<p>What kind of clinical coops are there for Health Science majors at Northeastern? I'm very interested in the Health Science major but what kind of coops are there for it? What type of nonclinical coops are there?</p>
<p>I don’t know details (not being a health science major myself), but I do know that there are clinical co-ops available for health science.
When I started at Northeastern, I was intending to do one co-op, but I got really excited by all the different things that are out there. Honestly, there were at least a hundred co-op positions I was eligible to apply for. As a neuroscience major, there was everything from academic research to working with autistic children to pharmaceutical companies, and even a few clinical positions (though mostly dealing with paperwork things, since neuroscience majors don’t generally have clinical qualifications). I ended up deciding to stick around for 5 years and do 3 co-ops. I am currently on my second, working in a robotics lab in Germany. I never imagined that when I started!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your feedback!</p>
<p>The coops arent really secretarial jobs right? I’m worried that if I was to major in Health Sciences at Northeastern that because of my lack of qualifications, I’d be stuck doing secretarial work as my “hands on” experience. Also, how does the process of finding a coop work? How early in advance do you start looking for one before your coop semester? Are there coop positions that choose multiple Northeastern students for one semester (aka you’ll be on the same coop with some of your peers)? </p>
<p>I too was looking into neuroscience. How difficult is your major? What are your future plans post-graduation?</p>
<p>Mostly, no, though you probably could find something secretarial if you really wanted…
Really, what co-ops are about is putting to use what you learn in the classroom. So, right now you don’t have qualifications, but part of the health science major provides you with the qualifications for a variety of co-ops.</p>
<p>The process of finding co-ops is a lot less stressful than I thought it would be. Before your first co-op, you take a 1 credit Introduction to Co-op class, which is taught by the co-op advisor for your major. You learn about resumes, interviewing, and basic job skills. You also learn the system for finding co-ops, called MyNEUCOOL. (I have no idea what the stands for, if it stands for anything.) It’s Northeastern’s online system of co-op jobs, where you can see and search through the hundreds of positions and choose what you want to apply for. Then your co-op advisor sends off your resume and you hope for an interview request. It’s not like you’re thrown out into the world to find something totally on your own. You still have to earn the position like any job, but they do a good job of helping you through the process.
As for how many students, it depends on the co-op employer. A lot will have just one co-op student, but others will have a couple, though they might not be working in the same department as you. When you look to apply for the position, it will actually tell you how many students they are hiring.</p>
<p>As for neuroscience, it’s not a walk in the park, but I haven’t felt totally overwhelmed by it, either. There is some flexibility to the program, and I have taken the opportunity to take some challenging courses, add a minor in computer science, and take some math courses as electives. I have also gotten really involved in research. All of this, I am hoping, will prepare me well for graduate school; I am looking to get a PhD in neuroscience.</p>
<p>My daughter is a recent health science graduate. Her first co-op was research ( clinicals are hard to get the first time ) She loved it and was offered a job , but she had bigger goals.
Her second was at Mass Eye and Ear and was clinical. She really loved that one and still worked there beyond her co-op commitment time. ( and up until she started grad school )
One of her friends was a four year health science major and her only co-op was pretty much secretarial in nature. I think she regretted that.
With all of the hospitals in Boston , the opportunities are endless</p>
<p>Thank you both for your input! With classes and coop, would there still be time to do internships/shadowing for doctors/pa’s/nurses? </p>
<p>I’m interested in either applying to med or pa school, but I know for pa school clinical experience is important. I’m hoping the coop would provide me with enough hours, but if it doesn’t, is there any way I can pick up an internship sometime during my studies (maybe off coop?) Also, is there any way I could potentially get a coop working with a pa? It might help me decide with route to take.</p>
<p>Clinical experience is important for both med school and PA school. Co-op is one way to do that, if you get something clinical, but shadowing is also possible. I was part of a volunteer program and Brigham and Women’s Hospital called the Medical Career Exploration Program, where you got a chance to interact with patients and medical professionals. At the end of the program, you also get a chance to shadow a doctor and can get a letter of recommendation for med school (and I’m assuming PA school as well). Boston is an absolutely top notch city in medical fields, so there are tons of opportunities.
As for an internship (I’m guessing you mean something over the summer?), it depends on whether you have a free summer. Co-op usually takes up half the summer, and classes often take the other half. But also, if you find someone who is willing to take you on, you can also create your own co-op position.</p>
<p>Ok one more question (sorry for all the questions!) </p>
<p>If you had to make the choice of an accelerated program at at school you like vs the traditional route at a school you like even better, which would you pick? </p>
<p>Sorry this is a weird question…but feedback would be much appreciated</p>
<p>Haha, no problem.</p>
<p>But I’m a little unclear on your question: When you say an accelerated program, are you thinking of shortened 3 year degree instead of 4 years, for example?
When I was looking at colleges, I was very focused on how much IB/AP credit schools would give me, so I could have the option of graduating early. Now, as an older, wiser (right…) 21-year-old I would say to go for the school that really is the best fit. If finances come into play, that complicates the issue, but otherwise, I no longer see an incentive to rush through it like I did when I finished high school as a 17-year-old. The difference of one year of college is fairly small in the span of your life, and I think the extra time will (in most cases) end up being more meaningful and beneficial spent in college than getting into the workforce a year earlier.</p>
<p>And if that’s not what your question is, my apologies for the rant. :)</p>
<p>It’s as BS/MS type of program. I wouldn’t have to worry about applying to grad school. I like the school, but I think I like northeastern’s feel a little bit more. A bit torn :/</p>
<p>Since I am not really familiar with your field, it’s a little hard for me to judge, but I would say to go with the combined option only if you are certain that that is what you would like to do. That definitely does sound like a tough situation. Can you guess approximately what the cost difference would be between the two?</p>
<p>I’m hopefully expecting similar aid from both schools. Approximately how much do the coops pay for in tuition for the 5 years at northeastern?</p>
<p>The amount you earn on co-op varies significantly by major. Some in CS/business pay up to $25/hr, sometimes higher for the top ones for seniors. But for the sciences, it’s more in the range of $11-15 an hour, which comes out to about $11,000-$15,000 over the 6 months, pre-tax. Just a rough guess. That’s the middle range I’ve seen for a lot of the neuroscience ones, though there are some higher and lower.</p>