Shadowing Provides Revealing Glimpse into Health Care

I volunteered at a local hospital as a “candy striper” in high school, before I ever stepped foot in nursing school. My experience helping out in various hospital departments, showed me exactly what a career in health care was like before I donned the white dress and cap (theoretically) for myself.

Health care is a hands-on profession where each patient encounter is unique from the other. This is true of all patient care professions including many of the career opportunities covered on this site such as medical assistant, phlebotomist, dental assistant and massage therapist.

The most imaginative, well-worded job description in the world is still a far cry from experiencing life on the job as a health provider. Working in health care is a fast moving balance of technological savvy, therapeutic communication with patients, time management skills, collaboration with other health care providers and quick thinking.

What better way to see the big picture for yourself than to shadow a health care professional in his or her work? High school students considering a career in health care have the most potential opportunities when it comes to shadowing or internship opportunities.

Talk to you guidance counselor about upcoming career fairs and other career oriented programs. Students can also get in touch with local medical centers (start with the human resources department) and find out what kind of shadowing, volunteer, internship or special event programs are available.

As the population ages and more and more healthcare workers are needed to fill more and more open positions, schools and healthcare settings realize that getting young people excited about careers in health care is critically important. Finding a live, interactive preview of these careers may take some research, but the opportunities are out there. Take the initiative and start researching a career in health care now!