Mid life career change, looking towards medicine.

[wessidemike]

What is a good place in medicine to start for someone who has no medical background whatsoever. Right now i'm looking towards PA. I don't have a reason right now specifically for why I picked PA, other than it seems to align with my end goals. I really don't know much about it at this point.

 

A little about me: I just turned 33. I have a B.S from SDSU in Business. I despise the business world, lack of ethics, politics, shortsightedness etc. I am looking to go back to school to do something that really interests me. I shy'd away from most science classes during my first round of college, although, in hindsight those seemed to be the ones I enjoyed the most. I love science programs NOVA, NOVA Science Now ETC. I also like problem solving. I want to do something that brings value back to my community, I want to help people. 

So my soul searching begins. I'm looking to get my feet wet when it comes to healthcare. I have no medical experience, although I may or may-not still be CPR certified at this moment. That's the extent of my knowledge. I'm taking Chemistry I and Anatomy/Physiology this semester to see if science/medicine is even a fit. 
 

For someone like me, where would you recommend I start volunteering for/looking at to immerse myself in the healthcare experience, something that might also work towards the 1000-2000 hours needed for most PA schools? I'd prefer to get paid since my further education isn't going to be cheap, but volunteering is also an option over this next year. 

[DiggySRNA]

Hello!

You could start out volunteering in a hospital or clinic :D. I vote free clinic because they usually need the help and who knows, A PA could be there and offers to train you as a Medical Assistant. You could also try becoming EMT certified and work in the ER as an ER Tech. Both experiences are high quality HCE (health care experience).

[GreatChecko]

Depending on the region you are in, some volunteer fire departments may pay for EMT school. If they are low volume, I'd double up on that experience with a paid medical job, but they are usually great places to get some varied experience as well.

[SocialMedicine]

EMT education can be only a few hundred and sometimes paid for depending on where you work or volunteer. consider volunteer EMS. In my opiniion this is the best health care experience for someone in your position. Volunteering at a hospital does not provide any health care experience but may give you the opportunity of shadowing a PA and a letter of reference from a PA or MD. If I was in yoiur spot I would continue the day job ... start the pre req courses .... if in a year I scored well and was interested start looking at how to become a volunteer EMS. 

[Guest MedLib42]

I'd say volunteering in a hospital or clinic is great if you just want to start immersing yourself in a healthcare environment to see if it's right for you. I would also strongly recommend shadowing too - try several P.A.s and maybe throw in an M.D. or two as well. 

 

Keep in mind though that some schools won't accept volunteer work toward the healthcare experience requirement and require it to be paid, so if you prefer paid HCE anyway, you might start with a little volunteering in hospitals, clinics, or as an EMT (although that requires certification) to find out how you feel about the field, then start looking into paid positions as a CNA, EMT, ER tech, and/or MA. Plus, even if most schools want paid HCE, they still often require or strongly suggest having some volunteer hours separate of your HCE, so volunteering anywhere will still improve your app.

[Timon]

I was a career changer from business to PA. Got my BA in communications from CSUF and later a MBA. I was 31 when I made the career change with a wife, daughter and mortgage.

 

I approached it by gathering as many shadowing hours while I was taking prerequisites. Once I had a better understanding of everyone's role I spent 6 months getting all the fast certs I could get (EMT-B / Phlebotomy / EKG Tech). I did my EMT-B last and then right after took ACLS / PALS / NRP which are all 1 day certifications and landed an ER Tech role through networking as my first healthcare job.

 

I think what the best thing for you is to figure out what field within medicine you're interested in and get a relative certification to enter that area. If you're interested in working in primary care you should definitely consider getting your MA / Radiology Tech / RT / CNA / RN if you have time.

 

If you're like me and didn't have time then you can do the certs I did within a 3 month time frame. My EMT class was 4 weeks long, Phlebotomy was 2 months, EKG Tech was 4 weekends. I also took accelerated courses that were Sat/Sun only x 4 weekends which equaled 1 semester 4 unit course. So I took all of my prerequisites within 6 months as well. 

 

So the time frame for me was Took my first class in April (2011).. Finished my prerequisites in October (2011). Started phlebotomy in august (2011), EKG tech in January (2012), EMT in february/march (2012).

 

Got hired in April (2012) and started my ER Tech job in May (2012), PA school interviewed me in October (2012), accepted in PA school in November (2012). Started PA school July 2013. Will graduate November 2015. 

[SHU-CH]

The above suggestions are good. EMS is good experience because you really get to see bad situations and people at their worst.

 

I would also recommend that you have a heart-to-heart with some docs and PAs. All the things you despise about the business world are present in medicine in equal measure.

[LKPAC]

Many of us consider our careers in medicine to be a calling.  Do you share that feeling?  You said you were soul-searching, so consider this:  Medicine can be demanding, frustrating, and difficult.  It can also be very rewarding and joyous.  Check your soul for that calling.  If it is there, come join us.