The Gap Year Program at Central Connecticut Dermatology prepares students for careers in healthcare by providing hands-on experience with cancer surgeries, direct patient care, and cosmetic procedures. The program is led by award-winning academic dermatologists and provides real-world exposure to healthcare. Students will gain experience in patient advocacy, discussing diagnoses and laboratory results, and performing clinical tests including cultures.
Previous gap year students have gone on to attend competitive schools in a variety of healthcare fields, including medical school, nursing school, physician assistant school, and healthcare administration.
Experiences
Gap Year students will have the opportunity to assist and observe a variety of specialized procedures, including cancer excisions, skin biopsies, cosmetic surgeries, and therapeutic injections. They will gain valuable experience in surgical assisting, patient care, and patient education.
Seminars are held to supplement the clinical educational experience. Scheduled conferences include our popular pigs’ feet suture workshop, “Getting into and Surviving Medical School,” and lectures on inflammatory skin disease.
Click here to learn more.
Click here for a calendar of events.
I saw firsthand how the patient’s history and exam findings were gathered by providers, and how other elements including individual patient concerns and preferences came together to form a care plan, so valuable if you are considering medical school or PA school!
– Michelle Mordasiewicz (accepted into PA school)
I was able to develop my clinical skills and become efficient working in a team setting with physicians, PAs, NPs, nurses, administrative staff, and other medical assistants.
Who is the team?
The program is led by award-winning dermatologist teachers and features educators from broad academic backgrounds, including doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. This wide-ranging exposure allows students to understand the multiple pathways into the healthcare field. Our dermatologists collectively have over 100 years of academic medicine experience and hold academic faculty appointments at medical schools including Yale University School of Medicine and UConn School of Medicine.
Read more about our team members here.
What I found most valuable about working at CCD was the close relationships I was able to build with the providers. As a medical assistant, I gained their trust and was fortunate to receive their guidance and support throughout my application process and beyond.
– Sarah Fisher (accepted into Quinnipiac University PA School)
Who is it for?
Central Connecticut Dermatology’s Gap Year program is designed for students interested in professions in the health care field. Successful candidates will have completed a four-year bachelor’s degree and have all or most premedical requirements satisfied. Applicants should be prepared for a fast-paced, highly interactive experience. This position requires excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
We offer both one-year (14-month) and two-year (26-month) options. Our Gap Year positions are full-time (40 hours per week). Funding for the clinical assistantships allows these postbaccalaureate, premedical positions to be competitive and self-supporting.
For specific questions, please contact us for more information.
How to apply
To begin the application process, candidates can submit an online application here. Qualified applications will be offered a virtual interview, and competitive applicants that pass their interview will be scheduled a shadowing experience with a team comprising one of our exceptional provider mentors and current Gap Year students.