Pros
- Opportunity to be immersed in a healthcare environment and to develop a clear understanding of the roles that physicians, PAs/NPs, nurses, and ER techs take in patient care. Thus, this is an excellent job for college students and post-bac students who are interested in applying to medical school, PA programs, or nursing programs. - Development of patient history and medical terminology skills, which will be valuable for those interested in medical careers - Flexibility with scheduling shifts around classes and other obligations
Cons
- Pay is a bit low (slightly above minimum wage) but considering that you get more valuable experience than you would as just an unpaid hospital volunteer, it's decent for pre-health students. I accepted this position for the experience to be immersed in the healthcare environment. Don't expect to financially support yourself just on this job alone. - Training is unpaid, and HR no longer partially subsidizes travel expenses during training - Corporate and HR parts of the company are a bit bureaucratic and often require excessive paperwork during the application/training process. I was asked a couple of times to fill out and fax/scan paperwork on very short notice and with a short turnaround time. - Because of the "credentialing process" (essentially a detailed background check) required at hospitals, it takes 2-3 months between receiving the job offer and officially beginning on-site training.