Hospitalists

Volunteering at local hospitals and clinics is a great way to learn more about careers in health care. This will help you to decide if this type of work environment is a good match for your skills and interests. You might also join a volunteer ambulance corps to get additional experience working with patients. You should also conduct information interviews with hospitalists who work at different types of hospitals to understand the various work environments and duties. For example, working at an academic medical center is often much different than working at a small community hospital.

Classes in CPR and first aid will also prove useful. Medical schools consider many things when deciding who should be admitted. In addition to test scores and grades, they often look at an individual's leadership qualities and participation in extracurricular activities. With that in mind, it is a good idea to join school clubs and get involved in civic groups and causes in which you believe.

Consider joining HOSA-Future Health Professionals, a global membership organization for middle school, high school, and college students who are interested in learning about health care careers, meeting others with the same interests, and developing their leadership skills. It has more than 260,000 members and offers scholarships, competitions, the HOSA eMagazine, and other resources. Learn more at https://hosa.org. SkillsUSA (https://www.skillsusa.org) is another youth membership organization that offers competitions.