Build Patient-Care Experience Before Your Next Degree

For Michigan college students exploring PA, nursing, medicine and other health professions.

Use a school break to build practical skills and take a purposeful next step toward patient-facing work. DRM’s accelerated healthcare training can help you prepare for an entry-level role, explore healthcare and continue building experience while planning your next degree.

Ask about training during your school break | Compare tuition and funding options

Training first. Experience next.

1. Check your target school’s rules. Ask which roles, duties, paid or volunteer work, dates and documentation it accepts.
2. Choose relevant training. Compare CNA, phlebotomy, clinical medical assistant and patient care technician pathways.
3. Complete your program and required credential steps. Training, certification and hiring are separate processes.
4. Seek patient-facing work. DRM students and graduates can request resume help, interview preparation and employer career links.
5. Document your experience. Keep a record of dates, hours, duties and supervisor contact information without recording patient-identifying information.

Find a starting point that fits your interests

• Nurse Aide / CNA: a published two-week format combining lecture, lab and clinical learning for foundational patient care.
• Phlebotomy Technician: a published two-week format with hands-on venipuncture practice.
• Clinical Medical Assistant: 320 hours in a hybrid program, combining clinical skills and administrative fundamentals.
• Patient Care Technician: explore training in patient care, phlebotomy and electrocardiography.

Ask admissions to confirm the exact class schedule, campus, required in-person labs or clinicals, admission requirements and credential pathway before enrolling.

Make your school break count

DRM has offered Christmas-break training for more than 15 years to help college students make room for focused learning while their regular campus schedules pause. Ask about Christmas break, spring break, summer and available weekend schedules. Current availability varies by program; a holiday class is not confirmed until admissions provides its dates and requirements.

What counts as clinical or patient-care experience?

Direct patient care, healthcare experience, shadowing and student clinical placements are different categories. A course’s lab or clinical hours do not automatically count toward a professional-school application. For example, the University of Michigan–Flint explicitly excludes student clinical experiences and shadowing from its healthcare-experience requirement.

CNA, phlebotomy, medical assistant and patient care technician work may be relevant, depending on your actual duties and the receiving program’s rules. No DRM course guarantees acceptance of hours, admission, certification or employment.

Michigan PA programs: start with the official requirements

Examples checked October 28, 2026. Requirements may change by application cycle; these are starting points, not a complete admissions checklist.

• Central Michigan University: review its paid direct-patient-care requirements and approved roles.
• Concordia University Ann Arbor: publishes a 1,000-hour paid hands-on patient-care requirement.
• Eastern Michigan University: confirm current experience preferences and the application cycle directly with the program.
• Grand Valley State University: review its 500-hour healthcare-experience requirement and accepted activities.
• Lawrence Technological University: publishes a 750-hour direct-patient-care requirement, with separate shadowing requirements.
• Michigan State University: healthcare experience is strongly encouraged but is not required to apply.
• Oakland University: publishes a 500-hour paid direct-patient-care requirement.
• University of Detroit Mercy: review the 1,000-hour healthcare-experience requirement and qualifying activities.
• University of Michigan–Flint: requires at least 500 hands-on direct-patient-care hours; student clinicals do not count.
• Wayne State University: review its 500-hour hands-on patient-care requirement and recency rules.
• Western Michigan University: confirm its healthcare-experience requirement and how it evaluates direct patient care.

Also review the Michigan Academy of Physician Associates program directory and ARC-PA’s current accreditation directory. These independent schools are not represented as DRM partners or endorsers.

Planning for nursing, medical school or another health profession?

Patient-facing experience can help you understand the work and reflect on your goals. Requirements differ; there is no universal number of hours for every health profession. Speak with your pre-health advisor and target schools before choosing a role.

Tell us your goal

Share your target profession, school-break dates, preferred campus and the program you are considering. Admissions can help you compare DRM training options. Email info@drmilc.com or send a short inquiry. Current students and graduates seeking job-search support can contact careers@drmilc.com.