Pre-Med Student Looking for a part time job in healthcare

[chrisf7262]

I am currently a post-bacc pre-med student looking for a part time job to earn some cash. I need the money desperately, and want to stick to a job that is within my field of study. I am currently enrolled in a hospital volunteer position at UCLA in the recovery room, which has been an amazing experience thus far. I currently applied for a few positions in various hospital ER's where I would be taking patient records/histories, but am waiting to hear back and have been told they may not be hiring until next summer. I would love to somehow work in the hospital or shadow a physician, but I know these things are difficult for students to attain. Any suggestions on good pre-health jobs in the greater Los Angeles area where I could start right away that do not require any special certifications (EMT,EKG tech, etc.)? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

[justdoit31]

No clue about the LA area but in Atlanta you can be a patient care tech without a previous certification... online it says for nursing students, CNA, etc but I know a ton of people who have applied and gotten hired- I would discuss this possibility with the hospitals- in my experience the Children's hospital and smaller local hospitals are most receptive (though I don't work there- I just volunteer and work closer to home)

 

[utjsm08]

I just got a job as a Phlebotomist. They train you from the beginning. Check it out!!!

 

[shaggybill]

I just got a job as a Phlebotomist. They train you from the beginning. Check it out!!!

I think this varies hospital to hospital, or maybe state to state. For instance, all of the hospitals around here require that you be previously trained in phlebotomy before they'll hire you on.

To the OP, hospital jobs in general are hard to land because they are well advertised and pay well. And unless you already have contacts within the hospital who are in upper management, you'll be dealing with HR when you apply instead of the department directors. This means your smiles and good manners go unnoticed when you turn in that application.

I have a great job in the ER, but the only reason I was interviewed was because a good friend of mine knew the assistant director of the ER. Otherwise, my application probably would have been lost in the pile of apps that HR haphazardly sifted though when looking for "qualified" individuals.

 

[CourageKid]

Being a PCA (i.e taking care of physically or mentally disabled individuals) does not necessarily require certification and can be done in a residence or group home setting vs. a hospital.

As hokey as this might sound, there are many jobs like this available on craigslist. It might take a bit of training, but adults who are used to breaking in new caretakers are usually very good at talking you through how to take care of them.

 

[shaggybill]

You could also look at a CNA. You can test out of taking the class, and a monkey can pass the state exams. I took 3 practice exams and scored between 95-100 on all of them without even cracking a book. It's mostly just common sense. With a CNA, you can get all kinds of good hospital jobs.

 

[halekulani]

good luck being a phlebotomist in LA

the common complaint is that certified phlebotomists won't get hired because they have no experience and have trouble getting experience even at free volunteer clinics.