milkandcookies Posted March 4, 2013 Hi All, I was just wondering what sort of health care experience would qualify for "direct patient contact"? I really don't want to take more classes, spend more money, etc. Is there something out there that can qualify as HCE without going through all the classes and paying more money? Thank you.
cinntsp Posted March 4, 2013 There are a million threads on this subject. Browse through the pre-PA section or use the search feature.
jdobbs Posted March 5, 2013 There are a lot of tech positions that don't require formal training. ER tech would provide good overall general experience... especially if you are proactive in researching the conditions are procedures that you see on the job. I would stay away from being a general medicine/floor tech because you might just end up doing bed baths and wiping a$$
Timon Posted March 5, 2013 From the CASPA FAQs PATIENT CARE EXPERIENCE defined as experiences in which the applicant is directly responsible for a patient's care; for example: prescribing medication, performing procedures, directing a course of treatment, working on patients as an active EMT, etc. OTHER HEALTH CARE EXPERIENCE defined as roles in which the applicant is working in the health or a health-related field but is not directly responsible for a patient's care; for example, filling prescriptions, performing clerical work, delivering patient food, cleaning patient rooms, working as “candy-striper,” etc. HEALTH CARE SHADOWING hours spent shadowing (observing) a health care professional RESEARCH research work you performed OUTSIDE of work you received credit for on your academic transcripts COMMUNITY SERVICE volunteer work you have done OUTSIDE of the health field OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE jobs you have held OUTSIDE of the health field https://portal.caspaonline.org/applicants2013/instruction/work_volunteer.htm
lovinglifefully Posted March 6, 2013 There are a lot of tech positions that don't require formal training. ER tech would provide good overall general experience... especially if you are proactive in researching the conditions are procedures that you see on the job. I would stay away from being a general medicine/floor tech because you might just end up doing bed baths and wiping a$$ Almost all ER tech jobs now require some sort of cert: Usually EMT or along those lines. It's rare in my experience to get hired for an ER tech job w/o some kind of formal training.
Moderator EMEDPA Posted March 6, 2013 Moderator Almost all ER tech jobs now require some sort of cert: Usually EMT or along those lines. It's rare in my experience to get hired for an ER tech job w/o some kind of formal training. agree . most require emt or cna. some require both. when I did it 20+ years ago I needed emt and they trained me on the job to do everything an rn does except hang drips and foleys. this was in an age before iv pumps and pulse oximeters and many machines that go PING! so life was a lot easier. I actually used a hemoglobinometer in the dept and an ekg machine with a single suction cup that you moved around for all the V leads.
lovinglifefully Posted March 6, 2013 agree . most require emt or cna. some require both. when I did it 20+ years ago I needed emt and they trained me on the job to do everything an rn does except hang drips and foleys. this was in an age before iv pumps and pulse oximeters and many machines that go PING! so life was a lot easier. I actually used a hemoglobinometer in the dept and an ekg machine with a single suction cup that you moved around for all the V leads. EMEDPA you are right. Kaiser seems to always have postings for ER Techs, but they always want EMT or CNA or, as you say, both. Makes perfect sense to be honest. Rare a doc has the time to train someone anymore. Love your description of the ekg machine!
Moderator EMEDPA Posted March 6, 2013 Moderator Love your description of the ekg machine! we had to print each lead by itself, tear them off, then tape them in order to a piece of paper to make a standard 12 lead.
Corpsman2PA Posted March 7, 2013 we had to print each lead by itself, tear them off, then tape them in order to a piece of paper to make a standard 12 lead. Did you have to use a monaural wooden stethoscope too? :)
lovinglifefully Posted March 7, 2013 we had to print each lead by itself, tear them off, then tape them in order to a piece of paper to make a standard 12 lead. Ancient, :heheh:
sartort Posted March 7, 2013 I agree that you will have a difficult time finding anything without a current certificate. My EMT-B from the army expired when I was in undergrad and I couldn't find anywhere local that would even allow experience to count. HCE can be gained through volunteering and it can definitely be direct patient contact, but it likely won't be direct patient care which is probably what you are looking for. If you are trying to just not fork over the money you could look into military or volunteer fire department positions that will train you, but you will have to get some training. My medic training program where we were EMT certified had a guy who was national guard with a one year contract, although there was a little more going on overseas then so I don't know if that's an option anymore. Many programs don't care about HCE much or will allow non-patient care positions like scribe to count, so you could just change your focus of programs if you are really against having to train for a healthcare job.
Friction Posted March 7, 2013 I'd just suck it up and do an EMT/CNA fast track program honestly. If your dream is to be a PA, you have to understand a majority of schools require some type of paid, hand on experience. Obviously you should research each program you're interested in and find out what they want in terms of HCE. You could finish a fast track EMT/CNA course in 4-8 weeks. That's a relatively short period of time to reach your lifetime goal, if that's the case?
Will352ns Posted March 7, 2013 this was in an age before iv pumps and pulse oximeters and many machines that go PING! so life was a lot easier. I actually used a hemoglobinometer in the dept and an ekg machine with a single suction cup that you moved around for all the V leads. Ah, happy memories. One lead at a time....cutting edge. :=D:
mackjacks Posted March 7, 2013 Don't know what kind of timeframe you're in for wanting to apply, but if you have a few years you can probably find home health care jobs that will hire without a certificate, either through an agency or an individual looking to hire personally for themselves or a family member by searching Craigslist for "caregiver". Obviously if you do this, be careful (interview at a coffee shop, bring along a companion the first time you go to their home, etc). Agencies can expose you to more patients with different conditions. 1-2 years experience would help you get a hospital job or MA at a clinic. One thing to consider is that schools often have a scoring system they use on CASPA applications to decide who to interview. Having certificates gets you points, so taking a 3 week CNA course and getting basic CPR certified in 1 day can boost your score.
jdobbs Posted March 8, 2013 I guess it largely depends on the facility whether they require a cert of some sort. The ER's back home didn't require one
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