Gap Year Clinical Jobs

[UMU1030]

Hello,

I am a currently a senior pre-med student completing a major in biology. I actually finished my pre med requirements during my junior year and I have a good GPA (~3.7) from a great school. Unfortunately, I had doubts about whether I should go to medical school and fell behind in taking MCAT's or GRE's (for PA if I decide to go that route) and applying for schools. Now I realize that it may mean a lot more school, but a medical career is the best option for me.

This lack of initiative will cause me to take a gap year and although I know I don't have to have a job that directly relates to medicine, I would prefer to work in a hospital and get direct patient contact experience. I really don't have much clinical experience but I have volunteered at hospitals, done some shadowing and will be completing 100 hours of shadowing this term, for a college course.

I was wondering if anyone could suggest any careers that I could go into while I'm taking my gap year and preparing for exams. I would prefer something that either does not have a certification process, or if the certification does not take too long to obtain (a few months). Are there any careers that will accept a bachelor's in biology and pre-med courses as good experience for he job. I also don't have much family in the United States so I am not going to restrict myself to a geographical location.

Any suggestions? I much appreciate it.

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[aSagacious]

Almost any paid (clinical) position in a hospital would require some sort of certification.

Nurse assistant / tech - CNA
ER tech - EMT or medic or CNA
Phlebotomist - Cert
Scribe - Cert

 

[bucks2010]

transport and dietary won't require certification.

the CNA requirement for aides and techs will vary by locale. some places you have to have it before you're hired, others will just train you on the job or pay for you to take the CNA class after you're hired. check prospective employer websites for more info.

 

[johnisles2011]

You could be an EMT-B. If you find an accelerated training course, the trianing could take as little as a month. Then you're fully certified and ready to do really interesting work (seriously, EMS is pretty cool).

 

[cgator15]

I'm a scribe this year and I really love it. I get to talk to the doctors all day and learn about how they go about diagnosing and treating. I actually do the chart prep for my doctor and he expects me to anticipate what he will want to see--so if someone has a really bad wound, he will want blood work and any imaging that may have been done. I've also memorized a lot of the medication doses and what they are for, and sometimes we talk about cases, which gets me used to his thought process. I interact with the patients too. I didn't think this would be such a great gap year job, but I've learned a lot and am more excited than ever to go to medical school.

Is it possible to find a full- time scribe position? The positions I have previously seen have been only part- time. Also, how much money does a scribe position pay? I have to support myself for the upcoming year so, although this seems like a great opportunity, I was just curious if it would be feasible under these circumstances.

 

[Noah Capurso]

Realistically, you are going to have a hard time finding a full time job in patient care that pays well and doesn't require certification. EMT, phleb, and scribe are all good options but will require training. Transport and dietary might work, but I don't know how fulfilling those positions are going to be for you.

You might also want to think about working in a clinical research position. All major teaching hospitals have lots of big clinical research trials going on and they are always in need of coordinators. Usually you will have a decent amount of contact with patients and doctors but will not be providing direct care so you don't need special certification.

Finally, you might want to consider non-patient care jobs. As I said, it might be difficult to find a job to your specifications. Lab research and teaching (middle school/high school) are popular options that will prepare you well for entry into medicine and look great on an application. I did teaching myself before med school and absolutely loved it.

 

[cgator15]

Realistically, you are going to have a hard time finding a full time job in patient care that pays well and doesn't require certification. EMT, phleb, and scribe are all good options but will require training. Transport and dietary might work, but I don't know how fulfilling those positions are going to be for you.

You might also want to think about working in a clinical research position. All major teaching hospitals have lots of big clinical research trials going on and they are always in need of coordinators. Usually you will have a decent amount of contact with patients and doctors but will not be providing direct care so you don't need special certification.

Finally, you might want to consider non-patient care jobs. As I said, it might be difficult to find a job to your specifications. Lab research and teaching (middle school/high school) are popular options that will prepare you well for entry into medicine and look great on an application. I did teaching myself before med school and absolutely loved it.

Thank you for the feedback! It's very helpful. In regards to clinical research positions, what previous experience is generally necessary/required beforehand? And, in regards to teaching, this is something I very much wanted to pursue but I am not exactly sure how to get started. What certifications do you need beforehand?

 

[ABQ9988]

Thank you for the feedback! It's very helpful. In regards to clinical research positions, what previous experience is generally necessary/required beforehand? And, in regards to teaching, this is something I very much wanted to pursue but I am not exactly sure how to get started. What certifications do you need beforehand?

I am currently a clinical research coordinator. Usually the requirements for full time positions are a bachelors degree (sometimes masters) and prior experience in coordinating clinical trials.Some hospitals specifically want a nursing degree or a SoCRA or ACRP certifications - which usually require about 3 years of experience before you can sit for the test. As an undergradute student, I worked for two PIs in Endocrinology, so I was able to gain enough experience for a full time job. PM me if you have any specific questions. I have really enjoyed my job and I was even paid to travel to London for an investigator meeting!

 

[UMU1030]

I just wanted to bump this thread from a year back and thank everyone for their advice!

I did end up looking into nurse assistant jobs that don't require certification and was able to land a job in Upstate NY as a "Patient Care Assistant." The position only required me to go through one week of on-location education and one month of orienting with a full-time PCA. I have worked part-time on day shifts for 7 months now and must say it has been a perfect fit. I have really enjoyed the amount of exposure I get with patients and all the great personalities I get to meet. It's a fast passed job, but it certainly never gets boring. The part time schedule I had also gave me the flexibility to study for MCAT's or pick up shifts if I needed to make some extra money.

If anyone is in the same boat as I was one year ago, I would recommend this as an option without getting additional schooling. If you don't mind getting your hands dirty and you are willing to work hard, this may be a rewarding and enjoyable route. Also some hospitals are understaffed for this kind of position and continuously have job posting for nursing assistants.This thread helped me, so maybe it could help others as well. Good luck!

 

[ajafighting92]

I just wanted to bump this thread from a year back and thank everyone for their advice!

I did end up looking into nurse assistant jobs that don't require certification and was able to land a job in Upstate NY as a "Patient Care Assistant." The position only required me to go through one week of on-location education and one month of orienting with a full-time PCA. I have worked part-time on day shifts for 7 months now and must say it has been a perfect fit. I have really enjoyed the amount of exposure I get with patients and all the great personalities I get to meet. It's a fast passed job, but it certainly never gets boring. The part time schedule I had also gave me the flexibility to study for MCAT's or pick up shifts if I needed to make some extra money.

If anyone is in the same boat as I was one year ago, I would recommend this as an option without getting additional schooling. If you don't mind getting your hands dirty and you are willing to work hard, this may be a rewarding and enjoyable route. Also some hospitals are understaffed for this kind of position and continuously have job posting for nursing assistants.This thread helped me, so maybe it could help others as well. Good luck!

Hey, I know that this post was more than a year ago; however, I couldn't access your profile to message you. I am really curious as to where in NY you worked as "Patient Care Assistant." I have been looking and majority of them require a certification first. I would really appreciate the information for I have been job searching for this position for ages now.

 

[Comeonhavefun]

Almost any paid (clinical) position in a hospital would require some sort of certification.

Nurse assistant / tech - CNA
ER tech - EMT or medic or CNA
Phlebotomist - Cert
Scribe - Cert

Don't get a cert after med school, because med schools don't look kindly on that. I've heard stories of people not getting in because of that and having to go to the Caribbean. CNA you wouldn't get into a hospital and ER Tech takes a year.

YOU CAN BE A TRANSPORTER WHICH TAKES ONLY A CPR CARD AND WORKS IN A HOSPITAL. If you have shadowing you should have enough references to get the job.

 

[detu]

Don't get a cert after med school, because med schools don't look kindly on that. I've heard stories of people not getting in because of that and having to go to the Caribbean. CNA you wouldn't get into a hospital and ER Tech takes a year.

YOU CAN BE A TRANSPORTER WHICH TAKES ONLY A CPR CARD AND WORKS IN A HOSPITAL. If you have shadowing you should have enough references to get the job.

Is this true? Was thinking of being certified as a CNA for my gap year job...

 

[Lamel]

Don't get a cert after med school, because med schools don't look kindly on that. I've heard stories of people not getting in because of that and having to go to the Caribbean. CNA you wouldn't get into a hospital and ER Tech takes a year.

YOU CAN BE A TRANSPORTER WHICH TAKES ONLY A CPR CARD AND WORKS IN A HOSPITAL. If you have shadowing you should have enough references to get the job.

What? why would you get a cert after med school? Why would having a cert prevent you from getting into med school?