If you’re like many pre-PA and pre-medical students these days, you may be taking a gap year after college, before matriculating into graduate school. I did – I used that time to finish up pre-requisite classes and school applications while also working in retail to save money to help pay for PA school. All great things – but alas, had only CapYear existed back then!
Working as a medical assistant during that time would have provided invaluable medical experiences, before even starting graduate school. From learning the anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, and various fundamental clinical skills necessary to become certified as a certified clinical medical assistant (CCMA), to having real responsibilities towards patients, I believe I would have been better prepared to hit the ground running when starting graduate school.
Medical assistants work hands-on with patients from all walks of life, and are often the first and last person that the patient interacts with during their patient visit. Needless to say, the impact a medical assistant can make is crucial, in taking care of patients and in ensuring each patient has a positive experience. Medical assistants also get to work with and alongside doctors and PAs, nurses, technologists, and management; this is great exposure to different professions within healthcare as well as how a medical team functions in day-to-day operations. All this real-world knowledge and experience is incredibly beneficial in any future medical training.
Working as a PA, I can also see first-hand how essential and indispensable first-rate medical assistants are, and how they can make all the difference in how a medical practice is run and how patients are treated. Thus, from both ends, CapYear’s two-fold mission is fruitful: aiding students in becoming medical assistants, and helping pair these qualified, highly motivated individuals with job opportunities where their skills, compassion, and professionalism are certainly needed. CapYear is a great opportunity for pre-health students to pursue that edge, get their foot in the door, and earn that headstart as they begin their journey into the noble profession of medicine!
