14 Y/o Medical Employment

He'll have more luck in a veterinary office.
I can't think of any human patient who'd want a child assisting in any capacity in a doctors office.
Additional:
A doctors office would suffer an image problem having a child work with patients. As far as stocking supplies goes - inventory is no job for a kid and even adults are carefully scrutinized when it comes to working anywhere near controlled substances. People have been known to steal drugs/syringes from doctors offices - even veterinary offices.
That being said - if he's truly interested there is a LOT he can do on his own as far as study goes. And if he's truly interested in ANY medical profession with people or animals, he's going to have to commit to a LOT of study. There's no reason a 14 yr old can not memorize all 200 bones in the human body and all the muscle groups. Physical therapy people need to know all this stuff. He's going to need a good basic understanding of Greek and Latin language roots - medical/scientific terminology abounds with it. There are vocabulary books out there for many age levels.
It almost sounds like he's in that gap age where he's too old for summer camp but too young for employment. Some people really know what they want to be when they grow up from a young age, but most do not.

Rush Hospital has an internship for High School students who meet the following qualifications:
http://www.rush.edu/rumc/page-1160429718539.html

Here is the link for the Chicago Discovery Internship program. This one is tuition based - so you would actually pay THEM for the ability to get experience.
http://www.highschoolinternships.com/high-school/students...

It also looks like UIC medical center has some volunteer opportunities that go beyond what he was told.
http://www.uillinoismedcenter.org/Patients_and_Visitors/V...

Good Luck.

straight up, i sure wouldn't want some untrained 13 year old doing 'real stuff' on me when i'm in the hospital! what's wrong with learning the ropes at an entry level position? helping incapacitated people fill out menus is both compassionate and useful.
it would be nice if we could all just start interesting careers right at the interesting parts and have it be interesting all the time. the truth is that the best and most beloved careers have a learning curve AND have aspects that are tedious. if this is a career he's genuinely interested in i would encourage him and i would also give him a reality check.
there are a ton of desperate unemployed people right now. a 13 year old being 'willing' to take an unpaid internship but not do any boring or grunt work is in for a rude awakening.
khairete
S.

I have to agree. There would be no way that anyone would want a 14 y/o doing real stuff in any medical office, no matter what his interests were or his willingness to work for free.

14 y/o kids just don't get to do real stuff yet. If he is really interested in medicine, he should find out what courses he will need to go to college in pre med or to enter into one of the vocational schools for med tech, and then study the tedious and borring algebra, chemistry, and physiology. He should learn to write well so that he is one of the applicants who is actually considered for admission, because if he uses the phrase "real stuff" in his college application essay, he is sure to be at the bottom of the heap.

14 y/o kids are eager to do things, but they are not ready for responsiblity yet and should never be placed in a position where thier exected mistakes would cause someone a catestrophic issue, that would be just as bad for the 14 y/o as it would be for the person they effected. They are not ready to drive, they are not ready to have a job, and they are not ready for the responsiblity of assisting in the practice of medicine. They are ready to be in the setting they desire and do things like deliver flowers and help patients fill out menus because that is what 14 y/o kids can do without having to take responsiblity that they are not ready for, and, they get that sense of what working in a hospital is really like. He may just change his mind after observing what he sees there while delivering flowers and filling out menus.

They are able to do things like volunteer at the dog shelter with considerable supervision. My 14 y/o daughter volunteers at the dog shelter and she must have me with her. She is only allowed to walk dogs, which she must pick up after, and unfold newspapers for the cages. When she is 16, she will be allowed to go by herself, and will get to clean cages and assist in grooming and feeding the animals.

Vets may let him in for walking the dogs, or helping clean. But they employ Vet Tech's to do things like hold the animals for examinations, because that takes training, and the Vet depends on them to see that they do not get bitten, and the animal is held in a proper way so that they are not hurt. My daughter shadowed a Vet Tech for her Middle school this year, and that was the number one job...to see that the Vet was not injured.

He may be able to volunteer at the zoo, they have programs for kids, but again, he will be offered jobs that are appropriate for a 14 year old kid.

Bottom line is, it would be nice if our 14 y/o's could have what they want, but sometimes, they just should not, and cannot have it for very good reasons. This is one of those times. He has a job, it is school, and if he works hard, and is willing to do what is needed now, even when it is not so much fun, like the Trig, and the chem, and the biology, and he gets good grades...then he can do the "real stuff" after he sits though all those courses again as a pre med, nursing, or biological sciences major...because he paid his dues and got there the old fashioned way...

M.

So I didn't read all the responses but here is my opinion. As a nurse for 10+ years I have never seen someone that age doing more than volunteering. Yes, that involves delivering flowers, but he would get an opportunity to see how the environment works and help to take patients out once they are getting to go home ect. If you have a hopsital with a bigger pediatric population maybe he could check into helping there. They should have a play room ect. for the kids and maybe that would be an area he would enjoy. Good luck!

Another thing you may check into if this is a field he is interested in is a summer camp. The hospital I work at does one every year. It's 2 weeks and they kids get to do all kinds of really cool stuff. A lot of different hospital personel volunteer so they get to experience a lot...drs teach them to do stiches and just a lot of other really neat procedures they get to learn. We are actually having to do 2 camps this year instead of one b/c once word got out about last years camp the response for people wanting to do it this year was crazy!

Even though he does not want to do volunteering I would highly recommend it as a starting point for a medical career, especially at his age.

If he is wanting to become a doctor, a fantastic site to check out is:
http://www.bestpremed.com/

By volunteering, he will start at the bottom and learn all the different facets of working in a hospital. Even adults don't just get to skip ahead to more 'medical' tasks; usually volunteers must complete a set number of hours before they can start doing and seeing more. During this time, your son will be building volunteer hours that will only help him down the road if he is interested in med school. It will also reflect well on him that he has spent time in many different areas of patient care.

Furthermore, by getting all these hours he may be seen as a more prepared, desirable candidate for more hands-on or medical observation type work. He may get to know nurses and doctors and begin to build his professional network and through this he may be able to move into a job that he is interested in doing.

I think it is great that he is excited to do "real stuff" but hospitals rely heavily on volunteers to do flower delivery, menu completion, wheelchair escorting, etc. It is all part of the patient care process, something he will need to understand if he is interested in medicine. For what it is worth, I have a few students who are seniors in high school who started out volunteering this way and now work with kids in the pediatric unit at Rush. They, too, had to pay their dues and as a result are now getting to do/see higher level jobs.

And...living in Chicago, surely he should be able to find a hospital that could use him! Just Google the hospital names and search for volunteer opportunities. Good luck to you and your son!

I also agree with those who said to encourage your son to volunteer, there are plenty more areas to volunteer.

I volunteered at the hospital in high school. I started on the maternity ward, where pregnant women were on bed rest. I would help bring them water, movies, books, magazines, run to the gift shop if they needed something. It was nice. I remember getting hit with a big dose of reality when they lost their babies. It was a good starting point for me. Then when I was about a year out of high school, I got a job in the ER in registration. That was a big wake up call...and I think having the background of volunteering helped me land that job.

So, I'd encourage volunteering as I think its a great stepping stone.

Didn't you tell us a few months ago that he is basically a lost cause? You indicated at that time that he was unmotivated and "average." I thought he was interested in cooking and art. Are you so sure HE is the one interested in the medical field? If he is, he needs to pay his dues like everyone else.

Your best bet is the camp that another poster suggested. Your son is too young to be paid (no matter how old he looks), and may even be too young to volunteer.

I am concerned that bringing flowers to patients or filling out menus is considered to be beneath your son's attention. That is "real stuff" to the person lying in the hospital bed. If your son truly wants to be in the medical profession, then he can build his character by starting at the bottom.

I am in the healthcare field and I have a patient who is a 13 year old who is homeschooled. He's really interested, so I have him work at the office for a few hours once per week. He's learned how to run the front office, take patients back, fill out chart notes (with the patient's prior permission), etc. Whether or not he goes this direction, at least he won't wait until he's $400K in debt from school to find out.

Have him "apply" at diffferent small healthcare offices after school. Try a GP's office, OB's office, PT's office, dentist's office, acupuncture's office, chiropractic office, etc. Let him get experience in all different fields, as he might just see something he had no idea existed.

PS 4 weeks ago, my front office staff suddenly got horribly sick and left the office. The 13 year old's mom happened to come by with all of her kids and saw the predicament and she left him to work. He saved my butt that day...and all of the patients were shocked how well he ran the office alone.

Well, first... he can't "work" anywhere near the medical field at this age.

However, I would strongly suggest that he volunteer at a hospital and start making some connections there! I volunteered at the local hospital all through high school and college and became friendly with the nursing staff. When it came time to find "experiences" in the neuro field... guess who I called!

Quite honestly, due to liability issues and his maturity level (even the MOST mature teen isn't mature enough to hang in a doctor's office), he will not be eligible for an internship position for many years. Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer... make connections, get phone numbers and earn those hours for graduation! It looks great on college applications as well.

He's way too young to do any "real stuff". Medical assistants get special training to do what they do. Sorry, but no doctor is going to let a 14 year old be his assistant. I sure wouldn't feel comfortable having a teenager in the exam room.
Sometimes there are job shadow days. You can look into that, but it's usually a one day thing.

I commend your son's desire to learn more about the medical field but I think your expectations are way off. First most internships are going to go to adults who are going to school to get into the medical field. Generally the internships are through the school. It doesn't matter if he looks 15-16 his is 14. Also, there are HIPPA implications and I don't think he would be able to work in that environment unless he is 18 which is the legal age. At this time, his only course would be to volunteer. Its not just about delivering flowers but learning about human nature. He might meet a retired doctor or nurse. Also he could help an elderly person who has no family. Volunteering is a wonderful experience and you never know what can come of it.

Between the issue of licensing/malpractice and the issue of confidentiality, a minor is going to be extremely restricted. I understand that he is impatient to do something hands-on but his only option is volunteering. A larger setting might be good - hospital, nursing home, Red Cross donor center - but he needs to be willing to do that jobs that need doing. Perhaps a large laboratory would need a volunteer too, but he's not going to be running tests - he'll be sticking labels on test tubes. He's going to observe things and learn by being in the environment, and his dedication will ultimately make him more desirable as an employee when he gets older. If he doesn't have the patience to do that, then I think he might be too young for this.

He's 14, he is too young to do any "real" stuff. when he gets his medical license then he gets to do the "real" stuff. Remind him that it takes 8 years of college and then a residency.
What delivering flowes will teach him is compassion. If he really wants to be in the medical field at 14 he will do what they tell him to do, right now that is delivering flowers.
Here our children cannot volunteer to even bring the flowers until they are 16. THere's a ton of liability. In other states it's 15. 13 and 14 yo's can volunteer at the library. They have to be 16 to even volunteer at the local Humane Society, cleaning dog cages.
Steer him into a summer camp or sign him up for the mission trip with your church.
And at 14 he will probably change his mind a thousand times before he goes to college.

Hi Cherry---I agree that he will need to start somewhere and at 14, maybe delivering flowers and menus is it. The hospital will need to get to know him and what he is capable of before they use him elsewhere.

I say start where ever they will use him. He'll work up through the ranks once they show hospital officials that he's serious. Besides, he also needs to learn patience and how the working world operates. Wouldn't we all like to just jump into our favorite activites. My daughter has a BS in biology and she is a very capable person. She want a lab/research job badly but she can't get a job because she has no experience. She has looked and she can actually 'work' in labs or in university research institutions, but for free. They actually are able to demand that interns work for their experience. But she has car payments and financial responsibilties and so she has some serious decisions to make. The point is, the system works the way it does, and your son, if he is serious about working in the medical field, will have to start in an appropriate place for a 14 year old. When he embraces what he CAN do, he'll love the job he gets.

Good luck, D.

I was about to suggest the same thing. I have never heard of someone so young being given any kind of responsibility in a hospital but when I was younger, the neighbor boy had a part time job at the local vet's office. They didn't give him more responsibility than he could handle but he was a tough kid and he managed a variety of jobs.

He had to stock the drawers with medical supplies so they would be available for the doctors. He had to help hold animals during procedures that did not involve anesthesia. He also had the unpleasant task of helping to dispose of the corpses after euthanasia. Most of his job, though, required cleaning supplies. He did a LOT of cleaning up after nervous patients.

I work at a hospital and volunteers are very limited in their capacities due to liability reasons.
The people on staff in housekeeping, meaning cleaning the rooms and getting them ready for the next patient, undergo thorough background checks and drug testing.
Even doctors can't bring their children into the medical records department while they sign orders, etc, because of the possiblility of the breech of patient confidentiality. Even dental offices are pretty strict because of germs and biohazards.
Might I suggest that he consider volunteering at a veterinary clinic? It IS in the medical field and he could still get a sense of procedures, etc.
He might have to clean cages and walk animals, but he'd still be in a learning environment.
I know he's not thrilled about delivering flowers or doing menus in a hospital, but everybody has to start somewhere.

Best wishes.

If he is really serious he will start where everyone else starts and do the grunt work to get where he wants to go. I wouldn't want a 14 year old boy doing anything other than filling out menus, sweeping floors, getting warm blankets, and other things like that. Tell him he can learn bed side manner.

He should try to get a job at a physical therapist's or doctor's office - but don't expect that he's goign to be able to do any hands-on stuff. Medical malpractice insurance would prevent any doctor or practitioner from allowing that - and as another post said, who would want a 14 yo applying any medical treatment to them? Also consider that any kind of medical work involves patient care. If he doesn't want to deal with patients who are not well then he really needs to consider something else. I have family & friends who are doctors, nurses, physical therapists, etc - and I can tell you it's not a glamorous field. Most of it is now paperwork and dealing with un-well people. Volunteering at a hospital would help him to figure out if this is something he really wants to do or not.

you do realize a physical therapy assitant typically goes to school and is licensed by the state? they are not teenagers that "help" a PT. i would NEVER use a doctor or any type of medical professional that employed, in a manner that involved contact with the patient's procedures or medical records, a young teenager. i would think they'd need to be 18 to legally have any dealings with a patient's chart - far too much sensitive information is on people's medical records to have a child able to access it. truthfully, it sounds like your son needs to grow up and "get real". part of maturity is realizing what you are and what you aren't, what you can do and what you can't do. he is a CHILD, not an adult, he can possibly do volunteer work, he cannot be employed as a medical professional. he can't even WORK legally without special consideration in most jurisdictions. i'd focus on teaching him the realities of life, he sounds quite immature and you seem to be feeding into it.

Like others have said, at 14 I can't imagine what "real stuff" he would be allowed to do. Just because some assistants "looked pretty young" does not mean they were 14, and even if he looks a little older, it does not matter. I've always looked young for my age - I was 24 and looked 16. There are many things that legally he would not be allowed to do until he turned 18. And other positions require specialized training and education. Even veterinary hospitals prefer to have kids who are at least 16 to be kennel help. The job market being what it is, he won't be able to compete with people that are older and better qualified. Like others have suggested, best he start with volunteering at a hospital, or even at an animal shelter. He may feel it's boring and beneath him, but we all had to start somewhere. I am a veterinarian now, but 20 years ago I was the kid scooping poop in the kennels and giving dogs baths.

Talk to your family doctor, pediatrician, any friends, etc. You never know who knows someone. That's really great and I hope he finds something interesting and challenging.