Orientation Week 2018

No matter the age, or how professional the schooling, the first day at a new University will always be scary. Stepping into Orientation week at Salus University, I didn’t know what exactly to expect. I was nervous to start professional school far from home where I knew very few people. Of course, I was also extremely excited to finally be here after working so hard for the opportunity to pursue a career in my dream profession, but I was still anxious. Thankfully I wasn’t the only one, as I could tell early on during Orientation week that many of these students and future health professionals were feeling equally as restless.

The first day was full of congratulations from faculty, welcomes from staff, and introductory ice breakers shared between students. Between the excess of important information and words of wisdom thrown our way, we left feeling possibly more overwhelmed than before we arrived.

However, with each passing day of the week, the academic building became more navigable, the faces on campus became a little more familiar, and the University felt more recognizable. The optional evening activities also helped to lift some of the stress of the week, with Trivia Night and a trip to Dave and Buster’s allowing friendships among peers to form.

Over the course of the week, we learned what it means to be a part of Salus University and also what it means to be invested in a greater health profession society. Being enrolled in professional school and pursuing a career in an admirable field inspires each student to hold themselves to a higher standard. Our week concluded with the ultimate symbolic representation of what it means to be a part of this professional community: the White Coat Ceremony.

On Friday afternoon, when more than 300 new Salus students stood together at the Kimmel Center proudly wearing our white coats, I couldn’t help but appreciate the magnitude of this moment. We are all from different geological locations. We are all at different stages of our lives, some of us married, with kids, engaged, or newly graduated. We are all from different backgrounds, have different stories, and have different paths that lead us to where we are now – but we are all here and all dedicated to the same mission: a passion for healthcare, a commitment to professionalism and a desire to help others. While it may just be a piece of clothing, the white coat symbolizes all of this and more, and the ceremony was a beautiful way to end our Orientation week while representing the start of our professional journey.

As classes pick up this week and the possible stress of the program heightens, I hope to remind myself of this important moment whenever times get rough. It will certainly be a challenging four years but I know this commitment to healthcare and helping others is what will make it all worth it in the end. 

-Olivia is a first-year optometry student at Salus University

Learn More About Salus University

To a New Beginning in Healthcare, Our First Steps

Orientation in the Hafter Center

I wanted to come to Salus University since I was 14 years old with a dream of becoming an optometrist. With eight years of anticipation and diligent preparation, orientation week began. It took a solid hour just to choose an outfit for the first day. Even though orientation started at 8:30 am, I, along with numerous others, arrived before 7:30 am. We waited in our cars anxiously for someone to get out and walk in first. As we walked in, I could feel the excitement and nervousness in the air.

What should have been an hour wait, felt like mere minutes. Students poured into the Hafter Center dressed professionally and ready to become graduate students of a heath profession. Dr. Michael H. Mittelman, President of Salus University, greeted us and offered inspirational advice on becoming great healthcare professionals. He stressed empathy, which I found to be a very insightful tip that I hadn’t previously considered.

Dave & Buster's in the
Plymouth Meeting Mall

Orientation week was full of resources meant to aid us in our preparation for our respective fields. This included a resource fair full of clinics, banks, information on The Eye Institute, Learning Resource Center, and military programs. We had a session on financial planning that opened my eyes into the world of investing and reminded us to still live like students the first few years out of school. We were also introduced to budgeting apps and debt calculators. I found the session on cultural awareness to be very interesting and insightful. Coming from a rural town in Pennsylvania, I was not used to much diversity, while Philadelphia is rich in other cultures. This session went over how to be sensitive to patients and intuitive to the various cultures one encounters when working in the healthcare field.

While it was nice to spend our days in orientation, it was wonderful having the after-orientation events. These included trivia and a trip to Dave and Busters. I was quite worried for trivia, as it was entitled, “Pop Culture Trivia” and I know very little to nothing about this topic. All and all my team didn’t do too shabby. It was a great way to interact with our classmates and make some new friends. Dave and Busters was a great time too -- their Dance Dance Revolution machine was far harder than we had anticipated but we made it out alive. Just as my card ran out, I miraculously hit 1,000 tickets. It was a nice end to a long day!

President Mittelman speaking at
theWhite Coat ceremony

While orientation week was exciting, I was itching to start classes. But first, we had the White Coat Ceremony. This year it was held in the Kimmel Center in Center City, Philadelphia. This was the first time I had taken a subway into Philadelphia, but alas, I made it unscathed. The venue was absolutely beautiful, with glass windows surrounding us and wood paneling coating the theater. The ceremony was very inspirational as it welcomed us into the world of health professionalism. With our white coats on, we recited in unison the Oath to Professionalism. It felt like a graduation in a sense, like we were ready to take on the world. In reality, we are just getting started to take on the challenges of graduate school. It was a great way to begin our new journey! 

White Coat Ceremony
at the Kimmel Center

 ~ Sabrina is a first-year optometry student at Salus University

Learn More About Salus University