Medical - Summer Work

[8bucks 6,118]

My daughter is finishing HS and will be headed off to college this fall to study on a premed/physicians assistant course of study. Any of you who work in the medical field have a recommendation for where she might be able to find summer work in a medical field?  Currently she only has her High School diploma but is a straight A student with a lot of drive and would prefer to start working in that field now (even if just a paper pusher) vs waiting tables.  

If you have any suggestions for this summer (indy area) or even after she gets a year or 2 of college in let me know.  

Thanks!

[Home Jersey 5,315]

5 hours ago, 8bucks said:

My daughter is finishing HS and will be headed off to college this fall to study on a premed/physicians assistant course of study. Any of you who work in the medical field have a recommendation for where she might be able to find summer work in a medical field?  Currently she only has her High School diploma but is a straight A student with a lot of drive and would prefer to start working in that field now (even if just a paper pusher) vs waiting tables.  

If you have any suggestions for this summer (indy area) or even after she gets a year or 2 of college in let me know.  

Thanks!

Are you in the Bloomington area? If so, Cook Medical comes to mind. https://www.cookmedical.com/ From their site:

"There are common themes across every medical specialty we support: patients who want to get better and doctors who want simpler, more effective options. That is why we work hard to invent, manufacture, and deliver a unique portfolio of minimally invasive medical devices to healthcare systems around the world."

it is a competitive process for their internships, but I think I recall them having a program for high school students/being open to giving them hourly/part time roles that are very much about learning... this was c.2012-14 though, so take with a grain of salt. 

If its not in the Bloomington area... sorry, no clue! 

[HinnyHoosier 4,342]

Have her look at any hospital for work as a patient care assistant/tech. Some places may require a CNA certification for this but many just require the new hire to complete in-house training. She’ll get lots of direct patient care and exposure to the nursing role.

I’m a PA. Learning to work with patients and developing the interpersonal skill set across different demographics will be immensely helpful for her as a provider. The medical part will come with her education over time, but handling interactions in various scenarios is key.


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Edited June 7, 2023 by HinnyHoosier

[Dave from Dayton 2,582]

I second what HH just posted.  Distant family member just entered the job market as patient care assistant or some such here in Dayton OH.  Entry level position...at a large hospital. Not even sure if she has HS diploma...or much work experience. Flexible hours...

I also have heard that assisted living areas are seeking workers.

Health insurance companies are also seeking workers.  Doctor's offices and dental care offices are looking for summer receptionists...possibly.

Good luck.

[8bucks 6,118]

She contacted some of the Athletico facilities and that is a definite possibility but with her summer schedule, our move to FL her availability was limited this year.  She spent enough time in Athletico rehabbing soccer injuries so even though she would not work directly in the rehab she would be around those doing that.  Just need to check in with them earlier next spring

[BtownStrength 993]

I work in medical field in Southern Indiana. If she likes fast paced, ER tech at a local hospital will give her good access to health careers such as physician or PA. 

[8bucks 6,118]

1 minute ago, BtownStrength said:

I work in medical field in Southern Indiana. If she likes fast paced, ER tech at a local hospital will give her good access to health careers such as physician or PA. 

That is what she wants to do. Be a ER doc or PA. Just starting college now. Can she get a summer job like that at her age and lack of experience?

[BtownStrength 993]

Yes 100%. In our ER almost all of the techs are taking university classes. Might be different based on your location but definitely worth a try. 

[HoosierHoopster 6,039]

Not related to your question, but is your daughter (and are you) ready for first semester freshman “weed out?”
My daughter is pre-med at Vanderbilt, we didn’t know that most colleges have a weed out philosophy/ program for pre-med students. It’s not like it’s announced or stated anywhere, but it’s pretty standard, the profs deliberately score everyone low, make the coursework extremely demanding, generally put the student under as much stress as possible, and reserve fewer class spots than students for second semester— they will weed kids out of pre-med before second semester often at fairly high numbers. 
My daughter made it through (and ended up doing very well), but she was under extreme stress and a number of her friends were weeded out, told to find new majors. She went to boarding school before college and had more exposure to that kind of demanding workload and stress — you guys may already know about and be ready for it, just want to make sure you know how extreme it can be, it’s very, very hard — if they do this weed out BS she’s probably going to need your support (even is she’s a tough kid).
The plus side is if/when she makes it through second semester is much easier.

[8bucks 6,118]

1 hour ago, HoosierHoopster said:

Not related to your question, but is your daughter (and are you) ready for first semester freshman “weed out?”
My daughter is pre-med at Vanderbilt, we didn’t know that most colleges have a weed out philosophy/ program for pre-med students. It’s not like it’s announced or stated anywhere, but it’s pretty standard, the profs deliberately score everyone low, make the coursework extremely demanding, generally put the student under as much stress as possible, and reserve fewer class spots than students for second semester— they will weed kids out of pre-med before second semester often at fairly high numbers. 
My daughter made it through (and ended up doing very well), but she was under extreme stress and a number of her friends were weeded out, told to find new majors. She went to boarding school before college and had more exposure to that kind of demanding workload and stress — you guys may already know about and be ready for it, just want to make sure you know how extreme it can be, it’s very, very hard — if they do this weed out BS she’s probably going to need your support (even is she’s a tough kid).
The plus side is if/when she makes it through second semester is much easier.

Thanks for the warning, does this happen with undergraduates?  My daughter will be playing soccer in the fall as well so that may limit her time. Most of the athletes we talked said they did better grade wise when in season though. 

[HoosierHoopster 6,039]

3 hours ago, 8bucks said:

Thanks for the warning, does this happen with undergraduates?  My daughter will be playing soccer in the fall as well so that may limit her time. Most of the athletes we talked said they did better grade wise when in season though. 

Yes, undergrad freshmen year first semester— but if she’s on scholly or otherwise playing on the U’s soccer team I would think they’ll have her well supported—

[8bucks 6,118]

8 hours ago, HoosierHoopster said:

Yes, undergrad freshmen year first semester— but if she’s on scholly or otherwise playing on the U’s soccer team I would think they’ll have her well supported—

I appreciate the heads up and will make sure she is aware.  She chose a smaller school that had a very high % of graduates getting admitted to med school but did not think about the weed out approach.  Definitely something she will want to be aware of though and not fall behind.

[HoosierHoopster 6,039]

9 minutes ago, 8bucks said:

I appreciate the heads up and will make sure she is aware.  She chose a smaller school that had a very high % of graduates getting admitted to med school but did not think about the weed out approach.  Definitely something she will want to be aware of though and not fall behind.

Going in knowing about weed-out policies is definitely a good thing, if she’s getting hit hard early with lower grades and a crazy workload she can know just to keep pushing through and not sweat it as much. I personally think such weed-out policies are stupid, these are kids making the transition from HS to college and it’s first semester, but the idea behind it is med school is extremely rigorous and they want doctors who can handle heavy stress and adapt. So knowing going in helps - then she can enjoy second semester! 

[OliviaPope40 6,296]

One of the companies I worked for is always looking for MA or PA's.