What Is/Was Your Former Career Before Medical/Other Health Professional School?

[QofQuimica]

Here is our June 2010 nontrad poll.

Please select the category that describes your former career. If you have already switched careers in the past, or if you were in an interdisciplinary field, you may select more than one option. If there is no category that is an exact match, please choose the closest category. Also, if you are willing to mentor other pre-health students coming from a similar career background to yours, please post in this thread so that others can contact you.

Finally, please read *all* choices before voting.

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[Simplify]

I'm sure you already know, but something is amiss!

 

[QofQuimica]

I'm sure you already know, but something is amiss!

Hold your horses there--I had to type in each option individually! Also, I wanted to come up with some examples for each category to make sure we pretty much had everything covered.

Speaking of which, folks, please read *all* of the choices before voting. It was bad enough that several of you forgot your correct ages last month, but I hope you can all remember your correct previous careers!

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I was a chemist prior to medical school. I'm willing to have other PhDs-to-MDs contact me.

 

[nabeel76]

Don't forget the IT disciplines.

Anyways, as for me I was a Computer Network Engineer.

 

[QofQuimica]

Don't forget the IT disciplines.

Anyways, as for me I was a Computer Network Engineer.

I would call you Computer Science. But I'll explicitly put IT on there as well.

 

[familyaerospace]

Some of us have had so many careers that it is hard to remember them all! I still missed checking business off. I think I was more worried about trying to remember the other gigs!

 

[QofQuimica]

Some of us have had so many careers that it is hard to remember them all! I still missed checking business off. I think I was more worried about trying to remember the other gigs!

I added a vote for business for you.

 

[familyaerospace]

Thanks.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

You have "paramedic" listed with "law."

I checked government for me since I was law enforcement with a state agency. Now, I've quit (nearly a month ago now) to return to life as a college kid doing premed-dom and working part-time with a local P.D.

sucks really

having given up what I did I wonder now if it was worth it and I say that because I really don't like chemistry again

 

[QofQuimica]

You have "paramedic" listed with "law."

Oops. That was supposed to be paralegal. Thanks.

I checked government for me since I was law enforcement with a state agency.

You could equally choose government or protective services. Or both.

having given up what I did I wonder now if it was worth it and I say that because I really don't like chemistry again

If it's any consolation, I didn't much enjoy gen chem either. I thought it was basically a glorified algebra class. But I absolutely loved organic. And in response to your other thread, physics I was kind of boring along the same lines as gen chem, only it was a glorified calculus class since I took physics with calc. But physics II was pretty cool, especially the quantum mechanics part.

Hang in there. Unfortunately, there is a lot of delayed gratification on the road to becoming a doctor.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

Oops. That was supposed to be paralegal. Thanks.


You could equally choose government or protective services. Or both.


If it's any consolation, I didn't much enjoy gen chem either. I thought it was basically a glorified algebra class. But I absolutely loved organic. And in response to your other thread, physics I was kind of boring along the same lines as gen chem, only it was a glorified calculus class since I took physics with calc. But physics II was pretty cool, especially the quantum mechanics part.

Hang in there. Unfortunately, there is a lot of delayed gratification on the road to becoming a doctor.

 

[ShyRem]

Oops. I messed up. I checked one line up. My bad. Change it to Allied Health please (paramedic). Or perhaps 1/2 for paramedic and 1/2 for firefighter?

My bad. Must need more champagne.

 

[plauto]

having given up what I did I wonder now if it was worth it and I say that because I really don't like chemistry again

hang in there, the beginning is always the worst part. It gets better as you go.
I still remember when exactly 4 years ago I started back with reviewing algebra and trigs on my own right before going back to school to take the prereqs. It was a regular high school math book, very humbling experience. Nothing big comes easy...

 

[QofQuimica]

Oops. I messed up. I checked one line up. My bad. Change it to Allied Health please (paramedic). Or perhaps 1/2 for paramedic and 1/2 for firefighter?

My bad. Must need more champagne.

That's an awful lot of celebrating going on at your place.

I fixed your vote and added an additional one for firefighter.

 

[ShyRem]

I dunno about celebrating - we're trying to eat and drink ourselves out of house and home before we move. And since I'm the only one who can drink (and likes to drink) champagne, I get the whole bottle for myself. My husband, OTOH, gets all the beer.

 

[NTF]

Couldn't find "Slacker" so I checked healthcare - PCA. Though I was also a researcher, HS teacher, bouncer, busboy...

 

[knightstale4]

I picked Management since I work in Student Affairs .

 

[DitchDoc73]

Why are EMT (Health Support) and Paramedic (Allied Health) under two different categories?

 

[mspeedwagon]

Any opinions on what "clinical research associate" would fit under. I'm debating between health support (though it's different from all those listed) and research (though it's not natural science research per se).

I normally list it under "Health care: Other" though that is not an option.

Here is the description: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_research_associate.

I'd be more than happy to talk to any one doing a similar role, but I doubt there are too many people out there.

Edit: Decided on health care support.

 

[QofQuimica]

Why are EMT (Health Support) and Paramedic (Allied Health) under two different categories?

I assume it's because of the difference in training levels, but I don't know. I'm not the one who made up these categories.

 

[DitchDoc73]

I assume it's because of the difference in training levels, but I don't know. I'm not the one who made up these categories.

I was just curious...Health care support makes it sound like these medical professionals do not give direct Pt care, which is not true of EMTs. I don't blame you for the list, but was curious for anothers insight!

 

[QofQuimica]

I was just curious...Health care support makes it sound like these medical professionals do not give direct Pt care, which is not true of EMTs. I don't blame you for the list, but was curious for anothers insight!

Medical assistants also have direct patient care, but they have less training than a nurse, just as EMTs have less training than a paramedic. That's why I think it's based on the level of training.

 

[SeanRyan]

Architecture and Engineering representing!

 

[Nasrudin]

Medical assistants also have direct patient care, but they have less training than a nurse, just as EMTs have less training than a paramedic. That's why I think it's based on the level of training.

I think the nomenclature is accurate if not ego-assuaging. I felt quite often as "supportive" as say a jock strap or a sport bra for others who were using their brains to control my hands and back by proxy. The enterprise could have been less hassle if it actually short circuited or bypassed my frontal cortex entirely.

I couldn't be happier to no longer being the support for the execution of the function of someone else. F@ck supporting. F@ck being a 35 y/o bat boy.

If it wasn't accurate I wouldn't be saying f@ck a lot.

 

[krs881]

I've been working in public health research. Would it be possible to add a category for biomedical/clinical/public health research?? Seems like in this group we should be a little more specific about the various type of jobs in the larger health and science field. Thanks!

 

[Piper84]

Another engineer here!

 

[Simplify]

I find it interesting how many people are switching from IT.

+1 here.

 

[UNMorBUST]

Im a Mail Man now, but my plan is to quit as soon as i can and move in with my parents and finish school strong.

 

[momofj]

Seamstress (not sure where that falls so didn't check anything for it), Retail manager, ED EMT/clerk, ,mother extraordinaire; counted a vote as child care...I care a lot, for lots of little buggers!!!

Oh almost forgot I worked as a paralegal for a while too! didn't vote on that either...sorry Q

 

[EdLongshanks]

I find it interesting how many people are switching from IT.

+1 here.

I noticed that. I wonder if we all see our profession being transferred offshore and that is one of the motivators for career shift.

 

[Geekchick921]

My bachelor's degree is in theatre, but I have worked various hospital clerical jobs since graduation while I was taking my pre-reqs and whatnot.

 

[Coal]

I would love to see an "other" option because you just can't capture them all, and trust me, my past-career doesn't fit into a box on any form!

 

[QofQuimica]

I would love to see an "other" option because you just can't capture them all, and trust me, my past-career doesn't fit into a box on any form!

Nope, no other. Other tells us nothing; the whole point is to force people to make a choice. If you don't see your exact thing listed, pick the closest one and go from there. Or just post what it is.

For the person who was doing public health research, I would call that science research. I'll edit it to include clinical/public health research for you.

Momofj, I added a vote for paralegal for you.

 

[NontradatBeach]

I worked for a long time in search engine marketing and software development, but my last job was running an interactive ad agency.. so I marked "Management/Executive?"

 

[deleted158872]

Allied Health Care (Nursing, Pharmacy, Paramedic, Other Medical Field)

 

[Eccesignum]

I'm a 3-for-1 *cough*

I was a professional stage manager (acted on the side), then a teacher, now a registered nurse and EMT-A.

...man, I feel old.

 

[shannonigans]

Licensed cosmetologist and social media strategist/account manager. I currently do digital marketing to help pay the bills!

 

[BorntobeDO?]

No mechanics or welders? Well now I know where the shortage is! And I didn't even have to goto college for it (well maybe technical). No surprise Allied Health is the largest. Now I feel less special. I should have been a Park Ranger instead of a nurse!