Anybody here work as a PCA?

[Punchap]

Hi,
I am considering my options as far as my interim year between college and medical school goes. I have been looking at entry-level hospital positions such as Patient Care Assistant (PCA). Has anyone ever held this position or something similar? I would like some insight into the work involved. I would like to be involved in patient/clinical work this year, are there other jobs out there that would let someone with a lowly B.A. work at a decent pay rate? Thanks for any positive advice.

Punchap

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[Dr JPH]

Hi,
I have been looking at entry-level hospital positions such as Patient Care Assistant (PCA).

How are you with poop?

 

[Punchap]

Hi,
I am considering my options as far as my interim year between college and medical school goes. I have been looking at entry-level hospital positions such as Patient Care Assistant (PCA). Has anyone ever held this position or something similar? I would like some insight into the work involved. I would like to be involved in patient/clinical work this year, are there other jobs out there that would let someone with a lowly B.A. work at a decent pay rate? Thanks for any positive advice.

Punchap

 

[Dr JPH]

Are you going to post this in every forum? 😕

 

[Punchap]

How are you with poop?

LOL Is that mostly what the job entails, cleaning-up patients?

 

[Punchap]

Are you going to post this in every forum? 😕

I posted it in two. Thanks.

 

[Dr JPH]

LOL Is that mostly what the job entails, cleaning-up patients?

Its definately part of it.

 

[Punchap]

Its definately part of it.

Have you done a job like this? Can you tell me more about it? I'm not scared-away by poop, I'm going to be a doctor for goodness sake.

 

[Dr JPH]

Have you done a job like this? Can you tell me more about it? I'm not scared-away by poop, I'm going to be a doctor for goodness sake.

Back in high school I was a nursing assistant. It got me out of taking most of my senior classes.

Depends on the work environment. Hospital vs nursing home vs visiting nurses.

Also depends on where in the hospital you work. Med-surg, OR, outpatient, etc.

Duties included: running errands, helping patients wash and use the toilet, cleaning patients, making beds, cleaning rooms, helping feed patients, 1 on 1 with patients who need it.

Its not a glorious job, but a necessary one. IMHO its not worth thr $12/hour

And for the record, being a doctor has nothing to do with poop.

 

[Punchap]

Back in high school I was a nursing assistant. It got me out of taking most of my senior classes.

Depends on the work environment. Hospital vs nursing home vs visiting nurses.

Also depends on where in the hospital you work. Med-surg, OR, outpatient, etc.

Duties included: running errands, helping patients wash and use the toilet, cleaning patients, making beds, cleaning rooms, helping feed patients, 1 on 1 with patients who need it.

Its not a glorious job, but a necessary one. IMHO its not worth thr $12/hour

And for the record, being a doctor has nothing to do with poop.

Thanks for the information. As for your last comment, no thanks -- what I meant: If a person is sure they can handle being a doctor (and all that implies), they should be able to handle some fecal matter.

 

[boodthedog]

You're not tempted to do another year of americorp? Besides, of course, mentionning that you want to make decent money. Can I write poop too? poop.

 

[Dr JPH]

Personally I would do something non medical. Youre going to be doing medical crap for the rest of your life.

I would go be a white water rafting guide in colorado.

 

[Punchap]

You're not tempted to do another year of americorp? Besides, of course, mentionning that you want to make decent money. Can I write poop too? poop.

🙂 I had originally planned on doing a second round of Americorps, but with medical school application/interview costs, I don't think I can do it. I'm really reluctant to ask my parents for help, b/c they have their own stuff going on and my other sibs are draining their wallets. We'll see.

 

[Punchap]

Personally I would do something non medical. Youre going to be doing medical crap for the rest of your life.

I would go be a white water rafting guide in colorado.

Yeah, I will be looking into non-medical jobs before I make a decision. White water rafting sounds like fun, too bad I'm not cut out for that.

 

[VALSALVA]

Hi,
I am considering my options as far as my interim year between college and medical school goes. I have been looking at entry-level hospital positions such as Patient Care Assistant (PCA). Has anyone ever held this position or something similar? I would like some insight into the work involved. I would like to be involved in patient/clinical work this year, are there other jobs out there that would let someone with a lowly B.A. work at a decent pay rate? Thanks for any positive advice.

Punchap

This is exactly what I did, and it was a great year. I made a little bank, took a little break from formal academia, and had a great experience on the wards and in the ER. Go for it!

 

[Punchap]

This is exactly what I did, and it was a great year. I made a little bank, took a little break from formal academia, and had a great experience on the wards and in the ER. Go for it!

If you don't mind, could you tell me more about what your job was like...What were the pros/cons? I appreciate your input.

 

[Packamylase]

Hi,
I am considering my options as far as my interim year between college and medical school goes. I have been looking at entry-level hospital positions such as Patient Care Assistant (PCA). Has anyone ever held this position or something similar? I would like some insight into the work involved. I would like to be involved in patient/clinical work this year, are there other jobs out there that would let someone with a lowly B.A. work at a decent pay rate? Thanks for any positive advice.

Punchap

Punchap, I was a Patient Care Assistant for 3 years while in college, and I loved it. It gave me some great clinical experience and I got paid!

At my hospital, a PCA was nothing like a nursing assistant. I never touched any poop! My job was transporting patients on a stretcher from their rooms to the operating room, to the PACU (recovery room), and then back to their hospital beds. Also, you did a lot of errands like getting foot compression pumps, monitors, stretchers, etc. from the supply room. I loved it, and you should consider it. My other duties included cleaning/turning over operating rooms and assisting the nurses in anyway they asked, which was usually going and fetching things like blankets for the patients, etc.

However, when I applied, they definitely told me that I needed to be there longer than just a summer. They wouldn't have hired me otherwise. You might run into a similar situation.

I was actually a volunteer at said hospital first, and I went into the head surgical nurse's office looking for a job. I was looking for a surgical tech position, but ended up with the PCA job. I really enjoyed it.

Good Luck!

 

[Tanner82]

Hi,
I am considering my options as far as my interim year between college and medical school goes. I have been looking at entry-level hospital positions such as Patient Care Assistant (PCA). Has anyone ever held this position or something similar? I would like some insight into the work involved. I would like to be involved in patient/clinical work this year, are there other jobs out there that would let someone with a lowly B.A. work at a decent pay rate? Thanks for any positive advice.

Punchap

I've been a TCA for almost 2 years now.... and it all depends on what unit you are on... I worked on a med-surg unit and got lots of GI patients.... that entails cleaning puke, GI bleeds (worst by far), fistula's, ostomies... ect... I also worked in CCU, which entailed virtually none of that but was a little more boring except for the occasional code.

PCA or TCA is a great way to go to see if you like medicine. I've talked to so many doctors and experienced so much that I would have otherwise been blind to. You eventually get accustomed to the "gross stuff" and also grieving patients,death/dying ect. It could encourage you or discourage you but at least you'll know what your getting into.

 

[Punchap]

Packamylase and Tanner,

Thanks for the information and insight. I'm becoming convinced that this job would be good for me. Take care.

Punchap

 

[youngtraumadoc]

I have been a patient care tech for a while. This is excellent experience for anyone considering working in the health profession.
You need to consider the following:
1. What are you looking to get out of this-gain insight into the health profession, gain skills...
2. Which hospital-different counties have different legal guidelines as to how they define the roles of patient care techs/pca. ie. some allow you to start ivs, phleobotomy, ng tubes, foleys and some don't.
3. Depending on your objective, choose the correct floor. If you work on a "floor", like med surg, orthopedics, you will spend time cleaning patients and assisting them with their ADLs (also vital signs, glucose readings etc...)
If you work in the OR or ER, you will gain much more relevant experience-in my opinion having done both.
4. Note, most places require you to have some sort of certifications such as EMT or CNA or something the hospital or region provides.

Hope that helps...

 

[grinchick5]

You may also want to look into clinical research coordinator positions. Such openings can be found at large academic hospitals. The field provides patient contact, a little bit more independence, and the opportunity for publications, among other things. It's more of an "office job" with regular hours, usually good pay and decent benefits (including, at my institution at least, a good deal of paid time off -- important for those interviews!). The types of studies you're working on determine how much patient contact you'll get. There will always be a fair amount of regulatory crap you'll have to deal with, but it's not too bad, IMO.

A BA is sufficient, but the positions will usually require some previous research experience (at minimum, you should be familiar with the research process). Don't be frightened by the postings, which frequently request LOTS of previous experience. That's what every PI wants, but few of them get it.

Anyway, just another option. I went the clinical research route b/c I didn't want to be a "hospital grunt" and I really enjoyed it. Feel free to PM if you have any questions. Or, you could just ignore me. 🙄

 

[Kateb4]

I worked as a non-certified nurses aid at a hospital for a few years, and I really liked it. Yes, you do have to clean poop sometimes. I worked in Oncology, so there wasn't as much of that as it was helping patinets bathe, changing beds, passing trays, but we also did all of the phlebotomy, accu checks, took vitals, even assisted in minor procedures like LPs or bone marrow biopsies that we did on the floor. I was also cross trained as a unit secretary, so I processed the physician orders, and I always read the patient H&P's notes and such when I had down time. It was interesting and I did learn alot! It was also a teaching hospital, so I got to see what residency is really about, and I made alot of contacts for when I will be looking for a spot later. Hospitals are great because you can be somewhat particular about what department you work in. If you are interested in surgery, you can be a scrub tech, or go work in the ER if your interests are there.

So, that was really hard work, and long hours. After that I went to work in a surgicenter as a surgical assistant. That was very cool, and had much better hours and pay. Where I am at, you do not need to be certified, but the doc I worked for put us thru anesthesia training, as well as ACLS. I assisted in a ton of office surgeries (it was an oral/maxillofacial surgery practice) and got to go to assist in a few hospital procedures as well. This is a very good route, but there aren't as many of these jobs around, and you need to know a little what you're doing before they will hire you.

Best of luck with whatever you decide. I think that it was great experience and would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[Punchap]

Thanks to everyone for all the great responses!

 

[VALSALVA]

If you don't mind, could you tell me more about what your job was like...What were the pros/cons? I appreciate your input.

My job was very much like PackAmylases's except I did have to clean up poop...it's not that big of a deal. I also did most of the routine vital's as well.

 

[GreenShirt]

I worked as an ER tech for two years and it was a great experience. With any of these positions you're essentially a nurse's <*profanity*>, but it's great exposure to the hospital environment. However, as another poster mentioned, often times you need either a CNA or EMT certification. By the time you finish one of these courses, you'll have less time to work and hospitals don't usually like to hire people who have less than a year or two to devote to the job. You might try to get a position in a doctor's office, where they might be a little more flexible.

 

[NjD00]

Yep, I've been a nurses aide (PCA) for four years. It's kinda boring and monotonous work (no thinking or mental challenges involved) but the pay is decent and you really do get valuable experience working with patients.

I'm just starting medical school this fall, but I can guarantee that my bedside manner is better than a lot of people that already hold an MD or DO. I'd say go for it; I've learned a lot and the medical schools I applied to ate it up. Good luck

 

[cremaster2007]

I was a part-time nursing assistant during my last year of college. It does pay alright for the work you do, and you do get exposure to patients and sometimes charts/etc. Especially if you let physicians know you are trying to get into or got into medical school, they may teach you things/give you advice. I also think it keeps me humble knowing I worked my way "up through the ranks". I will always think twice about talking down to someone!

 

[psychbender]

I worked as a Tech (slightly above a CNA) on a Med-Surg floor for a while in undergrad. It was very boring, I wiped a lot of asses, and didn't really learn much of anything (other than I could never do floor nursing). Definitely got to experience the revolving door of medicine, though. Patients spend a week at the nursing home, then a week on my floor, then back to the home. The pay was good though--the flex-time bonus, plus shift differential for nights and weekends put me around $11/hr.

If I were you, I would definitely NOT tell anyone there that I was going to attend/was applying to medical school.

 

[hyperbaric]

I worked as a Tech (slightly above a CNA) on a Med-Surg floor for a while in undergrad. It was very boring, I wiped a lot of asses, and didn't really learn much of anything (other than I could never do floor nursing). Definitely got to experience the revolving door of medicine, though. Patients spend a week at the nursing home, then a week on my floor, then back to the home. The pay was good though--the flex-time bonus, plus shift differential for nights and weekends put me around $11/hr.

If I were you, I would definitely NOT tell anyone there that I was going to attend/was applying to medical school.

Once upon a time, I too worked as a tech. And the above description of 'tech' is the best I've ever seen. 👍

 

[cremaster2007]

I worked as a Tech (slightly above a CNA) on a Med-Surg floor for a while in undergrad. It was very boring, I wiped a lot of asses, and didn't really learn much of anything (other than I could never do floor nursing). Definitely got to experience the revolving door of medicine, though. Patients spend a week at the nursing home, then a week on my floor, then back to the home. The pay was good though--the flex-time bonus, plus shift differential for nights and weekends put me around $11/hr.

If I were you, I would definitely NOT tell anyone there that I was going to attend/was applying to medical school.

If you decide to mention it you definitely need TACT. You don't want to piss anyone off or try to act like you are better than them.........i got to know most of my coworkers and they ended up very supportive of me. You can definitely alienate people though.

 

[Punchap]

Thanks for all the responses! Also, did your hospital provide cna training prior to your start, or were you already certified going in? I am not certified, but do have clinical experience (taking med. histories, vitals, etc.).

 

[BCon902]

I worked as a tech or whatever you want to call it but the hospital did provide the training as well as training to read Zoll monitors and classes to learn how to straight cath and phlebotomy, it was worth it and many doctors let me assist them in bedside procedures ( hold a vial or lidocaine or some other task but it was fun to watch).

 

[psychbender]

The hospital didn't provide any specific 'training' for the job. I was an EMT-B at the time, and they were of the opinion that that was more than sufficient (they only ever hired those with some prior basic medical training). During orientation, they quickly brought me up to speed (see one, do one, teach one) on the finer points of assisting; like putting in/taking out foley caths, checking IV pumps, sponge bathing, and changing adult diapers.

 

[SexPistol]

Similiarly, I worked as an ED Tech. This is pretty much the same but there is a greater exposure to procedures and phlebotomy is a good skill to have entering med school. Get certified in phlebotomy and EKG's and you can ghet hired by pretty much any ER.

 

[mshheaddoc]

Merged threads from PO and Osteo together.

 

[EvieMed]

i worked as a PCA over the summer in the ER. Technically i was an "ED tech" in an inner city hospital. aka i saw a whole lotta ****...drugs/gunshots/stabbings/crack babies/etc. it was eye opening and crazy, but i did learn a LOT about relating to patients and having good bedside manner. it also thickened my skin one hundred percent in about a week. it only paid $10.80/ hour though so i had to switch to none other than the huge corporate monster that is the pharmaceutical industry. There, i got paid $28/hour to do "clinical research" in the oncology department. I put that in quotes only bc i dont consider sitting in a cubicle and filing papers clinical research. the only good thing that came out of that job was that i realized how lucky i am to be going to med school. so...u can make a lot of money in the pharm industry but u really wont do anything or you can gain awesome experience in the hospital for almost no money.

 

[Sage75]

Punchap,
I have been a CNA for the last 10 years and there are a ton of pros and cons to going into this field. I have to say it has been an extremely valuable experience and has made me better prepared. You need to have the essential skills to be able to deal with all sorts of people and their families.

As for getting a license, there are a lot of hospitals, nursing homes and agencies that are willing to pay for your training and licensure, you just need to look around. When I first went into the field my boss sent me to school for it and paid for everything.

Although I do think that if you only plan on doing it for a year or less you may just want to go into agency or private duty care, some hospitals will hire you without a license as well. This would be a great way to see if you have the people skills necessary to become a good doctor. I do agree with most of what has been said so far from others about becoming better at your bedside manner. Unless of course you find you don't like it. 😉

Anyways, good luck! If anyone has any questions please post or pm me.