So, you’ve started researching what programs you want to apply for and you Google’d “how to get into ____ school.” It’s common to see many medical, physician assistant (PA), and other healthcare-related professional schools required a certain amount of direct patient care hours. Direct patient care hours are work or volunteering experiences where you were directly in contact with the patient. Be sure to note if your school of choice requires paid hours or simply volunteering hours.
If you’re reading this while you’re still in high school, try to obtain a technical degree. Many high schools now offer a career tech course, where students can choose to earn a technical degree of their choice. However, if you were like me and you *procrastinated* that option, maybe this list can help you.
Shadowing
Shadowing is an experience where you follow a professional to see what their day-to-day job is like. This is one of the most valuable experiences and hands-on experiences you can get while in college. Many colleges and universities may offer a course in which you can receive credit for shadowing. Many healthcare professionals are enthusiastic about students and are happy to take in students to mentor. Reach out in your community to find any professionals you’d like to find more about.
Typical qualifications: Being enrolled in a university/college with an interest in healthcare
Medical scribe
Medical scribes record doctors’ notes, recording the encounter on medical charts, and assisting the flow of patients through the clinic or department. There are online courses that will allow you to obtain a medical scribing certification, and many positions are willing to train-on-the-job. Medical scribing may not be considered direct patient care, so it is a good idea to double check with the school/programs you will be applying to.
Typical qualifications: High school diploma, some skill in computers or
Pharmacy technician
Many states will allow students to work as a pharmacy technician with simply with registration from their state’s Board of Pharmacy. No certification or courses are required. One thing to note about pharmacy technician is that some schools/programs do not consider pharmacy technician as direct patient care hours. Additionally, the type of duties that come with each pharmacy technician position may have different patient care exposure.
Typical qualifications: High school diploma
Medical assistant (MA)
Medical assistants have duties in scheduling appointments, managing records, billing, triaging, performing diagnostic tests, drawing blood, and taking labs. Although some employers will train medical assistants on-the-job, many employers only hire those that have medical assisting certifications or experience. These programs can range from 9-12 months or they can be online.
Typical qualifications: High school diploma, CPR certified, MA certification
Certified nursing assistant (CNA)
A CNA has duties in basic care and well-being of patients. They assist nurses, so their duties will vary with the nurses that they work with. Like MAs, some employers are willing to train on-the-job, and some employers will require CNA certification or training, which can be obtained through hospitals, online, high school tech programs, nursing homes, or the Red Cross. The requirements for CNA certification varies by state.
Typical qualifications: High school diploma, CPR certified, CNA certification
Patient care technician (PCA)
This position is very similar to CNA and MA work. Although some aspect or places may have more clerical work for PCAs, PCAs have functions in triaging patients, taking and assessing lab orders,
Typical qualifications: High school diploma, CPR certified
Behavioral aide
Duties of a behavioral aide include skills training, monitoring patients, and being able to administer basic care. Behavioral aides can work in nursing homes as they aid in taking care of geriatrics. This job offers on-the-job training.
Typical qualifications: High school diploma, CPR certified
Phlebotomy assistant & lab technician
Phlebotomy assistants draw blood and run labs. Most phlebotomy assisting jobs require certification and training, which can be obtained online or in a technical college in 4-6 weeks.
Typical qualifications: High school diploma, Phlebotomy assisting training/certification
Hospice aide
Hospice aides provide personal care in patient’s home environment. You can be privately hired or hired through a clinic. This job can require you to have a good driving record and reliable source of transportation, as you may be driving patients. Although having CNA or MA certification will improve your chances of being hired for this job, some employers do train on-the-job especially if you express your desire to work in the healthcare field in the future.
Typical qualifications: High school diploma, CPR certified
Clinical research coordinator
This job is perfect for the students who plan to take a gap year. A clinical research coordinator enrolls patients in clinical studies and research. Patient care duties include drawing blood, taking vitals, running and monitoring tests, and assessing patients’ symptoms throughout the clinical trials
Typical qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in science
Clinic volunteer
Many clinics and urgent cares need volunteers for duties like triaging patients. Additionally, in underserved areas, clinic volunteers play a very important role in triaging patients, assessing their symptoms, taking lab tests, and monitoring patients. Look for your local clinics and offices to find out any volunteering opportunities.
Typical qualifications: Being enrolled in a university/college with an interest in healthcare
Mission trips
I put this opportunity last because it can cost more to obtain direct patient care hours through a mission trip than other options. However, mission trips will allow you to rack up 150-200+ patient care hours in 1-2 weeks. On mission trips, students will be focusing on administering basic care, performing basic lab tests, taking vitals, and educating patients. On certain mission trips, there are rotations that students can go through and get exposure to different fields like medicine, dentistry, optometry, orthopedics, and many more.
Typical qualifications: Ability to spend time and money required for the mission trip, completing exotic-named vaccines
Begin your journey early, even if you don’t know exactly what you want to do yet. Odds are, your future outlooks will change based on your experience. Good luck!
Study Tea 