Job experiences for medical school

[Challenge]

What do you guys think I should do?
I'm looking for a job that gives great experiences for going to med school.
I got B.S. in health science (Dec99) but never had technical experience such as withdrawing blood or giving IV...etc. However, I worked as a physical therapy aide, intern,a voluteer and had great fitness experiences. I also need to make money because nobody supports me right now.
The interviewer for the hospital says that I should get CNA and working as CNA.
With my 4 years of studying I will only get $8 as opposed to some high school degree with no experience started as a clinical technician and make more money.(my friend) What should I do?? Should I just go head clean patients' sh**? I want to work using my knowledge that I learned in college and would like to learn some technical skills. Besides the interviewer told me that because I didn't even know the normal blood pressure, I have no basis whatsoever..
Huh..! I memorized it more than a year ago and I just fotgot about that. This is so revolting and discriminating.
Hospital should reveal their secret ways to employ workers. You know what they do?
You need to have great "hook-up" in order to work there. I'm pretty sure they take a bribe. F*** those stupid employment managers who not only even educated what they are doing but also being insolent.

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[Mango]

I know EXACTLY what you're talking about! I graduated from college in '98 with a BS in Bio and I was always planning on going to Med school. But I had the same problem as you-- no experience. Sure I'd shadowed MD's and volunteered, but that crap won't get you accepted! So I spent the entire summer after graduation trying (as you are) to find a GOOD job in the healthcare field to help me gain experience.

I quickly found out exactly what you did, there is very little you can do, other than the CNA thing. I live in a large city with like ten hospitals, and I found that one of them would train me themselves. That was nice since I didn't have to take a state-based CNA course. I will tell you though, whether you take the state course (usually taught at a community college) or are trained by the hospital, the class will be ridiculously easy for you! Yes, the people who work as Nurses Aides are not usually college grads like you and I. But actually a lot of them are nursing students.

Anyhow, I took the job, and was sure to tell the Human Resources office, and my manager that I was planning on going to Med school in a couple years. I though that I should warn them that I was planning to leave (that's only fair). Since I had no previous experience they put me on a general Medical/Surgical floor of the hospital. My job was less than glamorous, but priceless! I was paid a measly $9 an hour, and had to work 12 hour shifts. The job began at 7am, when I met my partner RN for the day, and our 6-10 patients that were assigned to us. I would take their vital signs every 4 hours, test their blood sugars as needed serve and sometimes feed them their three daily meals, and change their sheets. Yes, I had to help all of them take their daily baths, and when they were unable, I gave them a complete bath myself. When they were incontinent, I cleaned them up. I was taught to insert catheters, remove IV's and NG tubes, give tube feeding, take care of ventilated patients, suction tracheostomies and ET tubes, perform EKG's, and change many types of dressings (including wet to dry dressings on bed sores!), and when a patient died, I put them in their body bag. These things are hard, I will not lie to you. but in the 18 months that I worked on that floor, I learned more than you can ever imagine.

I learned how to take care of patients, I mean really take care of their needs. I learned medical terminology, and how a hospital works. I learned to take samples of everything from blood to urine, stool, and wound cultures. I was in the room when patients were taken off their ventilators and allowed to die, I was there when doctors did procedures, I was there when we rushed people to emergency surgery, and I was there to initiate CPR on my patients when they coded. I also learned the invaluable ability to work with nurses. They are SO important you can't imagine. They can be your biggest ally, or your strongest foe as an MD, if you only treat them the way the deserve to be treated. All of these things I learned in my position as the lowly Bedpan Jockey!

So, what was the result? Well, my GPA in college was less that stellar (3.3/4.0). My MCAT scores were high. But it was my job as a Nurses Aide that got me accepted to four Med schools this year. I wrote a great personal statement about my experiences when my first patient died and every single interviewer asked about it, and they were all extremely impressed! So if you can swing it financially, I encourage anybody who's interested in going to med school, but needs a boost to their resume, get a job at a hospital as a nurses aide. NOT at a nursing home, you will learn nothing there except that nursing homes are horrible. I hope this info helped you! Good Luck


[This message has been edited by Mango (edited March 31, 2001).]

 

[rangers1]

The most frusterating thing about being a BIO/science major is that is qualifies you to do absolutley NOTHING!!! I, too graduated a BIo Major in 1994. I wanted to go to medical school and was seeking some clinical experience. At the time, I was unaware that any clinical jobs were available to a BS in science until I began going to the Human Resource Depts. at local hospitals and looking at their job postings. Like the last guy to respond to your message, I got a job as a clinical practice assistant. I was trained by the hospital to do EKGs, phlebotomy, urinalysis etc. In this capacity, I worked with dozens of MDs who knew I wanted to go to medical school and provided endless advise and support, not to mention recommendations.

My advice would be to find an EMT training program in your area. This will provide some inportant clinical skills like vital sign assessment and CPR. This combined with your BS, and a little bluffing, could get you in the door of a hospital for job titles like, clinical assistant, nurses assistant, practice assistant,etc. You might do some administrative tasks such as appointment scheduling or managed care, but you would be suprised how valuable this can be.

It is a but frusterating be educated beyond most of your co-workers, many of whon will at most have associates in medical assisting or a high school diploma, but just accept it and learn all you can. It is now 6 years since I've graduated from college, but this great clinical experience has helped gain reach my goal. I start med school this fall.

Check the job listings and see what you find. The newspapers are tough. Go right to the hospitals themselves and call ALL THE TIME!!! Human Recources is a bulls#$% dept. in any industry and only serves to maintain its own existence. Push through the dopes and GOOD LUCK.

 

[ryanpj]

I am sooooo with everyone on the not being able to do anything with a BS in Bio. Luckily I started working as a CNA as soon as I graduated high school. Did that until my 2nd semester frosh year in college. Then got a job (after a lot of calling and pulling strings through my fraternity) as a rehab. tech, then I transfered into a position as a med-surg-tech. Yes you are as low as dirt in this position, but remember you are jumping through hoops and climbing a ladder to reach your goal. Also if those who are your co-workers (nurses, unit managers, etc.) had better treat you good, treat you like a human, and not take advantage of you, because they will if you let them. One day you can come back as a M.D. or D.O. and say "Do you remember....." Luckily through my job experience at the hospital I got a job as a IV Therapist this December when I graduated. It sucks because you still are not given enough responsibility and still have to be pushed around like feble minded fool, but it payed $13.

 

[doublelle]

My degree is in Exercise Physiology, not biology..and when I decided I wanted to go to medical school, the first thing I did was apply for ANY position at the hospital. The only thing I got called back for was to do admissions in the ER. I wasn't thrilled, but it turned out to be great because when we weren't busy up front..I was back watching the docs do all kinds of processes from suturing to inserting chest-tubes. I had to wait 6 months before I could transfer to another department within the hospital..and I transfered to the cardiopulmonary department where I am doing EKG's as well as working in the ER admissions area whenever they need some extra help. Now, since I have been working in cardiopulmonary, I have gained on-the-job training to do respiratory therapy and have since begun taking classes in that as well as keeping on working! The docs are great about letting me watch procedures once I tell them my plans. Of course, I am just a pee-on, so some treat me like crap. But it is awesome just to be there and witness what all goes on..and they DO remember you once you are there enough. Another thing I did was get my EMT license. It has given me chances to help out in the ER when they have traumas come in and are really busy. I can administer oxygen, do vitals..and all the other little stuff while the RN's and medics do more important things when there is alot going on. I am applying to medical school this summer and I have made sure everyone knows it..that way, they encourage me to get right in and help any way I can. I only make 7 bucks an hour...but I get to learn alot about pulmonary diagnostics with the respiratory therapy stuff...AND I don't have to wipe ANYONE's butt. So, just suggesting an alternative if you don't want to do CNA or something. No matter what...you MUST do something. The experience..and not just standing around shadowing..is vital!

 

[Challenge]

To everyone who gave me solutary advise.

Everytime I get this great sincere advise from any of you, I feel motivated and energetic. Before I read all of your experiences, I was thinking about applying to University Hospital and work as a project assistant or research assistant though this kind of job doesn't deal with patients.
And I got a call from a patient director and told me she will try to get me in this position as a clinical tech.
I got really mad about some stupid employment manager because she embarrassed me and discouraged me like a biatch.
So I decided not to take the job.
But after reading all of your messages, I truly learned what I really should do to reach my goal no matter how other people take my pride off and discourage what I do.
I will not be ashamed of what I do as a CNA or clinical tech. because this is a progress step to reach my goal to become a doctor.
Hope you understand my broken English.
(English is my 2nd language)
I'm proud of you all.
Thanks you all!!

 

[ryanpj]

clap, clap!

 

[Mango]

Good for you Challenge! I hope you find a great hospital job. It will really show Admissions Committees how serious you are about going to Med school!

Good Luck! Mango

[This message has been edited by Mango (edited March 31, 2001).]

 

[popoman]

sup sup
so can a freshman in college with no experience get the job as nurse's aid???


Challenge/noona
ahn yong ha sae yo..=)
noona..how do i get this job?

 

[ocean_doc]

"One day you can come back as a M.D. or D.O. and say," Do you remember...

I was an undegraduate pre-med student working as a psychiatric technician in a locked ward. Many times I have worked under nurses that were abusive and power hungry. I had many problems with some of them.

For the longest time I thought about how one day I would run into these nurses and they would see that I am a med student or a resident. I thought about how they would no longer see me as being powerless.

Eventually, I left the job to attend graduate school. My plan was to go to grad school before going to med school because I had a particular interest in one of the physical sciences.

In my grad program I experienced power hungry people. So, from here on I learned that no matter where you go and what you study, there will always be people that will abuse their power. It was at the end of my grad program that I stopped feeling the need to prove anything to the nurses I knew at my former work place.

During medical school, I saw some of them and I didn't care if they remembered me.

Also, I knew that by "showing off" I am only lowering myself to their levels and making my profession possibly look bad. I could have taken the opportunity to prove myself to them. But, the nurses could also have taken this attitude: "oh well, there goes another arrogant med student soon to be another arrogant doctor..."




[This message has been edited by ocean_doc (edited 05-03-2000).]

 

[ocean_doc]

I now see how important it is that not only a doctor must have people skills, nurses along with other health professionals should to.

[This message has been edited by ocean_doc (edited 05-03-2000).]

 

[ryanpj]

ocean doc I can see how I could have been mis-interpreted. I do not have any intentions on "showing off". I was implying that people think that you are less than a human being in those positions and that you are ignorant and will end being a "welfare junky" the rest of your life. How funny will it be when they are wrong. You do not have to flaunt, say, do, or act at all. It is being able to say to yourself that they were wrong and having a sense of accomplishment. "Turn the other cheek" I see nothing wrong in these feelings as long as that is not your motivation.

 

[reed0104]

Pysch tech is an awsome job if you want to see how you deal with real patients. There isn't any training per se, and you don't do ADL'S or a lot of cleaning up like a CNA. Either job is excellent experience, if you like steady physical work, be a CNA. If you like some drama and like to see some strange things, be a tech.

Good luck and try to learn from everybody, there are few people you will meet at a hospital that you can't take away something valuable from.

Bryan

 

[ocean_doc]

My position was actually called a "psychiatric assistant." Although, I did get to take vitals and do charting such as the (SOAP), I had to do ALOT of toileting, bathing and putting restraints on violent patients. In a locked ward many patients are not capable of toileting themselves.

 

[mermaid]

It all depends on the people you work with. I know several people who have had jobs (like a CNA) that don't let them do much more than bedpans, but they let everyone they worked with know their intentions of going to med school. Then they were allowed to watch procedures that they wouldn't have had the opportunity to see. Of course, the doctors and nurses they worked with had to be nice enough. Also, they had the opportunity for networking...(future shadow expreience?)

[This message has been edited by mermaid (edited 05-09-2000).]