learning about medical careers - teen

[EmilyGF]

Hi everyone,

DD-almost-16 recently took YouScience and it came up with all sorts of medical fields as best fits for her. The careers ranged from "Genetic Counselor" or "Nursing Instructor" to "Exercise Physiologist" and "OB-Gyn". It had never crossed my mind before for her to go into some sort of medicine, but it made perfect sense once she took the test. She's very outgoing and personable, as well as science-loving and sharp as a tack. She would be miserable as a scientist, though, and I had her take the YouScience test after I realized she was telling people she wanted to be a chemist.

I'd like to help DD find some ways to explore these fields and build up some extracurriculars. My first thought was for her to volunteer at the local hospital, but they aren't taking any new volunteers due to COVID (though the ones that would be a bear to commute to are.... grrr). 

Any other ideas of how to explore medical fields and build her resume?

Should I cross post this on Chat?

Thanks, Emily

[Farrar]

I would definitely have her find an activity where she's medical adjacent to see if she likes it. Hospital volunteer jobs are the best option, but maybe she can find a doctor to shadow for a day? Sometimes students interested in medicine do more general helping people volunteering in whatever context, other times they do more general biology related activities like Science Olympiad, working with animals, citizen science projects, etc.

Anatomy and physiology and a strong chemistry sequence in high school so she shows off her interest and is well-prepared for college work.

Just be aware that nursing is super competitive for undergrad. Even colleges you see where you're like, oh, that school is so easy to get into may be taking 90% of students for everything else and like 20% for nursing. Yes, we need more nurses, but also, there's a limited number of programs and teachers and career paths to get in. For pre-nursing or pre-med, that's more open for undergrad and then the harder acceptance is for grad school. If she's interested in staying in state for university, that can make it a bit easier for med school. Larger schools aren't always better for pre-med. Many smaller schools do a great job of getting young people prepared and placed in med school. Students interested in pre-nursing or pre-med don't have to major in biology. Any major as long as they get their requirements done. And it's important to get to know the professors who taught those classes as well so down the line, go to office hours for bio.

 

[Frances]

I don’t know if your local hospital has this, but ours actually has a career exploration program tailored to different levels (eg high school, college, adult, etc). My husband used it when he was considering a career change.

Do you live near your state medical school? Ours has all sorts of different programs for high school students, although most are targeted to minority and underrepresented students. My son did one that wasn’t that was amazing. During his junior year of high school, he took a wonderful semester long class about science research and in addition to reading and discussing lots of journal articles and a personal memoir written by the prof (his personal and professional experience with Parkinson’s disease) each week different researchers from throughout the medical university came in and gave an overview of their work. Then students chose a mentor from those presenters and with their assistance, wrote a detailed research proposal. Then the majority of students got to spend the summer actually carrying out the research in their proposal at the university. It was a phenomenal experience for my son and completely free.

In general for the particular program my son did, students were nominated by their high school guidance counselor. But I found out about it online, asked if they would accept homeschoolers, and they let him apply. Since then, I know several other homeschoolers who participated.

Hospice and assisted living facilities are often looking for volunteers or sometimes even staff with a CNA degree. Many volunteer fire/EMT programs in rural areas or smaller towns have ways for youth to get involved and acquire training.

She likely wouldn’t qualify until age 18, but my son has participated in our state volunteer long term care ombudsman program for the last four years, even after he turned down all of his medical school acceptances. He has a passion for the elderly and was appalled by what he saw and experienced when working in a memory care facility the summer before college. Most state programs are in desperate need of volunteers, as Covid really decimated the ranks of primarily retired volunteers. He received extensive training that is ongoing and really feels like he makes a difference in the lives of some of his residents.

https://ltcombudsman.org/omb_support/volunteer

Edited October 12, 2022 by Frances

[EmilyGF]

Thanks, @Frances. I put in some of the search terms you recommended and found some promising programs she can apply to. Thanks for the pointers!

It also sounds like your son has done some amazing things. That's awesome!

 

 

[kbutton]

I would maybe reach out to local or regional hospitals to see if you can interview or ask questions of someone in roles she's interested in. Sometimes shadowing is a lot for the HCW to take on if the person shadowing is just "interested" due to being super busy at work--DH, for instance, doesn't get breaks or meal times except where he can squeeze them in, and he is measured on productivity. 

Our local children's hospital publishes e-mail addresses for tons of specialties departments and specialists, and I wouldn't be surprised if a student could ask a few questions that way and establish a relationship. 

I heard about this through my son's school: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/education/center-for-youth-and-college-education/connected-career-rounds

Here is the actual schedule: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/education/center-for-youth-and-college-education/connected-career-rounds#schedule-tab

Quote

Schedule 2022-2023

Please note that caregiver availability can sometimes change at the last moment, so there may be slight variations in the careers being represented. Additionally, recruitment is ongoing, so more caregivers may be added over time.

Bad Blood: The Surgical Team That Wants to Save a Dying Leg

Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022, from 1 – 2 p.m. (EST)

• Featured Careers: vascular surgeon (MD), surgical tech, registered nurse, medical assistant, ultrasound tech, cath lab tech
• Session Description: A vascular surgery team walks us through how they treat the dying leg of someone with peripheral arterial disease, which can impact people with diabetes and those who smoke.
• Available On-Demand: Oct. 11, 2022

Essential Support: Non-Clinical Caregivers

Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, from 1 – 2 p.m. (EST)

• Featured Careers: environmental services, patient transport, data analytics, sterile processing
• Session Description: A hospital is much more than doctors and nurses. There are many caregivers who do not treat patients but have essential roles to keep things running smoothly. These caregivers will be the focus of this session.
• Available On-Demand: Oct. 25, 2022

Diabetes and Those Who Treat It

Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, from 1 – 2 p.m. (EST)

• Featured Careers: registered nurse, medical assistant, dialysis technician
• Session Description: Diabetes is a prevalent and complex health condition. A team of caregivers who specialize in education, management and treatment will talk about the condition as well as their personal roles.
• Available On-Demand: Nov. 8, 2022

Pharmacy: Not Just Pills

Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, from 1 – 2 p.m. (EST)

• Featured Careers: inpatient pharmacist, outpatient pharmacist, pharmacy tech
• Session Description: There is a lot more to pharmacy than what you see behind the counter. A group of pharmacists with different roles will describe what they do and how other caregivers take part in the field of pharmacy.
• Available On-Demand: Nov. 22, 2022

When Life Takes Us Down: The Emergency Room

Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, from 1 – 2 p.m. (EST)

• Featured Careers: emergency room physician, registered nurse, EMS coordinator, EMT
• Session Description: When in distress, we rush to the ER. An emergency room team will explain how each member plays an important role in addressing urgent matters and the types of care they provide in clutch situations.
• Available On-Demand: Dec. 6, 2022

Meet Me in the OR: A Trip to the Operating Room

Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, from 1 – 2 p.m. (EST)

• Featured Careers: surgical tech, certified anesthesiologist assistant, registered nurse, health unit coordinator, surgical assistant, support service surgical tech, radiologic technician, sterile processing technician, medical laboratory scientist, nurse manager
• Session Description: Surgery is complicated! We all know about surgeons, but a successful operation requires collaboration among many caregivers. This session will showcase some of the many roles of a surgical team.
• Available On-Demand: Dec. 20, 2022

What Happens When You Vape?

Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, from 1 – 2 p.m. (EST)

• Featured Careers: pediatric pulmonologist (MD), respiratory therapist, health educator
• Session Description: Vaping is a relatively new phenomenon, and we’re still learning about its health effects. In this session, a pediatric pulmonologist who publishes on vaping will cover what we do know, and a care team will discuss their roles in treating patients with complications from vaping.
• Available On-Demand: Jan. 17, 2023

Follow Your Heart: Working in Cardiology

Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2022, from 1 – 2 p.m. (EST)

• Featured Careers: cardiothoracic surgeon (MD), physician assistant, cardiovascular perfusionist
• Session Description: Your heart is extremely important, so what happens when something is wrong with it? A cardiology team will share what they do and how they keep this vital organ working to its full potential.
• Available On-Demand: Jan. 31, 2023

Focusing on the Small Stuff: The Pathology Lab

Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, from 1 – 2 p.m. (EST)

• Featured Careers: lab administration, phlebotomist, cytotechnologist
• Session Description: Every time someone draws your blood, checks your cholesterol or runs a number of other tests, a pathology lab is involved. In this session, caregivers working in the collection and analysis of these lab specimens will give us a close-up look at what they do.
• Available On-Demand: Feb. 14, 2023

Discovering the Cure: Careers in Research

Tuesday, March 7, 2023, from 1 – 2 p.m. (EST)

• Featured Careers: Laboratory researcher, computer scientist, engineer
• Care Path: In addition to caring for patients, the Cleveland Clinic is also known for its research. Conducting this research requires a dedicated team of professionals across numerous education levels and career specializations. This session will focus on who does this work and how they got to where they are.
• Available On-Demand: March 14, 2023

 

[Alice]

You could ask your pediatrician/family doctor if she could shadow. I’m a pediatrician and we always have people shadow us every summer. I just saw a family of a guy who had shadowed years ago and is now in his first year of med school. We had stopped in Covid but are now taking people if they are vaccinated. I’m not sure the shadowing experience is that great/necessary but I do know a lot of people who have done it have said it’s kind of expected on resumes for med school so I was happy to help them out. 

 

[Malam]

https://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/ <- medical field, podiatry, pharmacy, etc.

There are also a lot of medical communities on reddit

I guess the best place to start is understanding the pathway to each medical qualification, be that MD, RN, NP, CRNA, etc, followed by the type of work they do, how much they work, and the salaries that come with the position

[Clemsondana]

This seems trivial, but also have her think about, and try things, involving a 'squick factor'.  Bio instructors have lots of stories about students intending to do medicine who are too grossed out to do the undergrad labs.  My own story was of a pre-nursing student who were disgusted at a lab in which I put a piece of beef liver into a blender with water to get them an enzyme extract.  I have no idea how one becomes a nurse if they can't handle the meat department at the grocery store.  🙂  If she finds that to be an issue, then something like 'genetic counselor' would be a better choice than 'OB/Gyn'.  If you know anybody even tangentially related to the field, have her find out what their day is normally like.  An acquaintance passed the real estate broker test, only to find that much of the day is doing paperwork, not out and about with clients.  They are now training to be a plumber - they need to be moving, not sitting at a desk.  Is there a community college 'intro to health science' type of class that she could try with DE?  Something like that might expose her to some possible career options.  She can also think about how long she wants to spend in training.  Health science includes jobs that can be done with an associates, a BS, or a masters, in addition to becoming a doctor.  She might even do it in stages if she's unsure- I have a relative who worked as a dental hygenist for several years before going back to school to become a dentist.  

[BrileyWerner]

Since volunteering at the local hospital isn't an option right now, she could consider shadowing professionals in those fields if possible. Additionally, online courses or workshops related to medical careers could provide valuable insights. Take a look if you seek training and employment opportunities. Best of luck to your daughter on her exciting journey of exploration! 🌟👩‍⚕️