What other things could I be doing to prepare for going into the medical field?

Job shadow, seek a part time job in a medical facility (clerical, volunteer, lab, scribe), possibly pursue a related certification depending on what you are interested in, for example aspiring nurses some times pursue CNA, LPN, home health aide-anything to gain experience, network and help others,

Jeslyani,

I’m glad you asked the question and by posing it you are taking a valuable first step in potentially choosing a career in the medical field--and that's a good way to begin!

First, in the medical field, consider if you are more inclined to work directly with patients, like a physician or nurse, or if you are more intrigued by working in a laboratory and doing the precise technical work of a medical lab technologist. This is an important distinction.

I encourage you to seek volunteer opportunities which match your interest in the medical field, for example if you’re interest in direct patient care, consider working as a volunteer with blood drives. After this, if you feel comfortable in a heath care environment, I encourage you to take the next step and seek employment as a C.N.A, or certified nursing assistant. For students I’ve advised pursuing careers in nursing or as physicians this experience is a consistent recommendation and the training  often only takes one to three months to complete.

While the job of a C.N.A. can be demanding and challenging, the work gives you an advantage as a nursing school applicant because you’ll bring direct patent care experience to nursing school applications—and nursing schools value this. Often times, the presence of a C.N.A. certification gives you points on a nursing school admission application. Other medical fields , like physician assistant programs, require you to gain the direct patient care that C.N.A. work entails.

Additionally, you can conduct informational interviews with medical professionals, which are a way for you to ask focused questions about the work they are doing to gain an understanding of the precise role of a nurse, medical assistant, or physician.

Hope this answer was helpful you, Jeslyani. And I wish you well as you begin the process.