For Medical Opportunities, it’s Location, Location, Location at Arcadia
One of the goals I set when attending Arcadia was to be accepted into a Physician Assistant program. After three years of spending hours studying late in the library and writing hundreds, probably thousands of flashcards, I can proudly say that I have completed my goal. In the spring of 2023, I get to attend a program I have had my eyes set on since my junior year of high school, Arcadia’s Masters in Medical Science-Physician Assistant program. Long hours and restless nights weren’t the only reason for my acceptance into this high-level program. Arcadia’s location played a huge role in the opportunities provided to me while building my resume and experiencing healthcare directly.
One of the biggest reasons I decided to attend Arcadia is its proximity to Philadelphia. Philadelphia is known as a medical hub in the United States for its prestigious hospitals and infrastructures, such as Drexel, University of Pennsylvania, Temple, CHOP, and so much more. The opportunities in these hospitals are not exclusive to specific students as well! Places like Temple, UPenn, and CHOP provide internships and volunteer positions that are open to any college student in the area, as long as you meet their requirements.
During my sophomore and junior years at Arcadia, I volunteered in the emergency room of Temple Hospital’s main campus. I shadowed physicians, nurses, and physician assistants for eight hours a week. I was also responsible for stocking medical supplies and aiding technicians and nurses in certain tasks. Oftentimes when you volunteer or shadow in healthcare, you feel like you are in the way. Almost like you aren’t supposed to be there. In this position, I felt like I was part of the team, moving throughout the emergency room with my own tasks for the day. Through this position, I was able to gain connections with clinicians, ask questions, and get advice on my future endeavors.
One of the best parts about going to school in Glenside and being so close to Philadelphia is the transportation. If you do not have a car, the Glenside train station is within walking distance from the school. This gives you access to all of these opportunities, like the one I had at Temple, within just half an hour!
Opportunities are not just in Philadelphia, though. Within just a few miles of Arcadia, places like Abington Hospital, Jeanes hospital, physical therapy offices, and so many more medical facilities want undergraduate students to come and learn! One of the ways I have learned about these opportunities is from the platform Handshake. Handshake is a job-searching website, similar to LinkedIn, specifically for college students. Here, you can post your interests, job experience, location, and job preferences for businesses to see. Almost every week I get inquiries from local businesses on Handshake asking if I would be interested in working for them. I have been asked to be a medical scribe, home health aide, and physical therapy assistant. The best part is that many of these places in the area are willing to pay for your training!
The experiences I have had with the surrounding areas in regard to healthcare opportunities are not unique to just me. These experiences are common for anyone pursuing a career in healthcare at Arcadia. Shannon Shea is a senior here at Arcadia and is on the Physician Assistant route. Unlike me, she didn’t come to school with an EMT license to gain patient care hours. But, because of Arcadia’s location, she was able to contact local businesses and became a home health aide at Pampering Plus and Bayada. No matter your level of experience, Arcadia’s surrounding community has the opportunities you need to achieve your goals in the healthcare field!
