As you take your first steps toward a career in medicine, professors and medical students will often advise you to gain clinical experience before medical school. But why is this so important? Gaining clinical experience through pre-med jobs allows you to understand the healthcare landscape thoroughly and prepare for the challenges along the way.
In this blog, we’ll delve deeper into pre-med jobs and explore 13 of the best opportunities for students aspiring for a career in medicine. We’ll also uncover how these roles provide you with valuable experience and what their daily duties and tasks are. So join us and discover how pre-med jobs help you grow into a well-rounded physician.
Why Are Pre-Med Jobs Important for Students?
Pursuing pre-med jobs is worthwhile for several reasons, such as:
- Gaining Practical Experience: Working in healthcare provides hands-on exposure in healthcare settings, allowing you to connect textbook learning with real-world scenarios;
- Developing Professional Skills: Pre-med jobs allow you to master a wide range of skills necessary in healthcare, such as empathy, critical thinking, teamwork, resilience, and organizational skills;
- Networking Opportunities: They also help you build relationships with healthcare professionals who can help you find your calling within a medicine specialty and provide letters of recommendation for medical school applications.
Pre-med jobs also allow you to evaluate whether medicine is the right career path for you, solidifying your goal of becoming a doctor. Moreover, pre-med jobs help you stand out and impress the admissions committee. Clinical experience shows you’re serious about the field, as you’ve invested your time and resources into an early experience.
Jobs for Pre-Med Students
Here are some of the best pre-med jobs that enhance your resume and provide valuable clinical exposure necessary for medical school.
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
Salary: $35,740
Education/training/certification required: Accredited CNA training program and examination
Certified nursing assistants are important in providing direct patient care and support in diverse healthcare settings, such as nursing care facilities, hospitals, assisted living facilities, and hospices. Therefore, becoming a CNA is a great way to gain hands-on experience working with patients. Their duties involve helping patients with daily chores like feeding, dressing, and bathing. Moreover, they also can measure patients’ vital signs, such as blood pressure and temperature.
Home Health Aide
Salary: $30,180
Education/training/certification required: High school diploma or equivalent GED, on-the-job training, and optional CNA or LPN certification
The core responsibilities of a home health aide include:
- Assisting patients in completing daily activities, such as bathing, grooming, and dressing;
- Helping with simple prescribed exercises;
- Changing simple bandages;
- Giving medications;
- Checking the patient’s pulse, temperature, and respiration rate.
Besides helping with physical tasks, they also provide emotional support and companionship to patients. Therefore, becoming one allows you to understand patient care and healthcare needs.
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
Salary: $39,410
Education/training/certification required: EMT training and NREMT certification
Emergency medical technicians are first responders who attend to emergency medical calls and transport patients between medical facilities. Among other things, they can take vital signs, measure blood sugar levels, perform CPR, give injections, and give intranasal naloxone to treat opioid overdose.
Working as an EMT exposes you to a fast-paced and high-pressure environment, which you’ll encounter countless times as a physician.
Pharmacy Technician
Salary: $37,790
Education/training/certification required: On-the-job training and PTCB certification
The typical pharmacy technician’s duties and responsibilities involve assisting pharmacists with prescription processing and customer service. Becoming a pharmacy technician allows you to build a solid foundation in pharmacology and therapeutics, essential elements of medical education.
Phlebotomist
Salary: $38,530
Education/training/certification required: High school diploma, on-the-job training, and NPA certification
Phlebotomists are medical professionals who draw and collect blood samples for diagnostic testing or donation. They can work in clinics, hospitals, and outpatient centers. Phlebotomists must possess proper technique and a steady hand to ensure the blood draw happens quickly and easily. Moreover, as they deal with people who are afraid of needles, they must maintain a calm and comforting demeanor when interacting with patients.
Hospice Aide
Salary: $46,631
Education/training/certification required: CNA program and examination and CHPNA certification
Hospice aides are medical professionals who comfort and support patients with terminal illnesses. They focus on keeping patients calm and comfortable in their last moments. Therefore, becoming one requires mastering excellent bedside manners and communication skills.
Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)
Salary: $38,270
Education/training/certification required: High school diploma or equivalent GED and medical assistant certification by AAMA
Certified medical assistants are healthcare professionals who work in healthcare facilities such as clinics or doctor’s offices. They take on direct patient care and administrative roles in the office. Other duties include:
- Taking patient medical histories and personal information;
- Assisting doctors during patient examinations;
- Recording vital signs, such as blood pressure, weight, and temperature;
- Scheduling appointments for patients.
Medical Scribe
Salary: $53,145
Education/training/certification required: On-the-job training and Medical Scribe Certification by AHDPG
Medical scribes are important in helping doctors stay organized, keeping patient charts up-to-date, and everything else regarding medical documentation. Their duties involve taking notes during patient interactions, updating lab records, and maintaining patient records. Becoming a medical scribe allows you to become acquainted with how doctors maintain patient records and deal with paperwork. Moreover, as you follow the doctor on consultations, you get to witness how they interact with patients and interact with them yourself, helping you develop communication skills.
Physical Therapy Assistant
Salary: $64,510
Education/training/certification required: Physical Therapist Assistant Associate degree and passing the National Physical Therapy Exam
Physical therapy assistants collaborate with physical therapists to help injured patients or those with medical conditions that hinder their daily tasks and activities gain mobility and strength. They help patients perform therapeutic exercises to test their physical stamina, develop a treatment plan, and treat them through massage and stretching techniques. Due to direct care and patient interaction, becoming one can help you develop communication skills and gain a holistic perspective on treating musculoskeletal diseases.
Research Assistant
Salary: $54,193
Education/training/certification required: Ongoing or completed undergraduate degree in a related field
Research assistants can work with professors at colleges and universities and assist them in the scientific exploration of healthcare and medical fields. They collaborate with researchers, collect data, review cases for a specific medical condition, and analyze specimens under a microscope to support their professor’s research.
Research assistants gain research methodology, data analysis, and critical thinking skills, which are necessary for medical school and your future career as a doctor. Moreover, you’ll gain a competitive edge during medical school applications.
Medical Secretary
Salary: $41,260
Education/training/certification required: High school diploma, on-the-job training, and optional CMAA certification
The primary duties of a medical secretary involve performing administrative tasks within a healthcare facility. Medical secretaries can work in a doctor’s office, general hospitals, nonprofit organizations, and outpatient care centers. Their duties include answering calls, communicating with patients, helping patients requesting a referral, etc. Moreover, medical secretaries are great multi-taskers who, besides excellent organizational skills, also possess knowledge of medical terminology and procedures.
Medical Receptionist
Salary: $41,571
Education/training/certification required: High school diploma or equivalent GED and optional college degree
Although medical receptionists’ duties vary from job to job, they typically involve administrative work and customer service. Their duties include:
- Greeting patients as they come for appointments;
- Maintaining an office schedule for other staff members;
- Filling medical records and other documents;
- Scheduling appointments and follow-ups for patients;
- Keeping the front desk organized and running smoothly.
Being the first face patients see as they come into the doctor’s office allows you to develop communication skills and improve patient interaction. Moreover, you’ll get to develop the organizational skills necessary in medical school and beyond.
Hospital Volunteer
Salary: $0
Education/training/certification required: None
Although volunteering in a hospital won’t help your bank account, it can provide exposure to healthcare environments, helping you become familiar with hospital systems. Volunteering also allows you to work with patients and learn valuable interpersonal skills such as professionalism and empathy. Moreover, you get the chance to give back to the community.
As a hospital volunteer, you can take on various tasks and responsibilities, such as:
- Greeting patients;
- Keeping company to patients with few visitors;
- Holding NICU babies when their parents are away;
- Transporting patients.
Conclusion
Pre-med jobs are invaluable stepping stones on the path to a career in medicine. They allow you to grow and learn more about the medical field. Pre-med jobs also help you gain empathy and resilience, solidify your commitment to medicine, and enhance your medical school applications.
The next step in your journey toward medical school is exploring medical school programs and making a list of the ones that align with your goals and aspirations. Therefore, check out our AS in Health Sciences and Prior Prep Program as precursors to your dream medical school.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any specific jobs that look good on a medical school application?
Although we can’t give you a specific answer, the best pre-med jobs that look good on a medical school application include positions where you can gain valuable clinical experience. These positions include a medical scribe, CNA, EMT, and even hospital volunteer to beef up your extracurriculars for medical school.
Are there any online pre-med job opportunities?
Yes, there are several online pre-med job opportunities to enrich your resume, such as virtual medical scribing, virtual assistance for healthcare professionals, and online tutoring. While these online opportunities may not provide the same hands-on experience as traditional in-person roles, you can still gain valuable insight into the healthcare field.