So, you have decided to take a gap year. It’s time to decide how to spend your gap year productively. Many premedical students take a gap year to improve their medical school application and develop qualities required to become a competent doctor. While some take a gap year after facing medical school rejection and want to prepare well for reapplying to a medical school.
A survey conducted by AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) suggests that approximately 52% of undergraduate students took a gap year in 2020. If you are taking a gap year before getting into medical school, you need to find some productive activities and job opportunities to gain relevant experience.
Taking a gap year allows you to work in different clinical environments and healthcare settings that will definitely make you stand out among other applicants. If you are wondering how a gap year can make you a successful candidate and what are the best jobs premeds should pursue, this post will help you out.
Taking a Gap Year Before Getting into a Medical School
Taking a gap year is a sensible decision as it gives you enough time to improve your medical school application and become a successful medical school applicant. You can plan your gap year in a more productive way and involve yourself in activities that will make you a better candidate and a good physician.
Premeds can use this gap year in a number of ways, including:
- Perform extracurricular activities
- Prepare for the MCAT
- Complete prerequisite courses
- Fulfill other medical school admission requirements
- Enroll in post baccalaureate program to improve your GPA
- Collect letters of recommendation from physicians, professors, and supervisors
- Perform premed jobs and work in different healthcare settings
- Discover your interests and gain new skills
Choosing the Best Premed Jobs during a Gap Year
There are a number of job options available for premeds, it is important to pursue a premed job that best suits your interests and passion. The goal of pursuing premeds job during a gap year is to improve the weak areas of your medical school application and gain relevant clinical experience. If you want to gain a spot in a Caribbean medical school, here are the best premed jobs you can choose during a gap year.
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Medical Assistant
Medical assistants help physicians in performing a variety of tasks – clinical and administrative tasks both. They prepare patients for physical examination, order basic tests, maintain patients’ records, and handle different administrative tasks. As a medical assistant, you are supposed to work in different healthcare settings such as private clinics, hospitals, medical institutes, research centers and medical schools. You can complete a CMA AAMA certification exam to become a certified medical assistant (CMA)
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Emergency Medical Technician
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) is a rewarding premed job option that you can consider to pursue during your gap year. As an EMT, you are responsible to deal with minor accident cases to life threatening emergencies. EMTs interact with a wide variety of patients, healthcare staff, police, and more.
The nature of the job allows EMTs to improve their communication, teamwork and leadership skills. Emergency medical technicians learn how to work in stressful situations, show empathy and stay calm under pressure. You need to complete four months of training for an entry level, basic EMT position. For intermediate EMT and EMT paramedic, you need to complete advanced training. And gain significant field experience.
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Research Assistants
Finding a research assistant job during a gap year will help you gain research experience and essential medical knowledge. In fact, gaining research experience will make you stand out from a pool of other applicants. It is a great opportunity to impress medical school admissions committees and make them believe that you have interest in discovering new treatments and cures for illnesses.
This is why many medical schools give more importance to candidates with research experience. Working as a research assistant can not only help you gain valuable research experience; it will improve your skills and increase your chances of acceptance. You can find jobs of research assistants in medical schools, hospitals, research centers, and laboratories.
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Certified Nursing Assistant
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is another great gap year job option for premedical students to gain hands-on clinical experience. As a CNA, you are responsible to take care of patients under the assistance of registered nurses. As a certified nursing assistant, you draw blood, feed and clean patients and perform other routine tasks. You can enroll in the CNA training programs to become a certified nursing assistant. You can find jobs of CNAs in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, hospices, and nursing care facilities.
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Medical Scribe
Medical scribe is a great job option for premeds as it doesn’t need any specialized training to become a medical scribe. As a medical scribe, you are responsible to help physicians to maintain medical records and documentation. Medical scribes take notes during a patient’s examination, document important notes during assessment, write lab reports and maintain the patient’s record. You can find jobs of medical scribe in hospitals, emergency rooms and different other medical facilities.
Choosing the Right Premed Gap Year Job
Choosing the right premed job will become easier when you know what are your weak areas and what type of experience you want to get. Whether you want to improve your clinical skills, gain research experience, or improve your communication, critical thinking and leadership skills, these premed gap year jobs are the best way to become a perfect medical school applicant. Keep your personal interests and passion in mind when considering different job options, as it will help you make a well-informed decision and pursue the right premed gap year job.
