Clinical healthcare experience is one aspect of your medical school application that will show an admissions committee that you are committed to this field.
But what counts as healthcare experience and how can you get it?
What qualifies as clinical healthcare experience?
A good rule of thumb is if you are close enough to smell the patient, that counts as clinical healthcare experience. Getting experience working in healthcare shows medical school admissions committees that you are committed to the field and it gives you a chance to see if this is for you.
Having a good quality healthcare experience also helps your application stand out from the others. For more ways to stand out as a premed, check out this blog post!
Here are 5 entry-level jobs that premeds can do to get clinical healthcare experience!
Medical Scribe
Being a medical scribe is a popular job for premed college students. Some hospitals hire scribes while others go through a scribing agency. Medical scribes follow the physician around and take notes about the patient encounters.
As a medical scribe, you get to work closely with physicians. It’s like shadowing but you get paid!
Medical scribes also get very familiar with medical terminology, something that could give you an advantage in medical school.
Nursing Assistant
Working as a nursing assistant was my first clinical healthcare experience. I took an accelerating CNA class for 4 weeks and obtained my license.
I first worked in a rehab unit of an assisted living facility and then worked as a patient care technician in a step down care unit of a hospital.
Working as a nursing assistant is more hands-on than being a medical scribe, and you are able to provide care to patients/residents. Also while developing good bedside manner!
If you have your CNA license, look for jobs that require the license as they may be listed as a different title other than “nursing assistant.”
Phlebotomist
I currently work as a phlebotomist in my gap year! Some hospitals/clinics require a certification to work as a phlebotomist, but the clinic I work at did not and they taught me on the job how to draw blood.
I love working as a phlebotomist. I learn about different lab tests and what they could tell the doctor about the patient.
Venipuncture is also an invasive procedure that I get to perform 30-50 times a day!
As a phlebotomist, you also interact with patients through what can be a frightening experience for them. I have many patients who are children or have had negative experiences with blood draws in the past.
Talking them through the procedure and distracting them through small talk, helps the patient remain as calm as possible and allows me to do my job!
Check out my Instagram highlights, @medicineandmoscato, for a day in the life of a phlebotomist story!
Anesthesia Technician
Some hospitals hire anesthesia technicians who do not have a certification or associate’s degree.
An anesthesia technician sets up and takes down equipment used for anesthesia during a surgery. The anesthesia technician can also act as an assistant to the anesthesiologist by bringing them supplies during the surgery.
This is a great option for those interested in becoming an anesthesiologist or working in the OR! Watch out for the FTE for the job, it may be full time (1.0 FTE) which might not be the best option for a full time student.
EMT
An EMT, or emergency medical technician, works on an ambulance or in the emergency room.
EMT certification is similar to CNA certification, but you learn how to keep patients alive in emergency situations! Because of this, working as an EMT could be very stressful at times. But if you are interested in emergency medicine, this is the perfect job for you!
Working in the healthcare field as a premed is important for your medical school application and not something to overlook.
Getting comfortable working with patients early-on in your career in healthcare is important as well. It can be scary and intimidating in a patient-care role and one of these jobs is a good way to see if this is right for you!
Do you have any unique healthcare experiences? DM me on @medicineandmoscato and tell me about them! Don’t forget to click the share button below and share with your premed friends!
