Gap Years

[imyahuckleberry]

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Ok, so I'm taking two years off after I graduate and was looking to get a clinical, medically-related job. Unfortunately, my degree in microbiology doesn't exactly qualify me for anything. I have heard conflicting opinions on whether to be a CNA or an EMT, and am trying to decide between the two. Most of what I see in favor of EMT just says stupid things along the lines of "EMT is more closely related to doctor, decision-making, blah blah," but I think that sounds like bs to me. Is there any real reason why being a CNA would be a bad idea? Do you guys have any thoughts on these or know of any other similar jobs that would be good for clinical experience?

 

[dr seuss]

.

 

[caduceusdude]

agree with dr. seuss

 

[imyahuckleberry]

No, I decided late that I wanted to go to med school and haven't taken the mcat yet (and won't take it for some time), so I'll need to take 2 years.

 

[ygree001]

What I got from an adcom about being an EMT is that it is not a good way to get meaningful clinical experience. They want you to be able to observe both patients and doctors, and their interactions with each other. Maybe other places have a different view.

 

[dw2158]

since you're not just doing this to help your app, i would instead focus on getting a job. period. if it's medical, great. if it's in a totally unrelated field, also great. continue clinical volunteering or whatever a couple evenings a week. you will become more well-rounded and interesting if you have an interesting job 🙂

of course, if you're only interested in working in the medical arena, it's a different story. i'm working on the assumption that you're passionate about other things too.

 

[mochi bear]

agree with all the previous posters. Do something you actually want to do. Not just something to improve your app. Unless of course being EMT is something you really want to do.