In this post, Life West student Kyrah Bacote interviews Dr. Palmer Peet, Director of Alumni Relations, about the Career Services tools available to Life West students and alumni. You can also listen to Dr. Peet talk about the program in a podcast with Life West President Ron Oberstein, available here.
Dr. Palmer Peet
Kyrah Bacote
Kyrah: Early-quarter students may not know that starting early with planning for their career will be beneficial. How may the resources at the student career center jump-start their goals?
Palmer: Three years go by extremely fast, and it’s never too soon to start on your resume, your plans to be an associate, or if you are going to open or purchase a practice. Have you thought of where you want to live after you’ve completed the program? It’s not so soon to start thinking about where you want to have a practice and live after you graduate. Career Services is here to remind you that you can go wherever you want – all you need is your heart and hands. With guidance, support and structure, you can succeed.
Kyrah: With soon-to-be graduating students, how may they benefit from resources at the student career center?
Palmer: We can point graduating students or students in any point in the program in the right direction. There are plenty of resources that students have access to, a job board that is updated daily with associateships, information about spaces to rent and practices that are for sale. So whatever stage you are in before or after graduation, there are options for you.
Kyrah: Career Services opportunities sound great! But… where exactly is the “Student Career Center” and what steps can a proactive student do to take advantage of these opportunities?
Palmer: We are downstairs in OA, under the Business Institute, with the goals of creating practice-ready graduates – where students will gain the confidence and mentorship to start a practice right after graduation. We make sure you can take advantage of preceptorships with the assistance of Aimee Fiorito, who will show you the ins and outs to deepen your practice preparedness. We have two locations:
- Make an appointment and stop by to speak to me, Dr. Palmer Peet, in Room 1021.
- Upstairs near Student Clinic, there is space for 18 driven, curious and proactive students to ask questions from practicing Doctors of Chiropractic during our free Brown Bag lunches. Career Services sponsors and videotapes these “lunch and learns” that are held in room HC221, upstairs in Student Clinic. Videotapes of each session are available to view on Canvas.
Kyrah: These sound like excellent resources! But at what point do the Career Services end for a student that has just become a DC?
Palmer: Services end never. Career Services stays connected with practicing doctors so that we better connect you with the option that fits. It’s important to hit the ground running. We help you analyze contracts so that you can know what is reasonable and what isn’t.
Contact Dr. Palmer Peet at ppeet@lifewest.edu to schedule an appointment and to reserve your spot for the Career Services Brown Bag lunches, where you are provided with lunch while receiving FREE professional insight.
Also, Life West Career Services videos by business experts are now available online. The videos on Canvas cover topics such as Marketing and Patient Acquisition, Day One and Success-Driven Office Systems. To view them here, you must have a Canvas login.
This article was first printed in Lifelines, the Life West student magazine. Although this is aimed at students, the Life West Career Services team also works with alumni to help with associate contract reviews, opening an office, rental or leasing agreements and more. Additional information, including job postings, is available online.