Gain Clinical Experience with Advanced eClinical Training
You deserve to learn and practice clinical skills, even if you’re only a pre-health student. Instead of waiting for your graduate program, get clinical experience with our online medical certification programs. You’re guaranteed a clinical placement.
During your clinical training, you’ll have the chance to gain hands-on experience with:
- Direct patient care duties
- Feedback on new clinical skills
- Mentorship by expert instructors
- Support from healthcare staff
ACT’s unique pathway gives you the best of both worlds — a clinical placement and a flexible online curriculum. Now, you can gain clinical experience without disrupting your pre-health studies.
What is Clinical Experience Exactly?
Clinical experience refers to exposure to healthcare settings. Students help healthcare professionals, such as doctors, PA’s and nurses, perform their duties. You can gain clinical experience through shadowing doctors, volunteering, or entry-level healthcare positions.
For most pre-health students, clinical experience is not optional. Graduate school admissions committees consider clinical experience essential. For example, you’ll need clinical experience for med school admissions committees. Similarly, Physician Assistants’ programs require a certain number of direct patient care hours.
Benefits of Clinical Experience
Hands-On Learning
Practice new skills in a safe environment with supportive staff.
Clinical Skills Practice
Apply theoretical knowledge to tasks, such as patient care, diagnostic procedures, and more.
Patient Exposure
Build your empathy and patient education skills in diverse clinical settings.
Career Development
Prepare for your future career with experience in healthcare protocols, ethical considerations, and patient care.
Resume Building
Demonstrate your commitment to healthcare by adding clinical experience to your resume.
Certification Preparation
Excel during your certification exam by drawing on real-life experiences.
Instead of waiting for a volunteer opportunity, you could enroll in ACT’s clinical training program in less than 5 minutes. Many students successfully complete their certification in as little as 8-weeks and begin their clinical placement. Plus, our certification programs qualify you for entry-level jobs in healthcare. That means you can continue gaining clinical experience long after your program ends.
Our structured clinical pathway ensures our students excel in their clinical placements and careers.
Phase 1: Foundational Knowledge
You’ll develop a base of medical knowledge with our rigorous curriculum. Medical experts designed each certificate’s curriculum to cover a comprehensive range of topics. In as little as 8-weeks, you’ll understand the fundamentals of healthcare.
During this phase, you’ll also receive career counseling. Our career coaches match your career aspirations to your ideal certification program. This step ensures you’re on the right path to get into graduate school or land your desired healthcare position.
Phase 2: Hands-on Training
You won’t only learn theoretical knowledge in this program. ACT’s innovative learning platform includes simulation-based clinical training. These virtual simulations replicate real-life clinical scenarios. You’ll have the opportunity to virtually assess patients, practice diagnostics, and prepare treatment plans. Plus, you can order an injection kit to practice the same clinical skills you would in a laboratory from the comfort of your own home.
You also have access to expert instructors at any point in your learning journey. Our team is available 24/7 via chat, email, or phone. You can also book 1:1 virtual office hours for more in-depth assistance.
Phase 3: Nationally-Accredited Certification
At the end of your program, you receive a nationally-accredited certificate. It is widely recognized by employers and institutions across the country. This certification gives you access to myriad job opportunities in diverse healthcare settings.
With this certification, you can open doors to more clinical experience opportunities. You could gain more clinical hours or even work part-time during school. A widely recognized certification gives you more control over your healthcare career while also building a stronger graduate school application.
Phase 4: Clinical Placement
We offer guaranteed clinical placements in healthcare facilities nationwide. Our network of partner healthcare facilities include hospitals, clinics, and outpatient centers. This network allows us to place you in a clinical facility matching your interests and career aspirations.
Our career advisors can also suggest placements based on your graduate school pathway. Graduate school admission committees value all clinical experience and patient care experience, but some programs have more specific requirements than others. Our expert team will ensure your clinical experience provides a strong foundation for a competitive graduate school application.
Phase 5: Lifetime Career Services
We believe landing a job is only the beginning of your career. That’s why our career services extend beyond job placement and help you work towards larger career goals.
You’ll have access to career coaching on resume writing, interview preparation, and job search assistance. We also host networking and other professional development events. Our goal is to see you thrive in your healthcare career.
Which Certificate Should You Choose for Clinical Experience?
ACT offers several certifications with a direct pathway to clinical experience. To make it easier for students to gain clinical experience for the school of their choice, we’ve broken the certifications out by pre-health program.
You’ll have guaranteed clinical placement with any of these certifications.
Medical Assistant Certification
As a Certified Medical Assistant, you could gain clinical experience for med school. You’ll work in doctors’ offices, outpatient clinics, or hospitals. This role gives you the opportunity to practice a wide range of skills. You could be asked to obtain a detailed patient history or prepare patients for X-rays or administer medications.
You’ll also be the primary point of contact between patients and the rest of the healthcare team. Pre-med students often choose this role because it allows them to work closely with doctors.
You’ll learn the following skills in our Medical Assistant Program:
- Assessing Vital Signs
- Patient-centered Communication
- Administering EKG & Cardiovascular Diagnostic Testing
- Clinical Pharmacology
- Infection Control
If you choose this pathway for your clinical experience, then you’ve opened up the doors to many different medical specialities. Medical Assistants can find work in almost any medical area. Get this certification to pursue your healthcare interests and career goals.
Patient-Care Technician Certification
As a Certified Patient-Care Technician, you’ll work directly with patients in hospitals and clinical settings. You’ll be part of the healthcare team monitoring patients’ health, collecting laboratory specimens, transporting patients, assisting with ambulation, and administering medications. It provides great patient-care experience.
This role gives you the opportunity to be an integral part of the healthcare team. You work directly with nurses, physicians, and other allied healthcare professionals. Pre-nursing students often choose this pathway because it gives them an opportunity to work directly with nurses. Pre-PA students also often become Patient-Care Technicians because they need direct patient care hours.
You’ll learn the following skills during your certificate program:
- Assessing Vital Signs
- Rehabilitation and Restorative Care
- Phlebotomy/Venipuncture
- Pre and Post-operative Care
You’ll develop a deep understanding and empathy for patients through this role. It is the perfect way to hone your skills in delivering compassionate and ethical care. Practical experience with patient care is also a great way to build your application for graduate school.
Phlebotomy Technician Certification
In this role, you’ll gain clinical experience with a wide range of patients in hospital or laboratory settings. Phlebotomy technicians are responsible for drawing blood samples. Your work will form the backbone for many different diagnoses.
Throughout your routine duties, you’ll interact with many different patients and healthcare teams. You’ll get an insider look at different hospital units, as well as medical laboratories. This exposure will make you a more well-rounded candidate when applying for graduate school or other healthcare careers.
You’ll learn the following skills during your certificate program:
- Basic Laboratory Procedures
- Venipuncture Techniques
- Healthcare Ethics
- Point-of-care testing
You’ll build excellent venipuncture and clinical skills as a phlebotomy technician. These clinical skills will be invaluable in a future career as a doctor, nurse, or physician’s assistant. This practical experience could also set you apart when applying for graduate school.
Physical Therapy Technician Certification
You could gain clinical experience in physical therapy, sports medicine, rehabilitation or pain medicine. As a Physical Therapy Technician, you aid patients in regaining movement and manage pain. These patients are often recovering from surgery, illness, or injuries.
This type of clinical experience allows you to interact directly with patients. Pre-PA students often choose this certificate because they earn direct patient care hours. No matter your chosen career, clinical experience as a Physical Therapy Technician will highlight your commitment to healthcare.
What clinical skills you’ll gain through our certification program:
- Physical Therapy Evaluation and Treatment
- Ambulation and Gait Training
- Neuromuscular Re-education
- Assistive Devices
In this role, you’ll hone your patient communication skills. You’ll be working 1:1 with patients to improve their movement through therapy evaluations, patient interviews, and treatment plans. These skills will prove invaluable in your healthcare career. They could also help you stand out when writing your resume or graduate school application.
enroll in One of Our Popular Medical Programs Today
ACT is pleased to offer medical certificates with clinical experience in the following programs: Certified Clinical Medical Assistant, Certified Patient Care Technician, Certified Phlebotomy Technician, and Certified Physical Therapy Technician.
Enroll now in any of these programs and be on your way to an exciting entry-level career in healthcare in as little as 8-weeks! You’ll have access to all course materials immediately after completing registration, so you can begin as soon as you’re ready. If you have further questions, we are happy to help.
