When therapy students graduate, they have a lot on their plate. Not only are they finishing their fieldwork or clinical rotations, they are also trying to study for boards and find a position. Wow. Talk about a stressful time! That’s where the Student Outreach team comes in.
As of this posting, Aureus Medical has three separate divisions with Student Outreach teams. These teams are in the Nursing, Medical Laboratory, and Therapy divisions and have been a great resource for students and new graduates throughout the entire United States. As a Student Outreach Coordinator in the Therapy division, I will share my experiences in helping new graduate therapists find their ideal positions.
The Student Outreach team in Therapy was started four years ago by Account Manager Sunny Snook when she noticed how many students were being placed in our division. She decided that instead of waiting for students to come to us, we should inform them of our services as soon as possible. Each year, we visit more than 40 PT and OT schools nationwide and attend national shows. As Student Outreach Coordinators, we understand the importance of meeting and building relationships with our students in person! And that is certainly not all that we do.
1. We give career development presentations
Student Outreach gives career development presentations at universities that cover how exactly we can help students with their job search. We cover resume and interview tips, job markets, as well as how direct-hire (permanent) and traveling (contract) work as a new graduate with Aureus. Most students have heard of staffing firms, but don’t know exactly how they operate or what the process entails. We keep in touch with students as their graduation approaches and let them know we are here to help. We are there to give them the details and make them feel more comfortable heading into their first job search.
2. We talk with students every single day
If a student has a question, we have probably answered the same question multiple times before. At this point, not many questions surprise us! We understand the concerns that new graduates have and we have the answers to help combat them. Since our Student Outreach team has been around for several years, we often have real-life examples to answer the questions of our students. We have numerous new graduates traveling with us who are willing to speak with other students about their initial concerns of traveling. We are always here to be a resource, even if a student finds a job on his/her own. There have been several students who spoke with us about whether salary offers were fair after looking for positions on their own. It’s a good feeling to know that our Student Outreach teams are trusted to give them accurate information!
3. We ensure that positions are new graduate friendly
When asking students, we have found that mentorship tends to be the top priority going into their first position. And we completely understand why! We understand that new graduates want someone to ask questions to and be a resource for them as they head into the working world. We would not be a “student” outreach team without making sure that a facility is equipped to, and wants to work with a new graduate. We do not send our students out to positions that are not new graduate friendly, because we want them to be happy and comfortable while learning the ropes! That is one of the big bonuses of a Student Outreach team; we specialize in helping new graduates find positions in opportunities that will be a great fit for a student.
Each year, our Student Outreach team continues to grow! The amount of students we find positions for continues to increase, and that’s how we know that our team is doing something great. If you’d like to find out more about how we can help with your job search, or how we can be a resource to you, we’d love to set up a time to talk with you! Please contact Chelsea at cermer@aureusmedical.com or Kellie at konyeuku@aureusmedical.com for more information.
Chelsea Ermer joined Aureus Medical Group as the Student Outreach Intern for the Rehab Therapy division in January 2014. After graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in May 2014, she started working full-time as a Recruiter. In her current role as Student Outreach Coordinator, Chelsea manages social media accounts, consults with students to aide them in their career search, and attends career fairs in search of new candidates. Chelsea enjoys spending as much time as possible with friends and family, reading, and running.
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