

Did you know that coconuts are a natural antibacterial food and can help reduce the risk of developing gum disease and cavities? An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but a coconut a day can keep the dentist away!

Fun Fact 2

Did you know that while listening to music, your heartbeat will sync with the rhythm? Music will slow you down or rev you up depending upon the tempo of the song!

Fun Fact 3

Did you know that not only your fingerprints are unique? Every person actually has a unique tongue print too, which can help identify individuals! 

 Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the program last?

The program will run from October 2021 until the end of March 2022

What are the conditions to be eligible for the mentoring program?

There are only two requirements to be eligible for this program. You have to be an undergraduate gryphon and be a member of the club. Membership fee is only $10!

What level of involvement is expected of the mentor and of the mentee?

Mentees and mentors are expected to commit at least two hours of time per month but are free to talk more frequently, depending on the dynamics of the relationship, and through agreement of both parties. When mentors and mentees contact each other for the first time, it is encouraged to develop a schedule for communication to ensure commitment to remain in contact.

Which fields in healthcare will be provided through the mentoring program?

Mentoring will be offered for students interested in the medical field, pharmacy, and optometry. We are however hoping to expand the branch and host Q&A events during the year with other healthcare professionals.

What if I'm thinking of applying to different graduate programs? Can I request a mentor from both fields

Unfortunately, we are only able to allow each mentee to pick one field of interest and therefore have one mentor. This is due to the fact that we have a limited number of mentors and want each mentee to have equal opportunity and time with a mentor

How will I be paired with a mentor?

Through the website for our platform, Mentornity, there is a feature that will select and pair mentors with a mentee. This will be done following mentees selecting their program of interest.

Do I have to be in a science major to be eligable for mentoring?

No! This program is completely open and for anyone who is planning on or thinking of applying to programs in the healthcare field.