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Clinical Resources

As pre-health students, we have many requirements outside of our academics we need to fulfill to apply to post-undergraduate programs, such as medical school, dental school, Master's Degree programs, and more. UGA Friends of MSF would like to provide some great clinical resources to help you build your portfolio before applying to these programs. It can be intimidating to look at all the opportunities you have, so using these resources can help guide and inform you on what's the perfect fit for your pre-health journey. If you have any questions, feel free to contact an officer on Slack!

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Here are what different sections of the clinical resources page: Resume Building, Emailing, Cover Letters, Clinical and Non-Clinical Volunteering, Non-Clinical Volunteering, Healthcare Jobs for College Students, Personal Statement Help, Certification Programs, and Shadowing Tips!​

Resume Building

Above is linked a standard resume template on Google Docs to help you start building your resume! Download your own copy to make your own. Read through the following information and follow along to build your resume.
 

There are 2 types of resumes college students usually have on file! This is your master copy and your 1-page resume. Both have the same sections, but differ in the amount of information.

  • Master Copy: This version of your resume will contain everything you have ever done in your life with education, work, volunteering, certifications, etc. A master copy will be a good resource for you to pick and choose what you want to show a potential employer.

  • 1-Page Resume: This version of your resume will contain what you want your employer to know about you within 1 page. If you are applying to a part-time retail job, past retail experience is more relevant than past tutoring experience. If you are applying for a medically-related position, past medical jobs and volunteering are more relevant than retail or service jobs. You only have so much space on 1 page, so make sure you are including what is most relevant to the position you are applying for. As you get older and further into your professional career, sticking to one page does not matter as much as you have many more notable experiences to showcase.

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Here are the main sections of a resume. The resume template provided earlier also goes more into detail about what these sections should include. This can differ with the type of career you are applying to (ex. If you are going into a job that requires you to work in a lab, including your work in research and having a section for that would be beneficial).

  • Header

    • ​Includes your full name, email, phone number

    • Optional: City and LinkedIn account link

  • Education

    • ​Once you are in your 3rd or 4th year of college and you have more experience, it is fine to leave out your high school education in this section.

  • Work Experience

    • ​Descriptions should stay to within 2-3 bullet points, starting with an action verb (present if you are still in the job, past if you are no longer working for them.

  • Volunteering and Leadership Experience

    • ​Similar to work experience, but only lists anything you have had volunteer or leadership experience in like a club or non-profit.

    • Employers, organizations, and schools like to see longer periods of time sticking with 1 or 2 organizations rather than 1-time events with many organizations. Be picky with what you choose to list here.

  • Certifications and Skills

    • This would include languages (should be at least conversational level if you are going to list this), certifications (ex. CNA, MA, BLS, Phlebotomy), and computer skills (Microsoft Office and Google Suite).​

    • Try not to list general, vague “personality traits” like team-oriented or driven. Employers want to see more technical skills, so in medical jobs, things like customer service or charting.

  • Honors and Awards​​

    • Academic or non-academic related honors, awards, recognitions, and scholarships can be included in this.​

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Here are some general rules and guidelines for making your resume.

  • Make sure to use a legible, non-cursive (sans serif), plain font like Arial, Times New Roman, or Georgia. This font should stay the same throughout the page.

  • Inserting horizontal lines to divide the sections can make it much easier for an employer to find the information they need.

  • Always use a plain black and white template like the one I provided.

    • This is the rule unless you are applying to a more creative job like a graphic design or social media related job - in these kinds of positions, you can be more creative with your resume template.

  • Your experience should be listed in reverse chronological order in every section.

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Emailing

Email etiquette is super important when it comes to finding opportunities. When contacting hiring managers for a potential position, professors for a recommendation, or follow-ups for anyone that you are in contact with, it's important to have good email etiquette to maintain a good impression

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The UGA Career Center has made some great templates for different scenarios you would need to use an email.

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Cover Letters

Sometimes, an employer will require you to write a cover letter when applying for a job. However, even if they do not require this, you can still make one to make a good impression!

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Here are some guidelines for making a good cover letter.

  • Always make sure to add your name and contact information on the very first thing at the top of the document.

  • The date is always a nice touch to make it look more professional.

  • A standard greeting that’s always safe is “Dear ____,”

    • ​If you know the hiring manager, you can list their name, or you can list the name of the company/clinic/hospital like “Dear St. Mary’s Healthcare System”.

  • The first paragraph of your cover letter should be expressing how interested and excited you are in applying to the position. If you have a reference, this would be a good place to include it.

    • ​You also want to show your research about the organization. This can be through connecting your experience to their values or talking about their reputation.

  • The second and third paragraphs should be talking about your relevant experience and how you are going to contribute this knowledge to the position. You can once again express your interest while also connecting it to how it would do well in the role and certain parts of the role.

  • End the letter with reiterating how much you would like to work with them and that you have attached your resume to the email/file. Say you look forward to speaking to them and thank them for considering you!

  • A good end greeting would been “Sincerely, (Name)” and if it’s a hard copy, make sure to sign it handwritten with your name printed as well. Type your name if it’s a digital copy.

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Clinical Volunteering

Here are some clinical volunteering in Athens and Metro-Atlanta areas. Please keep in mind that we are not affiliated with these hospitals/clinics, so applying to these volunteer programs will not guarantee you a volunteer spot. Also note that most of these are in Athens, but some are in th

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Non-Clinical Volunteering

All of these organizations are ones in Athens that we have worked with many times in the past!

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Healthcare Jobs for College Students

Both major hospitals in Athens do hire college students, especially under the MA, CNA, phlebotomist, and patient care tech positions. For smaller clinics, emailing or calling them directly is your best chance at seeing if they have openings!

  • Clerical/Administrative Positions

    • Medical Receptionist/Front Office Assistant​

    • Unit/Department Secretary

    • Registrar Positions

    • Patient Service Representative

  • Direct Patient Care (**Some employers may require a certification or will certify/train you on the job, so please keep that in mind!)

    • Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)​

    • Phlebotomist

    • Medical Assistant (MA)

    • Patient Care Technician

    • Pharmacy Technician

    • Physical Therapy Aide

    • Optometric Technician

    • Dental Assistant

    • Medical Scribe

    • Paramedic/EMT

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Personal Statement Help

Kaplan provides great advice on what schools look for in a personal statement and some starting points with writing.

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The UGA Career Center has some guides on personal statements and an opportunity for 1-on-1 in-person help.

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Certification Programs

In Athens, Innovative Healthcare Institute offers certification for CNA, Patient Care Technician, Phlebotomy, EKG Technician, Medical Assistant, CPR & AED, BLS, First Aid, and ACLS.

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Here are some certification programs in the Metro Atlanta area. Please keep in mind that these programs vary in pace, if they're in-person or online, and cost. Do your own research on the program if you're interested!

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Shadowing

Shadowing and starting shadowing can be an intimidating process for pre-health students, especially if you don't already know a healthcare professional personally! Here is some guidance on how to find shadowing opportunities in your area.

  • First, start by thinking if you or your family know any healthcare professionals personally. This is a great starting place and can make find shadowing a lot easier.

  • If you don't know anyone that works in healthcare or if you would just like to shadow someone new, you will first have to contact clinics or hospitals and ask them if they have staff that lets students shadow. Below, we have included some common scripts for cold calling and emailing.

  • Cold Calling and Cold Emailing

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