Need experience to obtain experience...?

[wowabc7]

I'm a full-time undergrad student and I decided to go to PA school during my junior year. Before then I did not take any prereq or have any healthcare experience, so I have a lot to catch up. So when I went out to look for some jobs for the healthcare experiences, they usually asked for some prior experience in healthcare settings. But how are you supposed to get healthcare experience if the job that I'm applying for IS the healthcare experience I need?

[EMEDPA]

get an entry level certificate in healthcare like EMT, CNA, medical Asst., etc and do that for a year(2000 hrs or so) then consider applying. this is the route most folks take to becoming a pa.

[Timon]

Basically you're looking at jobs that are not hiring new grads. You're going to find a lot if that regardless of the certification. There's really only 7 ways to land your first gig..

 

1. Look for a job hiring new grads

2. Look at temp agencies

3. Network your way in

4. Walk straight to the hiring manager and have a 1 on 1 with them / make a good impression.

5. Volunteering your way in

6. Get your certification through the company that's going to hire you (like AMR for EMT or UCI Medical Center's Phlebotomy program and get a job at UCI medical center).

7. Get hired where you made a good impression during a clinical rotation.

 

Either way good luck!

[rev ronin]

Good list, but #3 should be #1 :-)

[Timon]

Ya thanks lol.. Didn't put them in any specific order. But you're right.

[Friction]

I think 3 and 5 go hand in hand, at least they did for me. I volunteered in the ED for seven months before I got hired on as a full time tech. Every 2 weeks I would go and visit the clinical manager and ask about jobs or potential vacancies. Sure it took awhile, but it paid off in the long run. I think it was also helpful that I asked the PAs/Docs lots of questions and asked to observe procedures whenever possible. The more people you can get to know on a first name basis the better chances you'll have. People noticed my work ethic and my level of interest, and, in a talkative environment like the ED, word will spread to the appropriate (hiring) people.

 

And for the love of God, if you do do clinical rotations for EMT/whatever, don't be that guy who sits at the nursing station or in the break room doing nothing. Yeah its scary and somewhat intimidating not knowing what you're doing, but doing nothing is a surefire way to guarantee yourself you never get a job at that facility. Jump in, ask questions, and observe how a healthcare team works. You're there to learn and everyone (should) understands that.

 

 

Or... just join the military reserves and get trained as a Corpsman/medic. Shouldn't have a problem after that.

[whoRyou]

Basically you're looking at jobs that are not hiring new grads. You're going to find a lot if that regardless of the certification. There's really only 7 ways to land your first gig..

 

1. Look for a job hiring new grads

2. Look at temp agencies

3. Network your way in

4. Walk straight to the hiring manager and have a 1 on 1 with them / make a good impression.

5. Volunteering your way in

6. Get your certification through the company that's going to hire you (like AMR for EMT or UCI Medical Center's Phlebotomy program and get a job at UCI medical center).

7. Get hired where you made a good impression during a clinical rotation. Either way good luck!

 

Good list, but #3 should be #1 :-)

Networking is one of the most important -- if not the most important -- activities that job-seekers need to master to be truly successful in your job-search. Because the vast majority of job openings are NEVER advertised, job-seekers need to have a network of contacts -- a career network -- that can provide support, information, and job leads. It is hard as you said no one wants to hire a newbie when there is so many others who do have experience. It is the old catch-22. "We can not hire you because you do not have the experience." (Hire me and I will ...) Then there is where you are too overqualified and recruiters/headhunters/employers will NOT hire you either because they think that they (a) can not afford you or (b) you will not stay ... Unfortunately of all the volunteering and networking I have ever done, it never landed me a health-care/medical position.

[wesr_gordon]

I'm a full-time undergrad student and I decided to go to PA school during my junior year. Before then I did not take any prereq or have any healthcare experience, so I have a lot to catch up. So when I went out to look for some jobs for the healthcare experiences, they usually asked for some prior experience in healthcare settings. But how are you supposed to get healthcare experience if the job that I'm applying for IS the healthcare experience I need?

 

Same shoes as you. Decided PA my fall semester of senior year. Had to take a year of prereqs after I graduated... After that I got my EMT, jobs are really hard to come by in my metro area so nothing is hiring. I volunteered at a hospital, got a medical scribe position that you need no prior healthcare experience for and there is talk from the hospital if I do it for a while being hired as an EMT. I'm going to apply to PA school with hours I get as a scribe and if it doesn't work out for me then I'll take them up on the EMT hospital gig.

 

Point being, it's steps, which is why the average age of PA students is mid-late 20's. They do value the experience.

[soad342]

I agree with the volunteering/networking. I volunteered at a local hospital in the HR department. After a while I asked what type of job they would hire an EMT for (I was about a month into my EMT course and told them I was just curious). Fast forward a month or so, I was given the opportunity to shadow a PA in the ED, and met a ton of staff members. The hiring manager told me to apply for the open ED Tech position (this was about a week before taking my EMT certif. exam). I passed the exam and was hired the next day as a tech with 0 experience. Just show people that you are eager to learn and work hard, everyone starts somewhere...

[nixietink]

Are there any physical therapy clinics around hiring PT aides? I had no healthcare experience, but was hired as an aide right after college graduation. It doesn't require any certifications and is all on the job training. In fact, my clinic hires with the assumption that this it is a short term position, and that you will be going on to a graduate level program in the medical field.

 

I get to work directly with patients for 90% of my shift, and really love it.