What job or licenses should/could I get?

[CardioThora]

What would be a good job or license I can get while being a premed? I've thought about being an EMT. What are some other options? What did you all do?

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[Welshman]

A drivers liscense is a pretty good one

 

[HybridEarth]

Have many classmates that were previous EMTs - you get to see a lot of things that end up related to something you'll see in a small group case. Makes it easier to contextualize some things. I'd personally recommend customer service or any job that requires you to interview or train people. That is an incredibly important skill to have that unfortunately many people don't begin learning until they're in med school. Great way to stand out. Just a thought.

 

[CardioThora]

So getting something like an LPN wouldn't be a good idea? i need something that pays well. Scribe isnt s**t but 10 an hour. I want to be saving money, as well as real clinical experience.

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

Become a licensed body piercer the ability to inflict pain on people for gains is a valuable skill in medicine.

Or just do phlebotomy.

 

[CardioThora]

Become a licensed body piercer the ability to inflict pain on people for gains is a valuable skill in medicine.

Or just do phlebotomy.

lmao. I thought of that too. but in fl they make about 10k less than lpn but at least I could get that license sooner

 

[Chris07]

So getting something like an LPN wouldn't be a good idea? i need something that pays well. Scribe isnt s**t but 10 an hour. I want to be saving money, as well as real clinical experience.

Getting an LPN would be a terrible decision IMO. Save yourself the time and money and volunteer in a hospital or be a CNA, scribe, EMT, or something like that. Getting a nursing license is way overkill and a waste of time if your end goal is medicine.

As an EMT myself I can say it was a great experience. Only do it if you are gong to make use of it. Investing in a cert like that without using it will do you no favors at admissions time. Only be an EMT if it truly interests you. You'll get ran into the ground, work weird hours, sit in an ambulance for 12+ hours, etc and only make minimum wage. Granted there are other things you can do like be an ER tech, but depending on your location those jobs may be competitive/few and far between. Where I am to even be considered for a tech job you need at least 6 months 911 experience.

Another thing to ask is "can I work this job and still do well in school?"

 

[DameJulie]

A drivers liscense is a pretty good one

Gotta put this on my EC if n<15.

 

[CardioThora]

Getting an LPN would be a terrible decision IMO. Save yourself the time and money and volunteer in a hospital or be a CNA, scribe, EMT, or something like that. Getting a nursing license is way overkill and a waste of time if your end goal is medicine.

As an EMT myself I can say it was a great experience. Only do it if you are gong to make use of it. Investing in a cert like that without using it will do you no favors at admissions time. Only be an EMT if it truly interests you. You'll get ran into the ground, work weird hours, sit in an ambulance for 12+ hours, etc and only make minimum wage. Granted there are other things you can do like be an ER tech, but depending on your location those jobs may be competitive/few and far between. Where I am to even be considered for a tech job you need at least 6 months 911 experience.

Another thing to ask is "can I work this job and still do well in school?"

yeah I was just thinking LPN is out of the question. I thought about EMT hard. I live in South Florida. But for me its about money as well as experience. That's really why I was even looking at LPN to begin with. I'm thinking of phlebotomy tech as well since the classes offered here aren't that long and I'm hearing its good direct patient contact. I've thought of CNA but its like everyones saying its BS nurses b*tch work. I just want something that pays better than a scribe (measly 10 an hour) but gives me good experience. I know I'd be able to find time to shadow and volunteer

 

[Chris07]

Phlebotomy I guess is fine but it's always a balance between pay vs experience.
What kind of value will phlebotomy experience get you? I'm not a phlebotomist, so I can't really be a judge as to the quality of the experience, however my impression is that your experience would be limited to a 4 minute visit and plentY of: "hi, mrs. smith, I'm John Doe from the lab and I'm going to be drawing some blood, ok?"

If you need better money to live, then by all means take the better paying job, but if you're trying to save up for school and you can live on the measly pay, then it might be worth sacrificing the better pay for the better experience.

I get you're trying to kill two birds with one stone but this problem doesn't seem to have an optimal solution. Volunteering in a hospital is always an option. It doesn't pay but you don't have to invest anything.

 

[DameJulie]

Not sure if this is helpful in admission, but I got a CPR certificate just from attending CPR lessons with a friend.

 

[CardioThora]

Phlebotomy I guess is fine but it's always a balance between pay vs experience.
What kind of value will phlebotomy experience get you? I'm not a phlebotomist, so I can't really be a judge as to the quality of the experience, however my impression is that your experience would be limited to a 4 minute visit and plentY of: "hi, mrs. smith, I'm John Doe from the lab and I'm going to be drawing some blood, ok?"

If you need better money to live, then by all means take the better paying job, but if you're trying to save up for school and you can live on the measly pay, then it might be worth sacrificing the better pay for the better experience.

I get you're trying to kill two birds with one stone but this problem doesn't seem to have an optimal solution. Volunteering in a hospital is always an option. It doesn't pay but you don't have to invest anything.

I just kind of searched through forums on here and some people were phlebotomist in hospitals, I don't know. I think I'll do it anyways just to have that certificate as a just in case (since its cheap as hell I spend more on BS) and I want to try working as a scribe, as well as Phlebot. and see what I prefer. Luckily, I researched all of this while im still a sophomore so theres time

 

[Mednight]

Scribe, Patient Transport, Clinical Aide, Medical Assistant, CNA/GNA, Phlebotomy, Surgical Technology, X-ray tech, ekg tech, MRI tech, CT tech, Rehab Aide, Certified Medicine Technician, and that's all I have for now.


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[CardioThora]

Scribe, Patient Transport, Clinical Aide, Medical Assistant, CNA/GNA, Phlebotomy, Surgical Technology, X-ray tech, ekg tech, MRI tech, CT tech, Rehab Aide, Certified Medicine Technician, and that's all I have for now.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

I know all of these but you realize a lot of those take more school. Like a year or more of school right lol

 

[fldoctorgirl]

I have an LPN license but I got it in high school where I went to a technical school that let you graduate with a license in a certain field-- I picked nursing because it was the closest to medicine.

However, I agree that it would probably be overkill to do unless you had the opportunity I had.

 

[Geo16]

Phlebotomy. Puncturing someone's vein makes you think twice thought about going to med school.
I seriously considered stopping it all.

 

[Dagrimsta1]

Phlebotomy. Puncturing someone's vein makes you think twice thought about going to med school.
I seriously considered stopping it all.

Is it weird that I get a wild thrill from it?

 

[BombsAway]

Phlebotomy. Puncturing someone's vein makes you think twice thought about going to med school.
I seriously considered stopping it all.

really? Thats how I feel about C.Diff.

 

[Mednight]

I know all of these but you realize a lot of those take more school. Like a year or more of school right lol

Transporting requires CPR, in most cases that only takes a few hours to obtain that certification. Scribing requires your passion for medicine and good typing skills. Also aiding in a rehab facility is a "last option" if you feel like you're not getting any clinical experiences. When doing that job you are actually helping patients with therapy under the supervision of the PT of course, that requires no experience just your passion for helping people.

I totally understand where your coming from, I don't recommend taking a medical assisting, phlebotomy, X-ray, CT tech class or any other class for you to become a tech due to it taking a while to acquire certifications, EXCEPT for a nursing tech (CNA/GNA). For your CNA/GNA certification, that can be obtained during your summers. It only takes about 4-13 weeks depending on if you take weekday or weekend classes. Mines takes 6 weeks and I'm going 4 days a week for about 6 hours. I'd also like to add that classes are at least $1000, but depending on your location your city may fund those classes and they may be free for you.

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[Medic741]

Paramedic. Take a year off before college make >$20/hr when you go to work during college while everyone else's is drinking pbr. Feel free to pm w questions. IMO this track is not taken enough

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

Paramedic. Take a year off before college make >$20/hr when you go to work during college while everyone else's is drinking pbr. Feel free to pm w questions. IMO this track is not taken enough

2 years for a job that is hard to find PT positions in? Not really the best career for college students imho and this is coming from an EMT.

 

[Medic741]

Nah 8 month training, and PT positions for medics are so easy to get all you need to do is walk in and say here's my cert.

Lol quit a job once and walking out the building made a call to another employer, said hey it's ___ I'm looking for a job, can I start next week? Also I need to make >$20/hr. They said yes absolutely and that was that.

Pt jobs easy to get, and scheduling is fantastic -- open shifts you pick up at your convenience. Work as much or little as you want/need to.

There's a huge deficiency in n medics in US, puts you in a great position. Also get to learn how to resuscitate with very very small teams, build solid leadership skills and critical thinking. I think it's a unique opportunity vm worth considering.

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

Nah 8 month training, and PT positions for medics are so easy to get all you need to do is walk in and say here's my cert.

Lol quit a job once and walking out the building made a call to another employer, said hey it's ___ I'm looking for a job, can I start next week? Also I need to make >$20/hr. They said yes absolutely and that was that.

Pt jobs easy to get, and scheduling is fantastic -- open shifts you pick up at your convenience. Work as much or little as you want/need to.

There's a huge deficiency in n medics in US, puts you in a great position. Also get to learn how to resuscitate with very very small teams, build solid leadership skills and critical thinking. I think it's a unique opportunity vm worth considering.

Wtf I thought all medic programs were 2 years. I guess 8 month ones are accelerated. Thats pretty cool.

 

[Medic741]

Wtf I thought all medic programs were 2 years. I guess 8 month ones are accelerated. Thats pretty cool.

Yeah it's not a very well known deal. Did medic school as a gap year.
Plus... during interviews you get to talk about
600 hours of clinical in-hospital experience learning directly from docs real skills like
RSI
Intubation/advanced airway management
Running codes

Then, docs get to see you manage complex patients while you practice, get to know you and you get some really special LORs.

So... advantage in clinical experience (beats saying I followed around doctor y and did nothing but watch for 40 hours...)

Advantages in LOR, e.g. ___ has performed multiple vent transports and complex resuscitations and I have observed he has __ >>>> __ is really good at following me around.

Might be worth the 8 mo of nontrad




Plus... anchors you into EM if that's what you want to do. Know a lot of residency directors and across the board for EM they prefer paramedics. It's like pre-rotation interviews while you're getting paid. Network into research -- meet the top dogs in your field of interest.

IMO for those reasons paramedic is a great opportunity for premed students

 

[CardioThora]

yeah EMTs dont make much here. paramedics do make more. Emts make basic, like im better off working as a bartender still. I'm going to look into the CNA classes. Its just that I heard with that i'd be most likely working in senior citizens home. I'd rather work in the hospital. But really anything that gets me more money and clinical experience is that way to go. I just dont wanna see a new opportunity and be like "crap I should've done that" I wish I wouldve went to a high school that let me get a certificate in something. Im jealous lol

 

[CardioThora]

Paramedic. Take a year off before college make >$20/hr when you go to work during college while everyone else's is drinking pbr. Feel free to pm w questions. IMO this track is not taken enough

sadly im already in college. So now I'm trying to figure out how to do it with my classes

 

[xXVoicesXx]

A drivers liscense is a pretty good one

Jeeze, I'm still working on that as a college senior