Pictured above is the 2019-20 MAPS leadership team. The MAPS board is diverse because we are all students of color, come from different backgrounds, and have unique pre-health interests.
LEADING A TEAM OF PRE-HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
Overview
The Minority Association of Pre-health Students (MAPS) at the University of Washington is a Registered Student Organization (RSO) that provides opportunities and resources to students underrepresented in healthcare. This year, I am serving as the MAPS Health Network Liaison. As the Health Network Liaison, I am responsible for contacting other pre-health organizations on campus to provide health-related opportunities for members. As a MAPS officer, I am also required to help setup and organize one to two meetings per quarter. This experience is valuable to me because it is my first active leadership role in an academic setting. It is also very meaningful because of my interest in healthcare and my future career pursuits in this field.
The Minority Association of Pre-health Students (MAPS) at the University of Washington is a Registered Student Organization (RSO) that provides opportunities and resources to students underrepresented in healthcare. This year, I am serving as the MAPS Health Network Liaison. As the Health Network Liaison, I am responsible for contacting other pre-health organizations on campus to provide health-related opportunities for members. As a MAPS officer, I am also required to help setup and organize one to two meetings per quarter. This experience is valuable to me because it is my first active leadership role in an academic setting. It is also very meaningful because of my interest in healthcare and my future career pursuits in this field.
Personal Importance
I have been a dedicated member of this club and consistently attend meetings, despite my busy schedule. My passion for MAPS is reflected by my future career goals in healthcare. Additionally, I value MAPS because of the tight-knit community it has built within the larger UW campus. Trust is something I value and being on the board has taught me that building trust takes time and patience. When everyone can trust one another, we depend on each other like family, and that’s the beauty of a club in which everyone cares about and supports one another.
I have been a dedicated member of this club and consistently attend meetings, despite my busy schedule. My passion for MAPS is reflected by my future career goals in healthcare. Additionally, I value MAPS because of the tight-knit community it has built within the larger UW campus. Trust is something I value and being on the board has taught me that building trust takes time and patience. When everyone can trust one another, we depend on each other like family, and that’s the beauty of a club in which everyone cares about and supports one another.
Tasks Accomplished
- Created a group chat with five other pre-health organizations on campus to advertise and promote pre-health opportunities and resources for members
- Guided a group of pre-PA freshmen and answered their questions about prerequisites
- Helped organize and setup a meeting on Social Determinants of Health, Immigrant Health, and Nursing Panel
- Advertised MAPS fundraisers through social media
- Helped raise over $100 by selling Costco pizza, churros, and chicken bakes
- Reached out to several organizations to participate in the annual MAPS Pre-Health Conference (PHC) Resource Fair
- Setup and organized a Medical Technologies workshop for the MAPS PHC
Leadership Competencies
- Other perspectives: MAPS specifically tailors its opportunities and resources to minorities, students of color, and those of disadvantaged backgrounds. Our member attendance is diverse, and students with different socioeconomic statuses, and racial/ethnic backgrounds often attend. With a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and outlook on life, I have learned a lot from members and from my fellow teammates. In another sense, I have learned to consider others’ perspectives, especially of those who have more leadership experience in this club. If I can consider a range of perspectives, I am not limited in any way.
- Productive relationships: MAPS is a club that values productive relationships with both general members and board members. In our meetings, we try to learn members’ names, so we can recognize them at future meetings. This has fostered a sense of community in addition to building productive relationships. If we have time at the beginning of our meetings, we sometimes make an ice breaker. This is a great way for new members to open up and build new friendships. We also have one to two bonding meetings per quarter. Last quarter, we played a Jeopardy! game where members were split into two groups and had to answer MAPS/healthcare related trivia. This quarter, we hosted a Game Night, where members chose to play a variety of games including Musical Chairs, Super Smash Bros, and Cards Against Humanity. Forming productive relationships has taught me how a sense of community is fostered by building meaningful connections.
- Organizational behavior: With this leadership competency, I have learned to be more organized with my time, meeting deadlines, completing tasks, and updating documents as necessary. In a group setting where people depend on you to be a key player, organization is extremely important. Productivity and efficiency are also related to this leadership competency and increase relative to level of organization. There is a MAPS Google Drive that is shared by all board members. There are many different folders in this drive, each one corresponding to every MAPS officer's duty. There are also folders for weekly officer meeting agendas, upcoming general meetings, and planning for the PHC. It is important to understand where each folder is located and what each contains, to maximize organization and efficiency.
- Verbal communication: Through this experience, I have learned the importance of active communication, asking questions when they arise, and addressing my concerns. This competency has contributed to my development and learning by fostering productive relationships. I have learned the importance of clear, effective communication which I am still working actively to develop. In the future, I hope to be more prompt with my questions and concerns and address them as soon as they come up.
- Mission: "MAPS at the University of Washington is dedicated to fostering a community of underrepresented pre-health students and providing members with knowledge and experiences needed to be socially conscious healthcare professionals.” By understanding the MAPS mission statement, I have learned the role I play within the context of leadership in healthcare and the steps I can take to fulfill this mission. In addition to creating a group chat with pre-health organizations on campus, called the “Pre-health Coalition”, there is also a group chat with minority serving organizations. MAPS is unique because it isn’t just a pre-health organization, but also a club that values and promotes diversity among minorities and underrepresented students.
- Service: MAPS provides quarterly volunteering opportunities for members. Last year, I had the opportunity to volunteer at Seattle Homeless Outreach, a non-profit organization that provides outreach services to those experiencing homelessness in the Seattle area. This was a half-day event which consisted of preparing sanitation kits, making sandwiches, packing food and clothing, and preparing coffee. The most memorable part of this experience was distributing the supplies to the homeless. The simple act of giving has the ability to create tears of joy and gratitude. Through this, I discovered the true purpose in serving my community.
Lessons Learned
As a future healthcare provider, this experience has shaped me for my career and working with diverse individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds and vulnerable populations. Understanding and valuing diversity is important because every person has their own story to share. When we listen to others, we can better understand them, and as future healthcare providers, it is critical to understand and listen to our patients so we can help alleviate their problems.
As a future healthcare provider, this experience has shaped me for my career and working with diverse individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds and vulnerable populations. Understanding and valuing diversity is important because every person has their own story to share. When we listen to others, we can better understand them, and as future healthcare providers, it is critical to understand and listen to our patients so we can help alleviate their problems.