Your activities can inform your career decisions, demonstrate your passion to work with patients and health care providers, and show your desire to help people. When you apply, it'll be important to fully describe your activities. So, I strongly suggest keeping a journal of your hours, activities and thoughts about the profession!
Health Care Experience
Most candidates begin learning about health care by volunteering in a hospital setting. Volunteers are sometimes hired and trained as unit secretaries or EEG/EKG technicians.
Some candidates find more opportunities to interact with patients/clients in health or social service agencies outside of a hospital setting:
Some possibilities beyond our immediate community:
As far as working in a health care setting, Johnson County Community College offers training for a lot of entry-level health professions, including certified nurse aid or home health aid, www.jccc.net/home/depts/1243/site, and some employers offer or reimburse for training.
The University Career Center, www.kucareerhawk.com, can help you put together a resume, and search for related work and internship opportunities.
You can find a position as a teacher or living assistant in a group home for people with developmental disabilities;
a home health care aid;
a phlebotomist in a blood or plasma donation center;
a receptionist, file clerk or medical assistant for a medical practice;
or as a counselor at a summer camp for children with diseases such as diabetes, cancer or muscular dystrophy - see the Special Needs Camps listing at www.campresource.com/camps/spec_needs_camps.cfm.
For a general listing of health providers in Lawrence, see www.lawrence.com/community/health.
Professional Exposure
Is your decision to enter the profession well-informed? Interviewing, shadowing and working with physicians will help you decide whether or not you truly want to join the profession. Ask them how they started, what they do, what they like about their jobs, what they dislike about their jobs, and what advice they have for someone interested in pursuing this career.
HIPAA regulations and liability concerns have made it tougher than it used to be to shadow physicians. Most people begin by interviewing their own physician, or use friend and family networks to arrange informational interviews and shadowing experiences. Volunteering or working in a health care setting can also set the occasion for these activities. And, sometimes shadowing grows into a longer-term mentoring connection.
Sample different specialties, not just the specialty you think you want to enter at this time.
To help you get started and make the most out of your shadowing opportunities, be sure to attend a KU Medical School's Primary Care Workshop, see www.kumc.edu/som/primarycareworkshop.html.
Social Service
Do you want to help people? Activities like feeding people who are hungry, building houses for people who are homeless, serving as a mentor for young people, and preserving and improving our communities and environment can demonstrate your concern and willingness to sacrifice for others. These may be especially compelling demonstrations of a compassionate nature, because they cannot be attributed solely to your interest in health care.
To find out more about local volunteer programs, you can contact:
Research Experience
Are you interested in science? Research can strengthen your candidacy, and extensive experience is crucial for admission to M.D./Ph.D. programs.
For more information about medical careers in science, look at www.aamc.org/students/considering/research.htm.
Part of medicine is applied science, and it's helpful to know how this knowledge is developed. Working on a research project is also a good way to earn a substantial recommendation letter from a faculty member who knows you well. Most students volunteer their help, some earn directed study credit, and a very few are paid for their assistance. Demonstrate your aptitude in basic science courses, then let faculty members know you are interested in conducting research.
For biological research, see www.kuub.ku.edu/~kuub/cgi-bin/uro.shtml. The folks in the main office, 2045 Haworth, have also helped students arrange summer internships.
If you're interested in doing research at the medical center, you can find some research interests and faculty contacts at www.kumc.edu/igpbs/index.html.
The University Career Center, 864-3624, will help you search and apply for summer research internships. You may want to begin your search at the National Institutes of Health, www.training.nih.gov/student/sip.
Other Activities
You can gain leadership and management experience by holding an officer position
in a student organization or a representative position in student or a living
group. See Involvement & Leadership
for more information. You can gain teaching experience by working as a tutor
or undergraduate teaching assistant. Study
abroad, military service, participating in sports, and/or supporting yourself
by working can also strengthen your candidacy.
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College Student Academic Services 1450 Jayhawk Boulevard Room 109 Strong Hall Lawrence, KS 66045-7535 (785) 864-3500 |
Paul J. Crosby Premedical Advisor pcrosby@ku.edu © 2008 The University of Kansas This file was updated 07/03/08 11:58 AM |