EC ideas?

[bookmaven]

ideas for EC's - both paid and volunteer

Paid - what training is required? Is it worth it?

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[CmePaddlin]

Are you graduated or still in school? That makes a difference as to your options.
What type of community are you in? Rural or a large city?

 

[bookmaven]

I have a masters. I was teaching, but moved to a different state so I can't do that here. I'm taking UG prereq's in the day time. I live in a small community with easy access to large cities.

 

[bookmaven]

I'd like to look for a job that also would count as an ec, but I don't know where to look or if I am even qualified.

Thinking maybe CNA or medical assistant for a while, but I'd have to get certified first and that can't happen this summer because I'm taking Chem I and Chem II.

I'm just new to my area and I don't know where to start, what to do, who to talk to.

I did some volunteer work at a local hospital when I was in high school and really enjoyed it. But I am worried that if I do that again I will not get enough patient contact to count, to show I am really seroius. And I still need a job to pay the rent and stuff.

I'm just so confused about all these ec's and I have not even shadowed anyone yet.

I am currently going through many problems in my health and I have become so shy because of it. I never used to be that scared to talk to people, but I am recovering. It is just taking much longer than I thought it should. That should make me empathic with my future patients anyway.

Advice would be really appreciated, even in the form of "here's what I did" and I can sift through them to see if any connect with me.

How do adcoms view things like "reading to people in a nursing home" - something I would love to do anyway, but would it count as an EC?

 

[MIGLdr]

The best way to approach this problem is to not think of it as an item on a checklist that needs to be checked off before you apply. (Even though it really is)

EC's serve the main purpose of helping people reinforce their commitment to pursue this long and ardous path and to see "what it's all about."

Having said that, the following have worked well with people I know (trads and nontrads who have gotten into med school sucessfully):

1. Volunteer at Hospital / Clinic
2. Volunteer at Hospice
3. Academic Research
4. A real job related in healthcare (ie. pharma, nursing, EMT etc)

The goal is to genuinly demonstrate that you have some basic knowledge and exposure to a healthcare setting, and you can discuss some of these experiences in an educated manner in your essays, interviews, etc.

 

[menaniac]

I had a lot of the same issues with time committments to classes during the summer. I wound up volunteering at my local hospital's hospice program and it was a really great experience. There was a 6 week training (once a week for 4 hours in the evening), then we were off on assignments. There is a lot of patient contact with many hospice programs which is one thing I liked about it. You are also asked to do many different things for the patients and their families, so the variety was appealing. I was glad to be an actual valued part of a team, and not just filing charts and stuff at the hospital. So there's my plug for hospice. Its not for everyone, though. End of life issues are hard to cope with for many people. Being exposed to it at an early stage is a good thing, I think, for a future doctor. Good luck with your EC's, whatever you wind up doing. Just make sure its something you feel has value, and that you feel that you are learning and/or contributing to while you are doing it. Otherwise its just another chore.

 

[LexiLuthor]

I volunteered in a semi-rural ER for two years assisting the triage nurse in checking people in and then transporting them around the hospital, greeting people, etc.

I found a job as a medical assistant and office manager and have been doing that for a year. I am not certified, I found a position with an ophthalmologist that said they would train me to do everything they needed. There are some jobs like that availible if you look around.