Job prospects after undergrad

[MsBrain]

After I graduate from undergrad, I plan to work and apply to medical school. My degree will be in Psychology with a minor in chemistry. What are some jobs that you would suggest for me? I'm trying to find a job that is relevant to the medical or science profession that I would meet the qualifications for.

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[Awesome Sauceome]

hit up a head hunter if you have on in your area. I have had luck with one called "aerotek" both in Maryland and in Wisconsin

 

[kp11]

Try out scribing in emergency rooms. There are several national companies for scribes.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Lol a job with a bachelors right out of college? And a psychology major. From one psychology major to another, start applying for food stamps.

 

[touchpause13]

Direct support person at a psych inpatient facility

 

[NCOldie]

Touchpause13 has it. Try looking up "Psych Tech" or search for mental health facilities in your area and search the job boards. Also, try going to www.indeed.com and do a search for "psychology" or "bachelor psychology" and you should find posts for jobs searching for someone with a major in psychology. Seriously, there are MANY positions for psychology majors, at least in my area.
Being a scribe is also a good suggestion.

 

[hydrographer]

2 week CNA course = ED tech

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

I will actually second the scribe idea. That's solid

I will absolutely say don't get a cna. Seems like the holy grail but only like 1% end up with an awesome job

Most end up in nursing homes, which isn't horrible, but I'd imagine is not as good as a scribe and absolutely not as good as an ed tech. You need like 6-12 months minimum experience (from nursing homes) to get a decent hospital job. At least that's be true for myself and friends of mine

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[hydrographer]

true it's difficult to land a job in a hospital unless you know someone who already works there. if you do i would shoot for tech, you'll get way more hands on experience. i've been a tech on a med-surg unit since early fall and love it. ED tech is ideal though- way fewer code browns and diaper bombs to deal with.

 

[iTcanBdone]

Lol a job with a bachelors right out of college? And a psychology major. From one psychology major to another, start applying for food stamps.

I unfortunately have to cosign with this. Although I was a Bio/premed major with a minor in chem, the job market was awful after undergrad and took 4 months for me to find a job. I eventually ended up working in a chemistry lab as quality control (the minor in chem is actually good for something lol) and working at office depot.

My point is finding work is going to be hard in general so be open minded. I say look for research or lab work if you can.

 

[Ogmora]

Apply for FAFSA and go for a grad degree. Same money, less stress, looks good on app, chance to increase GPA, better schedule...I could go on.

Plus, a masters degree (in any field, but even in psych) will give you many more job opportunities than a bachelors in psych, especially if there comes a point in time where you need to reapply or you decide to take time off from applying.

If you need clinical experience, shadow or volunteer during your non-study time.

I worked while I was in my last semester of undergrad and then for about 6 months after I graduated. It was clinical work and I had my EMT cert which helped me get the job. All in all, I was beyond lucky finding this particular job. My advice? Unless you can find a job that you LOVE, it would probably be more beneficial to you and your app if you started another degree. Worst case, financially speaking, you get a part-time job to assist with loans.

I'm going for my masters now, so despite how much I enjoyed my job, loved my pay and would have liked to continue working, this is a much better decision for me. I have a relaxed lifestyle, nearly the same "income" from loans, I get to add an MS degree to my credentials and I get to prep for med school. Not to mention, travelling for interviews would have been difficult had I been on a schedule at work.

This would definitely be a good option too if you wanted to improve your app and get some great experience:

I say look for research or lab work if you can.

Just some input coming from a guy who was in similar shoes.

 

[SharkBaitOooAha]

I'm stuck working in a very primitive quality control lab for a small nutraceutical company with my bio degree. I don't think I've ever hated the words "alternative medicine" more. I live in a small town though so the options aren't great. Idk where you live but in my town we have people I know who went to school for psych work as psych techs in drug addiction treatment centers and their work is actually really interesting. Not sure if you have something like that in your area but just my .02

 

[EMDO2018]

Lol a job with a bachelors right out of college? And a psychology major. From one psychology major to another, start applying for food stamps.

So sad but so true

 

[Chillywilly]

So sad but so true

Lol real talk. If the OP had majored in chem, or biochem things would be different.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I'm stuck working in a very primitive quality control lab for a small nutraceutical company with my bio degree. I don't think I've ever hated the words "alternative medicine" more. I live in a small town though so the options aren't great. Idk where you live but in my town we have people I know who went to school for psych work as psych techs in drug addiction treatment centers and their work is actually really interesting. Not sure if you have something like that in your area but just my .02

I don't know about other areas of the country, but here in CA those jobs typically ask for 3-5 years experience. Psych job market is simply terrible after sorority girls decided it was the go-to major.

 

[SharkBaitOooAha]

I don't know about other areas of the country, but here in CA those jobs typically ask for 3-5 years experience. Psych job market is simply terrible after sorority girls decided it was the go-to major.

In rural towns people with a bachelors in anything are harder to come by hence these types of jobs are somewhat easier to get. It's location dependent.

 

[withoutlyrics]

Do you have any kind of research assistant experience? Usually involves IRB stuff/signing subjects up for studies/subject recruitment.

 

[MsBrain]

I don't know about other areas of the country, but here in CA those jobs typically ask for 3-5 years experience. Psych job market is simply terrible after sorority girls decided it was the go-to major.

That's actually offensive because I'm in a sorority. It just so happens that I enjoy psychology more than biology or chemistry. I like chemistry enough to minor in it, but not enough to consider it for a major. There are some really smart people in Greek organizations. Don't take all of us for granted.

 

[MsBrain]

Do you have any kind of research assistant experience? Usually involves IRB stuff/signing subjects up for studies/subject recruitment.

I worked as a research assistant for one of my psychology professors. It mainly involved data entry and database work. Also, I took a research psychology class in which I worked with a group of classmates to design a study and run our study with participants. We collected data and individually wrote manuscripts about our findings. At the end of the semester, we had to do a poster presentation for our research.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

That's actually offensive because I'm in a sorority. It just so happens that I enjoy psychology more than biology or chemistry. I like chemistry enough to minor in it, but not enough to consider it for a major. There are some really smart people in Greek organizations. Don't take all of us for granted.

I was in the Greek system too, so don't assume I'm saying this in a negative way. It's just the reality of what happened and why the degree is so under-valued now

 

[touchpause13]

Sorority girl as well. Ijs

 

[Biza]

I will third scribe, CNA or the like. I work as a surgical tech but that has more training attached. If you have a spare 18 months it is a great job. Interesting, fast paced and medical - perfect for advancing medical knowledge. In the surgical tech field you will be in the trenches and learn about all of the ins and outs of surgical care. I love it - but doubt I will head toward surgery. IM/Peds/FM for me but I think it will be a great base!

 

[withoutlyrics]

I worked as a research assistant for one of my psychology professors. It mainly involved data entry and database work. Also, I took a research psychology class in which I worked with a group of classmates to design a study and run our study with participants. We collected data and individually wrote manuscripts about our findings. At the end of the semester, we had to do a poster presentation for our research.

There you go. All of that needs to be on your resume if you apply for research assistant jobs. If you've done even minimal SAS/SPSS analysis, that needs to be on your resume, as well. You're usually better off with a real contact e-mail, rather than job applications, so whenever you see a posting with an e-mail, apply to that first.

There are also "teaching fellow" jobs.

 

[inasensegone]

After I graduate from undergrad, I plan to work and apply to medical school. My degree will be in Psychology with a minor in chemistry. What are some jobs that you would suggest for me? I'm trying to find a job that is relevant to the medical or science profession that I would meet the qualifications for.

I will actually second the scribe idea. That's solid

I will absolutely say don't get a cna. Seems like the holy grail but only like 1% end up with an awesome job

Most end up in nursing homes, which isn't horrible, but I'd imagine is not as good as a scribe and absolutely not as good as an ed tech. You need like 6-12 months minimum experience (from nursing homes) to get a decent hospital job. At least that's be true for myself and friends of mine

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I just thought I'd throw my 2 cents in here. If given the option, I would choose scribe over ED tech. You'll make less money as a scribe, and you won't be the one with as much direct patient contact, but you will learn at such a faster pace than a tech. Alongside of the doctor, you directly see patient care from obtaining a history all the way through to discharge/admission, and everything between. In addition to the wealth of knowledge you can gain from the medicine perspective, you also get to work with different doctors/providers and see different approaches to patient care (that is an understatement of the opportunity to be sure). Anyway, you won't get this as an ED tech. As an ED tech, you're mostly running around doing EKGs, assisting with patient transfers, splinting, etc. These are all good skills as well, but you can perfect these skills later in your career and they don't take long to do so. As a scribe you get to work more closely with the provider (and on more occasions) than you will likely be able to as even a medical student/resident.

 

[Mad Jack]

Depending on your state, you could try getting a job in DCF. I know a few people with bachelors in psych and sociology that went to work for them after school. The job obviously isn't the greatest, but it pays the bills and will expose you to many of the same social and psychological issues that you will be dealing with at the lower end of the SES spectrum in medicine.

Some community colleges hire tutors that have bachelor's degrees. Great job around here, the wages are good and the work is easy.

EMT would take you a bit of time to cert but could be worthwhile. In some states a full time course can be as short as 6-8 weeks. Afterward, if you live in a decent market it's pretty easy to land a paid job in the field. But this really varies. In rural areas, it's usually a volunteer position, while in suburban and urban markets, it's usually paid. Also opens up the door to working as a tech in the ED at many hospitals.

A lot of bigger schools will bring on people with a bachelor's degree for research associate positions that are paid. The local colleges probably have 20+ research associate positions listed at any given time, only requirement being a B.S.

Labs, such as Quest Diagnostics and whatnot, will often hire people with lab sciences experience.

Just some ideas. Good luck!

 

[Mad Jack]

Apply for FAFSA and go for a grad degree. Same money, less stress, looks good on app, chance to increase GPA, better schedule...I could go on.

Plus, a masters degree (in any field, but even in psych) will give you many more job opportunities than a bachelors in psych, especially if there comes a point in time where you need to reapply or you decide to take time off from applying.

If you need clinical experience, shadow or volunteer during your non-study time.

I worked while I was in my last semester of undergrad and then for about 6 months after I graduated. It was clinical work and I had my EMT cert which helped me get the job. All in all, I was beyond lucky finding this particular job. My advice? Unless you can find a job that you LOVE, it would probably be more beneficial to you and your app if you started another degree. Worst case, financially speaking, you get a part-time job to assist with loans.

I'm going for my masters now, so despite how much I enjoyed my job, loved my pay and would have liked to continue working, this is a much better decision for me. I have a relaxed lifestyle, nearly the same "income" from loans, I get to add an MS degree to my credentials and I get to prep for med school. Not to mention, travelling for interviews would have been difficult had I been on a schedule at work.

This would definitely be a good option too if you wanted to improve your app and get some great experience:


Just some input coming from a guy who was in similar shoes.

Taking on more debt for a master's degree you don't plan to utilize can be bad for many reasons. You're adding more debt to the already 300kish of med school. You could hit the lifetime loan caps and be pushed into the private loan market. If your app is already solid and doesn't need a lot of improvement, you could actually end up hurting it. If, for whatever reason, you end up not able to complete the M.S. degree on time, your acceptance could be rescinded or deferred, as most medical schools expect you to complete any current plans of study before matriculation. You're also probably going to have a more hectic interview circuit with graduate school versus a job with a flexible schedule. Plus you won't have a whole hell of a lot of money for flying out to interviews, etc.

Finally, you'd be missing out on a big chance to actually go out and experience the real world that exists outside academia for a year, to be an honest-to-god ordinary person that isn't a student and is dealing with non-academic erryday life. You miss a whole lot of the world when you exist test to test, paper to paper, living on loans and not working.

 

[Tri4thlete]

I just thought I'd throw my 2 cents in here. If given the option, I would choose scribe over ED tech. You'll make less money as a scribe, and you won't be the one with as much direct patient contact, but you will learn at such a faster pace than a tech. Alongside of the doctor, you directly see patient care from obtaining a history all the way through to discharge/admission, and everything between. In addition to the wealth of knowledge you can gain from the medicine perspective, you also get to work with different doctors/providers and see different approaches to patient care (that is an understatement of the opportunity to be sure). Anyway, you won't get this as an ED tech. As an ED tech, you're mostly running around doing EKGs, assisting with patient transfers, splinting, etc. These are all good skills as well, but you can perfect these skills later in your career and they don't take long to do so. As a scribe you get to work more closely with the provider (and on more occasions) than you will likely be able to as even a medical student/resident.

I can give my view from the ED Tech perspective. Now I haven't worked as a scribe, so I can't compare, but I'll put in my two cents as well. This also may vary depending on where you work. I've been working as a tech for 9 months (I work in the ED at Mayo Clinic) now and I literally do EVERYTHING, or so it seems. You assist with objectives including but not limited to obtaining a history, admitting patients to the floor, registering patients, and learning our tracker/software system. I work right alongside the doctors and nurses, helping them suture wounds, splint fractured limbs, spiking bags for IV fluids, CPR for cardiac arrest patients, etc. I have learned so much from being right in the middle of all the action. I can confidently say that I know the process of care for patients coming into the emergency room pretty well, from them arriving to them being discharged/admitted. In the ED, you have to work as a very tight knit team, so I feel very close to all the nurses and providers.

As a tech, I also get to see different approaches to patient care. Each nurse and provider (I work alongside MDs, DOs, NPs, PAs) has a different way of caring for their patients, and it's interesting watching each one work. The older doctors have a sometimes radically different approach to patient care than the young, newer docs, as well as the MDs compared to the DOs, PAs, etc. As a scribe though, you probably would work much closer with a particular provider, but I feel that as a tech I work with ALL the providers and nurses consistently. Overall, I have been happy working as a tech, the experience has been invaluable.

Shoot me a PM if you have any questions regarding ED tech or EMT type stuff. Good luck, it's a dog eat dog world out there!

 

[ForumUserX]

I've worked as a tech both a psych department and in the ED. Both have provide great patient contact and I have learned a lot from both positions. The psych position was easier to get without any experience but the medical exposure is somewhat limited. But as a psych major, you will probably get a lot more out of it than I did. Like Tri4thlete said, the ED has been a plethera of learning and opportunities to network with physicians in all different specialities.

As for training, the psych unit was the only inpatient department I found that only required the 75-hour CNA certification while the ED and all other floors usually require the 150-hour advanced course. Each of those can be done in 2 weeks through community colleges or private companies. I got my EMT to work in the ED which only took six weeks plus 48 hours of ride ride/clinic time. If you're interested in emergency medicine I would definitely suggest going the ed tech/emt route since it provides a lot more patient contact than a scribe and you'll learn a lot more. Overall, scribe seemed to be the most common thing I heard from the people I talked to at interviews. Good luck!

 

[petyr_baelish]

substitute teaching!

 

[XFireMedic]

I have been a paramedic for 12 years. I worked in the ER as a medic and quit to go scribe instead. I don't regret it for a single minute.

Being a tech gives you hands-on care, but it's usually just getting vitals, doing EKGs, and helping patients to the bathroom. You're basically just doing everything that the nurses don't want to or don't have time to. Even as a paramedic my scope of practice was extremely limited in the ED- I could start IVs and hang normal saline, but that was about it. The excitement wears off pretty quickly.

As a scribe I am learning something new every single day. I have learned about medical decision making and why to look for with certain complaints so I know the right questions to ask. I learn about why certain tests are ordered and what labs are appropriate and when. It's been a tremendous learning opportunity.

You won't go wrong with either job, but the learning opportunities as a scribe more than make up for the decrease in pay.