HDFCCC Staff Resources

A variety of career development opportunities exist for UCSF and HDFCCC Employees. If you are interested in going back to school to further your career, the Bay Area offers many healthcare professional programs. See below for common healthcare careers, local programs, and funding opportunities.

CREST Program

Recognizing that many HDFCCC staff plan to apply to medical school, Nurse Practitioner (NP), or Physician Assistant (PA) Programs, the CREST Career Development Program has been established to support HDFCCC staff who are on this path. CREST provides education and mentoring to help HDFCCC staff both explore the differences between the NP, PA, and MD roles and to support their application process. All HDFCCC staff are eligible to register. You must first register for the Program, followed by registration for each individual event you wish to attend. HDFCCC Health Center Staff may use their education hours to attend CREST events. They must be approved in advance by the employee's manager and recorded in MyTime.

Register for the CREST Program

Career Exploration Track

All HDFCCC staff are eligible to participate. Geared toward people who are still deciding between the NP, PA, and MD fields. Staff in this track will have access to the following program components:

• Career Panel (NPs, PAs, MDs) - October 2025. Will be repeated next year.
• Characteristics of Successful Applicants - A panel of admission office representatives from Nursing, PA, and MD programs around California - Dec. 8, 4pm - 5:30pm, Zoom. More Info/Register
• Finding Research Opportunities as a CRC - A panel of CRCs who have found ways to conduct research through their current positions - TBD
• Nuts & Bolts of the Application Process for an NP/PA/MD Program - A panel of individuals who have recently gone through the process - Jan. 28, 2026, 12-1pm, Zoom - More Info/Register
• Healthcare Professional Speaker Series  - Current HDFCCC Clinicians/Faculty will give presentations on their disease areas and career paths
  • Steve Braunstein, MD/PhD (Radiation Oncology) - Feb. 26, 2026, 12-1pm, Zoom. More Info/Register
• CRC Retreat - Spring

Application Track 

Open to HDFCCC staff who are applying to NP, PA, or MD programs within the next year. Participation in these events is limited, and participants are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Staff in this track will have access to all the Career Exploration resources above, plus the following:

• Application essay mentoring - Provides mentoring for those who are completing their application essays. Participants receive 1x1 mentoring from February through April each year. They are also organized into small working groups to collaborate on their essays and provide feedback to one another. Applications open in December/January each year.
• Mock interviews - Provided for those interested in medical school, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant programs. Interviewers are UCSF faculty, fellows, NPs or PAs. Applications open in May/June each year.

Program Contact

Please contact Jennifer Seuferer with questions.