UNMC, Urban League health care conference a success

Students listen for the difference between normal and irregular breathing in an infant. The hands-on experience with patient simulators provided health information and reinforced their desire to pursue health careers.

Nearly 50 high school students recently converged on the UNMC campus to attend an African American youth health care conference.

UNMC and the Urban League of Nebraska sponsored the first of its kind conference in the Omaha metropolitan area aimed at encouraging black high school students to consider health care careers.

Students from Benson, Bellevue West, Elkhorn, Mercy, Northwest, Roncalli and Westside high schools heard from several motivational speakers including Preston Love Jr., a civic leader, and Thomas Warren, president and CEO of the Urban League of Nebraska, Inc.

Rubens Pamies, M.D., UNMC vice chancellor for academic affairs was the keynote speaker. He shared a critical formula for success: A=MD (It means earning A’s in school can lead one to become a doctor).

Dr. Pamies also shared with students what it takes to become a physician and why he feels passionate about his career choice.

“It’s an exciting time to be in the health care field,” Dr. Pamies said. “There are new treatments and technologies for some of our world’s most devastating diseases. A career in medicine requires a commitment to life-long learning to provide the best treatments for your patients and community.”

“A career in medicine requires a commitment to life-long learning to provide the best treatments for your patients and community.” Rubens Pamies, M.D.

Students also had an opportunity to participate in interactive sessions with representatives from the College of Nursing, the College of Dentistry and the School of Allied Health Professions. The ability to work with patient simulation mannequins helped the students grasp the presented information. Plus, they had a great time observing how the mannequins resemble real-life medical conditions.

Organizers of the event said the students and high school counselors enjoyed the conference. They are already planning for next year.

“We hope this will be the premier college event for African American high school students in Omaha,” said Dani Eveloff, UNMC College of Nursing recruitment coordinator. “We plan to expand the conference to include other professional careers and hope all metropolitan high schools will participate.”