Medical Historian
(Female, Age 44) from Los Angeles, CA
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 44 who works as a Medical Historian in Los Angeles, CA. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
Job Title | Medical Historian |
---|---|
Salary | $38,000 |
Other Compensation | None Set |
Hours/Week | 40 |
Company Size | (not answered) |
Location | Los Angeles, CA |
Years Experience | 6 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
Years in Career | 0 |
---|---|
Education | (not answered) |
Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
I work for a psychiatrist in private practice, who handles Workman’s Compensation cases
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I take complete medical histories of patients as well as administer psychological testing.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
none
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
under compensated
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Of course, I work with different patients daily, most though, are very unhappy to be there. But, it is a challenge for me to get them comfortable and able to discuss their medical and job histories with me.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
Working conditions vary depending on which of the doctor’s offices I am in on a particular day and what the patient workload may be. I could be working at a desk, on the patio, in a make-shift office, even in the patient’s vehicle. Not having a regular, professioal set-up is at times very frustrating to me as well as the patient
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 2
Benefits: 3
Hours: 6
Co-Workers: 4
Supervisors: 5
Job Title: 7
Level of Responsibility: 8
The Actual Work: 1
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
5am to 6am | |
6am to 7am | |
7am to 8am | traveling to the job |
8am to 9am | preparing for patients, reading their file, gathering forms to complete. |
9am to 10am | Interviewing Patient #1 |
10am to 11am | interviewing continued |
11am to 12pm | interviewing with patient #1 finished. Lunch |
12pm to 1pm | interviewing patient #2 |
1pm to 2pm | interviewing #2 continued |
2pm to 3pm | interviewing #2 continued |
3pm to 4pm | interviewing #2 continued |
4pm to 5pm | interviewing #2 completed |
5pm to 6pm | gathering paperwork and giving it to supervisor |
6pm to 7pm | Going home!! |
7pm to 8pm | Home at last! Dinner |
8pm to 9pm | Resting |
9pm to 10pm | Bedtime |
10pm to 11pm | Sleep |
11pm to 12am | Sleep |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Recommendation of a friend who was working for the doctor.
What was the application process?
None
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
No
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
n/a
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, listening and sitting in on several histories was the best way to learn the job.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
On-the-job.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
The ability to write well, clearly and precisely, is what is necessary.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
n/a
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
I learned on-the-job. As far as I know there is no course to take.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
You do need to think clearly and in an orderly manner, to be able to talk with the patient and have him respond to you in a similar manner. You need to be thorough in getting the needed information, but to also be aware of the time since there other patients to see. Also, very important, is the ability to handle the varied personalities of the patients. Most are very unhappy to be there and you need to make them feel calm and focused so that you can do your job.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
The best training to is to sit in with someone who has been doing the job for a while and to listen. Then experience is the best teacher. The longer that you do it, the better you are.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
The field has change dramatically since I started. You now need to be Spanish-speaking. Alsmost all of the current job openings require this since the change in the Worker’s Compensation laws.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
For now it will do. I don’t know what I might be doing down the road.
What are your current career goals?
I do not have any specific plans at this time.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
It can be enjoyable at times, fulfilling in a way to complete the job. At other times, quite frustrating in time restraints and difficult patients.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
Prior Job 1 | Interviewer | 2 years | 15.00 hr. | Interviewing people on long-term medical research studies and social issue topics. |
Prior Job 2 | Program Leader | 2 years | 12.00 hr. | Taught children of new immigrants in in-school program through Girl Scout Program sponsership |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:
GPA | School | Degree | |
College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.56 | UCLA | Business |
Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
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