Ways to Gain Healthcare Experience: Preparing for Your Career Path

A healthcare training program can give you the knowledge and skillset needed to work in your desired role. Finding ways to gain experience even before you graduate also offers benefits, from boosting your confidence to developing your skills to giving you a better idea of what to expect when working in this field. How can you gain healthcare experience as a newcomer to this industry? Here are a couple of options to consider.

Gain Healthcare Experience by Volunteering Your Time

It may not be easy to carve time out of your busy schedule to do volunteer work, especially if you have a full-time job and a family to take care of. However, if giving up a few hours a week helps you get closer to your healthcare career goals, it’s time well spent. Think of it as an investment in your future, where putting in a bit of extra effort now can pay off in the long run.

Where are good places to volunteer? Check with hospitals in your area. Hospital volunteer opportunities may include assisting with office tasks, offering support to family members waiting for loved ones in surgery, and more. Even if the volunteer work isn’t in your desired role, don’t discount its value. Donating time in a different position can still help you learn more about this field.

Plus, if your goal is to work for a specific organization or facility once you have your healthcare diploma or degree, volunteering gives the potential employer the ability to get to know you. If they like your attitude, how you perform your duties, and/or your work ethic, they may consider you for a future healthcare job, potentially giving you an advantage over your competitors.

Choose a Healthcare Program With Externship Experience

Some healthcare programs offer learners hands-on experience in the form of a practicum or externship. To fulfill the course credits, you perform duties in a healthcare facility (under supervision) as part of your diploma or degree. This gives you a focused learning space to work on your skills, ask questions, and apply some of what you’ve been studying in preparation for your healthcare career.

Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA) offers several healthcare diploma and degree programs that include externships or practicums. These are some of the fields our programs can help prepare you for, along with the amount of hands-on experience you can gain:

• Pharmacy technician – 180-hour externship experience
• Health information management – 90-hour practicum experience
• Dental assistant – 240-hour externship experience
• Medical assistant – 220-hour externship experience
• Nursing assistant – 45-hour externship experience

UMA: Your Partner in Gaining Healthcare Experience, and More

Ultimate Medical Academy understands that many of our learners are new to the healthcare field. Whether you’ve decided to change your career later in life or simply decided that it’s a good time to go back to school, we’re here to help you gain the experience needed to help feel confident in your career path.

Our Career Services team can explore externship or practicum opportunities that may be a good fit for you, should your program require one. This helps you gain experience before you even graduate. Although we cannot guarantee employment, we have a variety of employer partners who have a history of hiring UMA grads, providing them with the opportunity to further expand their healthcare experience once they graduate and are ready to enter the workforce. Contact us and let’s talk about how we may be able to help you pursue education for a healthcare career.

FAQs

• Where can I volunteer to gain healthcare experience? Reach out to local hospitals or other healthcare facilities in your local area and ask if they accept volunteers. You can also search online for “volunteer opportunities near me” or use sites like VolunteerMatch. This platform enables you to not only search in your area, but you can also filter results to specifically include “health & medicine” opportunities.
• How to volunteer at a nursing home? Check with local nursing homes and ask if they allow volunteers. Let them know you’re interested in pursuing a career in the healthcare field and want to gain some experience. This can be especially beneficial if you want to ultimately work in this type of facility as a nursing assistant, patient care technician, or other role.
• Do hospital volunteers get paid? Volunteer work is generally unpaid. However, you might find a hospital that offers some form of compensation in return for your time. Check with the hospital you wish to volunteer with to learn more about the benefits they provide, if any.