33 y/o, non-trad, and recently did a career change. I will be taking math classes (potentially some english too) this year and will jump on science pre-reqs starting next fall. Is getting a CNA license (pay $$$$ for that license, take 3 courses in the summer) worth it to get direct patient care experience? I am very limited financially because I will be taking loans to pay off my expenses (I can't afford to "work" even though I have to, due to my poor undergrad gpa). It's been over 15 years since I went to school so it's taking some time to adjust to get back on my feet. I'm having zero luck finding MA jobs with no certification needed for smaller practices (tried for over a year). Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Tips on getting Direct Patient Care Exp?
- Thread starter syk529
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You don't need a certification at all. For med schools, you can volunteer in a clinical setting as a non-licensed person and that "counts" so long as you interact with patients face to face ( I think they say here that if you are close enough to smell the patient that counts) and at some point observe physicians and what they do (shadowing). You don't have to have experience actually providing clinical care like PA schools require more of. I have found the easiest place to start is usually volunteering in a local ED and then getting to know of other opportunities once you are tapped in somewhere.If you are limited with finances, just skip the certification stuff. It isn't necessary unless thats just a type of job you'd like to do.
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Also, you might want to try scribing. The positions don't require a certification and are good clinical exposure to what doctors do, although you are not providing any clinical care. Its an ok entry level kind of thing, but pay generally sucks.
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Scribing is the easiest job to get into with no certs, but like the poster above me said, pay is awful and you're gonna be treated like a traditional college student in an expendable job (with some exceptions, if you could snag one of the private practice ones that hire directly and not through a staffing company, you might experience a better environment). Since you're a nontrad, I cautiously assume you can probably get a better job than this to pay the bills. I would try for hospital volunteering. You can do one 4 hour shift a week and get 200 hours a year which will both get your hours where they need to be and show longevity, knocking out two birds with one stone. Medical schools don't care if you work in the field or not- they just want to see that you have exposure and are altruistic, both of which volunteering shows.
My advice: this process is stressful enough as it is without putting a financial burden on yourself by getting a poorly paying job if you can get a better one. Just volunteer at a hospital once a week and call it good since you have time before you apply.
My advice: this process is stressful enough as it is without putting a financial burden on yourself by getting a poorly paying job if you can get a better one. Just volunteer at a hospital once a week and call it good since you have time before you apply.
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Do you want a temporary job in the medical field, or are you simply wanting to fulfill the requirements? If you just need the hours, there is always plenty of hours available with hospice organizations and that definitely counts as clinical experience. I also was asked in just about every interview about it, more so even than my time as an Army medic.
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patient sitter or transporter
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Hospice patient family volunteer. A great opportunity for experience with patients and their family.
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