Resources for Exploring
With so many different healthcare career options, it can feel daunting to find your fit. This page will introduce you to resources, strategies, experiences, and more that will help you explore health professions.
Please don’t try to do everything on this page. Take what feels helpful and leave the rest. There is no one right way to explore. As always, CPHA is here for you as questions come up.
Looking for information on specific careers instead? Visit our Explore Health Professions page.
Reflect
We suggest starting your career exploration by asking and reflecting on questions about your interests, values, skills, and goals. This kind of reflection is something that all of us do throughout life and can guide you to find a career that’s a good fit. For example, you might feel invigorated working in fast-paced environments such as an emergency department, or you might prefer a slower pace. You can keep this in mind as you learn about careers.
Use this list of reflection questions as a guide. While your answers to these reflection questions will likely not give you an exact career match, they can be helpful touch points as you continue to explore. We also encourage you to use the Career Exploration Center’s Self-Reflection webpage and connect with them to talk broadly about your career exploration process.
Campus Resources
Career Exploration Center
Meet with the Career Exploration Center for help designing your exploration strategy! Plan your next steps and get answers to questions that will help you get started. The CEC is an excellent resource available to any student regardless of major.
Career Advisors on Campus
Reach out to a career advisor in your school or college for additional assistance exploring your career goals. Visit careers.wisc.edu to explore additional career resources on campus.
Center for Pre-Health Advising
As a UW-Madison student, you have full access to CPHA’s resources for as long as you need them – even after you graduate. Meet with an advisor to talk about ways to explore health professions. Follow us on Instagram and sign up for our newsletter for opportunities and information that could support your exploration.
Center for Pre-Health Advising
In addition to one-on-one advising, CPHA runs several self-paced Canvas courses. These are free, non-credit courses that serve as resource libraries for pre-health students. Begin by signing up for Pre-Health 101, our free, online orientation. It provides an overview of pre-health classes, activities, application timelines, and more, and is perfect for exploring health careers.
Online Resources
explorehealthcareers.org is an excellent resource that provides tools for self assessment, reflection, and career exploration. Their Career Explorer tab lets you filter professions by years in school and salary.
Use wihealthcareers.org to learn more about healthcare professions, find health professional programs throughout the state of Wisconsin, and explore healthcare exploration opportunities and resources. This website is sponsored by a Wisconsin Area Health Education Center (AHEC). If you are not from WI, or you want to explore careers and programs in other states, search for similar resources provided by other state chapters of AHEC.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has an option to filter by Occupation Groups (such as “Healthcare”). Information includes a summary of the profession, work environment, educational path, pay, job outlook, and more.
CareerOneStop.org from the U.S. Department of Labor provides information about careers as well as self assessments to discover how your interests, skills, and values relate to career choice.
NAAHP is a professional association for pre-health advisors. Their website has resources for students about health professions and other opportunities.
The Health Careers with Dr. Marn podcast introduces listeners to a variety of different health careers.
Search for other podcasts related to fields you’re interested in.
Search careers of interest on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok. Some professionals use these platforms to share “day-in-the-life” videos.
Try Things Out
Shadowing & Informational Interviews
An excellent way to explore your interest in healthcare is by talking directly with people in the field. Remember, learning what you don’t want in a job can be just as helpful as knowing what you do want.
Campus Involvement
Check out this page to learn about communities you can be a part of on campus. For example, student organizations can connect you with students exploring similar interests.
Volunteering
Volunteering in clinical and non-clinical settings can introduce you to health professionals who work in a variety of fields and with different populations.
Jobs
Explore patient care roles and other health jobs to gain experience working in healthcare settings. Confirm that this work is something you enjoy!
Service Learning Opportunities
Service learning such as Community-Based Learning Courses can be a bridge between the classroom and community experiences, which can help you explore careers.
Research Opportunities
Develop skills that will be helpful as a health professional such as technical skills and teamwork. Some research positions could involve working with patients or health professionals.
Experiential Pathways Programs
Programs such as CPHA’s Health Professions Shadowing Program and EMT Experience Program can be great ways to explore professions and gain experience. Check out regional programs such as ones at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Learn about opportunities across the country on the AAMC Medical Pathways & Enrichment Opportunities site. Talk with your advisor for more ideas.
Hobbies & Interests
Learn more about who you are, what’s important to you, and what you’re good at through where you spend your free time.
Global Experiences
Experiences abroad could be a way to learn about how healthcare delivery differs between the U.S. and other countries. You can also learn more about yourself and meet others with different interests.
Attend an Event
Take advantage of on and off campus events to meet health professionals, talk with program representatives, and connect with others who are exploring.
View our events calendar for upcoming professional development opportunities. Watch our newsletter and Instagram for announcements about upcoming events.
Use the “Events” tab on Handshake to view events hosted by UW-Madison career centers.
Most health professional programs host virtual fairs or information sessions. This is a fantastic way to learn about programs and professions. If you attend, ask to get connected to a current student or recent alumni for an information interview.
The following are examples of virtual fairs to add to your calendar. Don’t see your profession of interest? Google name of profession + virtual fair/information session to see what comes up. You can also search for upcoming fairs on the CareerEco website for more virtual events that may be of interest.
- AAMC Virtual Medical School Fair (Physician – MD)
- ADEA GoDental Events & Virtual Fair (Dentistry)
- APTA Virtual Fair (Physical Therapy)
- ASPPH Events (Public Health)
- AT Each Moment Events (Athletic Training)
- NursingCAS Events (Nursing)
- Osteopathic Medical College Recruiting Events (Physician – DO)
- PAEA Virtual PA School Fair (Physician Assistant)
Research
CPHA maintains a database of alumni we’ve worked with who are currently in health professional programs or working in healthcare. Many of these alumni are excited to connect with students exploring their field. For alumni contact information, email CPHA at questions@prehealth.wisc.edu with information about the type of alumni you’d like to connect with.
Additionally, this LinkedIn Learning video shows how to use LinkedIn to get connected with UW-Madison alumni. Read about the career paths of alumni in similar majors. Ask to connect with alumni who are in fields you’re interested in. Use our shadowing & information interview page to plan for your conversation.