Where to start with "direct patient care" in San diego??

[lilypark51]

Hello,

 

I just graduated with Bachelor's in Biology at UCSD.

It has not been long since I've learned about PA and that I realized that this was what I do for my life.

But because I decided on this a little later than I should, I am lost.

 

I still have about a year sequence of prerequisite courses to fulfill and about 2000 hours of direct care ( I am thinking about getting a certificate @riverside community college-- considering the prerequisites, tuition, distance of the program, but where I go does not really matter as long as I can afford the tuition.)

 

I really wish to get a paid direct patient care job (because I am financially independent) but most of them I researched are either volunteering jobs or require certificate. Other than CCE (for it is only for 3months), do I have any other options? I also considered getting a certificate but I see they are all time consuming programs.

 

So my questions are:

is there a relatively short term certificates for direct care jobs?

or is there a paid direct care jobs that count towards PA requirements?

 

Thank you!

[Z PA-C]

Hi Lily. I am from San Diego and also graduated from UCSD and am starting PA school in May.

 

For my HCE I didnt get a certificate. I got a job as a back office medical assistant for most of my hours.

 

There are also physical therapy aide jobs, mental health assistant, or chiropractic assistant jobs that may work. Just look for them on craigslist.

 

You can of course get a cna, phlebotomy, or emt certification in a pretty short amount of time too.

 

Feel free to message me if you have other specific questions.

[ToppDog]

Agree with the above.  CNA is probably the shortest course you can take if you want to go through an official school.  But, you may not need to take it from a school if there are places that will train you on the job.  Not sure how that works in Ca, but it's worth checking out.  There is usually no shortage of CNA jobs.  All the other suggestions above are great too.  Some of them may take a little longer, but some of them are also considered better HCE, so it's a tradeoff.