What should I do at this moment?

[dhruv8890]

Hey,

I'm new to these forums, so hi.. I wanted to get some advice from those of you who have made it through the field or are in the process of doing so.

I'm a freshman in college at Georgia Tech tryina get into med school. But I figure that those 3 or however many years in med school will only get me up to a certain level. And that might not be enough. I really want to sorta get into the field as soon as possible. Nothing special or important, just maybe be in the environment. Assistant or something similar..

I will be applying for volunteering next semester when I'm back. But I want to get more involved, maybe something like a medical assistant.

The problem with that is that I have almost none of the experience that is required for most of the positions I've encountered on ALLHC job search.

I would appreciate ANY advice or help.

Thank you,
Sincerely,
Dhruv

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[Acc1999]

I think the best advice that i can give is to focus on your work, in everything you do. Always ask how you can do it better, and how your passions allow you to make it a unique activity. For example, if you are going to volunteer, make sure you are learning from it. Then, take those learning experiences and ask yourself...can I make this better? Focus on the volunteer experience rather than things on the resume, and it will pay you back 100x on your resume. If you consistently chase things to pad it, you miss out on the really great ideas and really big needs, which means you don't create something as great, which gets reflected on your resume.

Work hard. Enjoy working hard. You won't regret it.

 

[AdmiralChz]

Find something you enjoy doing. I found EMS to be extremely rewarding and yielded unbelievable clinical experiences (it was what got me into the medical field to begin with!). But that is just an example - others will probably suggest research or some other volunteer experience.

My advice is to do something that you not only enjoy, but something you can mature and take on new responsibilites in. For example, being a medical assistant sounds like something you can grow in over time. As you become more comfortable, they might assign you new, larger responsibilities. On the other side, volunteering in the ER cleaning beds doesn't offer much of a chance for advancement!

Just suggestions, though. I wouldn't worry about it too much - good luck and don't hesitate to ask if you have any other questions!

 

[dhruv8890]

Thanks Admiral and ACC..

From what I got from your replies.. I should volunteer.. and see if it is something that suits me..

However, how would I go about getting that medical assistant job when it has the kinds of pre-requisites that I don't have? (such as experience in an office/medical environment etc)

Thank you,
Dhruv

 

[Revilla]

Being a medical assistant does require some education/experience. There are correspondence schools that will let you take some online classes to become a certified medical assistant. You should Google it. You could also look into nursing assistant programs. Your local Red Cross chapter should have training programs for that. It might be a good option.

 

[hedgehog1]

You should go talk to your pre-med office and see what suggestions they have for you. I'm sure they can direct you to opportunities near your college where other students with your same qualifications have worked.

(P.S. There are 4 years of med school.)