Gain Experience

Experience is required for many health careers. And it’s highly valued by the admissions committees for all health professional schools.

The right kind of experience can help you:

• Observe the qualities that are needed to be a good health care provider.
• Find ways to strengthen your own skill set to give you the best possible preparation. 

Experience is also the way you personally check out a career field to see what it’s really like...before you become the health care professional.

Great experiences come in all kinds of packages.
Volunteer, internships, paid, credit-based, community service, international, mentoring...there are many ways to gain great experiences. Remember that it’s the quality of the experience that counts, not how or where it’s offered.

Your experience should help you to answer three important questions:

1. Why did you choose this profession?
2. How can you be certain that you have made the right choice?
3. What skills and qualities do you have to offer?

Places offering experience are all around you.
There are numerous resources available to help you find the experiences you seek. As you prepare to apply to health professional programs, use these resources to get you started:

• Gaining Experience for a Health Career Workshop: Use this workshop as a starting point to help you identify the kind of experience that will benefit you most.
• Step Into Health Careers: Volunteer, Internship & Research Fair: This event offers a chance to talk with many organizations about what they have to offer pre-health students like you. Explore the links to last year's organizations and see what interests you most.
• Learning Abroad Center: Learn about another culture and gain experience in the global health arena through an international experience.
• GoldPASS: Search employer listings for different kinds of experiences through this extensive search engine offered to University students.
• Mentor Connections: Seek out a mentor, as they may be able to connect you with opportunities...now and down the road!
• Career Fairs: Attend an upcoming career fair and explore different opportunities presented.
• Paid & Research Opportunities: You may also find experience in research and job opportunities.
• More Volunteer Resources: More volunteer resources are listed here to help you in your search for experience.