CareYaya is a health technology company that pairs pre-health students with families for affordable on-demand care at just $15/hour. Caregivers offer companionship, do general housekeeping, technology support, overnight care, and provide any help necessary.
If you are in college and on the pre-med track, you know how difficult it can be to get patient care hours and healthcare experience to have on your resume when entering the competitive application process to medical school. According to BeMo Academic Consulting, while there is no universally applicable set of clinical hours that will get you into medical school, generally speaking, a strong applicant will need about 100-150 meaningful hours of clinical experience completed in a consistent schedule over a few months. Having these hours gives your application a competitive edge. It is also important to verify the websites of schools that you are applying to, as some may require a minimum number of clinical hours or recommend completing a certain number of hours.
Whether you are on track to be a physician's assistant, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a nurse, or a doctor, it is essential to obtain patient care hours and work experience. While most students have to take 1-3 gap years after graduating with their undergraduate degree before applying to medical school so that they can gain the hours of experience they need to apply to medical school, being a caregiver for CareYaya can help premed students get a head start on gaining real-world patient care experience. Not only does working as a caregiver help you to gain necessary patient care hours but you also get compensated for your work at an hourly rate of $15 which can go towards paying for medical school. Some undergraduate programs also offer course credit for working as a caregiver for CareYaya. At North Carolina State University, students have the option to use caregiving with CareYaya as three hours of Biology course credit, with 45 hours of caregiving equaling one hour of credit.
“CareYaya provides a very amazing, flexible option. It is huge, especially as a student looking to go to PA school.” - Hailey B. (UNC-Chapel Hill Student and CareYaya Caregiver)
Another barrier to gaining patient care hours that many undergraduate students face is the inability to work around difficult course loads, class schedules, and extracurriculars. For any student that plans on applying to medical school, it is important to have significant time commitments beyond academics to emphasize your involvement and interest in the medical field. As an active and involved student, it can be hard to find paid job opportunities for patient care that fit into a busy schedule. Working as a Caregiver for CareYaya is a unique opportunity because the caregiver gets to choose their own working hours to fit their individual schedule.
“You get paid, you get credit hours, and you get patient care hours. There is not a single reason that any pre-health student that's going into any field should not take advantage of the opportunity at CareYaya” - Brooke C. (NC State University Student and CareYaya Caregiver)
The platform is incredibly user-friendly. It takes just two minutes to apply to be a caregiver online at careyaya.org. Once you become a caregiver, there is a “plus sign” button in the center of the page that will take you to all the open and available appointments in the area. It gives the details of each appointment including the time of day, pay, location, and other general details. From there the caregiver has the option to either “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” the appointment. Hitting the “thumbs up” button will forward an email to the client saying you are available to provide care for them and they can either accept or deny your help. Hitting the “thumbs down” button will take down the client's appointment from your feed, but only for that particular day. With this interface, caregivers are able to take on appointments that work best for their schedule and location preferences.
Beyond the practical academic benefits of becoming a caregiver at CareYaya, there is also a unique social opportunity for becoming a well-rounded person and future medical professional. Caregivers have the chance to make unforgettable connections with the elderly clients they get to work with and are reminded of their purpose for pursuing a career in medicine. According to a first-year student at UNC-Chapel Hill and CareYaya caregiver Danielle, “One of my favorite things about CareYaya is meeting patients who I couldn't have met elsewhere and forming lasting relationships with them. The stories and lifestyles of the patients have inspired me to reflect on the impact of giving and sharing mutual joy.”
Emma Belk