2 months after grad and no job

Try volunteering at a hospital for now while you continue your job search. You may also want to try tutoring high schoolers or college freshmen to give you something temporary while you find a job.

 

You can get a job in the hospital that requires in-house training, such as a unit tech or a phlebotomist.

 

do you guys know which hospitals around southern CA do this?
I'm really looking for a job as well...

 

They should have job listings on the hospital websites. Try Cedars-Sinai or UCLA's hospital. You may want to ask the premed advisors at Southern CA schools if they know of any health care jobs available. That's how I got my job in health care.

 

Volunteer at a hospital for now, and try to get a job there. When application asks what you are currently doing, you can say you are doing X at a hospital. Continue to look for a job, these things may take some time.

 

That is easier said than done. A lot of those jobs require some experience (in our state phleb requires that you are certified and most unit tech jobs (i.e. ED Tech, hospital tech, even patient transport) requires at least a CNA.

 

It depends on the hospital. The key is to not be too selective on where you work.

 

True, but I've been thinking about going for "Patient Care Tech" at a local hospital since I saw that "pre-med" was on the list of "possible qualifications." Has anyone out there done something like this by chance? I worry about applying/interviewing for a position like this since I literally have no "job" experience or certification which would "qualify" me for it, beyond being a pre-med. I see that as being a potentially embarrassing situation.]

I'm in the same position as the OP, except I haven't started looking for a job yet. I know of some very well-paying customer service/computer tech jobs I could take, but I'm torn between that and a "medically-related" position that I might be able to squeeze a little bit out of come interview time. EC's are my weakest point, afterall. I think I've already milked my volunteer position for all it's worth.

 

PCT is a good way to go. You get good experience and direct patient care. Be prepared to change sheets, help patients to the bathroom, and other scut work. If you're ok with that, I think u'll be happy with the work.

 

Not in california. There are state laws that regulate healthcare there. I believe that is what Carmenita79 was referring to.


In response to "embarassing situations" if you don't put yourself out there, you'll never know. Suck up the pride and at least inquire. Usually pre-meds have more interest in medicine/patients than other fields so they might be willing to do more on-the-job training!

 

Have you tried signing up with Manpower or one of the other staffing firms? Perhaps they can match you in QC Chem or R&D or something at one of the nearby Pharma companies. Also check with your campus's counseling and career services. There might even be lab jobs available on campus, as well. Work in the lab during the day and bartend or wait tables at night to make ends meet. You can do it.

 

I'm kind of in the same boat, although I went travelling soon as I graduated, so I just started applying for jobs. I said on my apps that I've been travelling, and because of this, I haven't had time to secure a job, but I am currently sending out my resume and will update them once I have more info. I also mention that I do have some tutoring gigs lined up, but that won't start until the fall.

 

Hehe, then we really are in the same boat...I just got back from Paris >).

 

I know that some hospitals have volunteer research positions. They're usually pretty low key, since most everybody is eligible, but they'll get you in a lab, where you could use your scientific charm to do more if you want.


And India? I'm jealous -- I'm going to have to find some time to do that before August 07.

 

I was in Paris for 2 months 2 summers ago. That was a lot of fun. This time, I was going throughout Europe, and stopped in Paris for a couple days only. How did you like it?

 

It was incredible. I spent the month of June there and the entire experience just couldn't have been better. It really helps having a decent handle on the language.