HDFCCC Staff Resources

UCSF Cancer

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.

Healthcare Professional Career Development Program for HDFCCC Staff

A series of events open to HDFCCC staff who are interested in attending medical school, nursing/nurse practitioner or physician assistant programs. The program consists of online resources plus events and mentoring. Some events/mentoring are open to all and some require that you apply. Please see below for more information. 

Applications for mock interviews now open!

Mock interviews are provided for those interested in medical school, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant programs. Interviewers are current UCSF faculty, fellows and NPs or PAs. 

Please apply to participate by July 18 (early applications are recommended as space is limited). Interviews will occur between August 4 – 22, 2025.

For more information, email Gia Monachino.

The Application Essay Mentoring component is to provide mentoring for those who are completing their medical school applications. Participants are paired with a current UCSF Med Student to receive 1x1 mentoring from April to June each year (to coincide with primary and secondary applications). Participants will also be organized into small working groups to work on their essays together and give each other feedback.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Mentees:

  • Contact assigned mentor to determine when and how you will meet (zoom, in-person, etc.)
  • Discuss with your mentor how often you will meet. Consider your schedule, the application deadlines and your mentor’s time. The mentors were told to expect no more than 2-4 hours/month, for April, May and June. Anything different would need to be mutually agreed upon.
  • Be prepared when you meet with your mentor. Have a draft of your essay ready or have specific questions prepared if you need help before starting your draft.
  • Build in time in your meeting for your mentor to read your draft. You can also send it, or specific questions you have, to them beforehand, but given their very busy med student schedules, assume they won’t have much time outside your meeting.
  • Plan to keep your meetings no longer than an hour.
  • Contact Gia Monachino with questions

Applications for 2025 are now closed. Application for the next cohort will open around January/February 2026.

Characteristics of Successful Applicants Panel
June 5, 2025 | 4 - 6pm | Virtual

Admission Officers from medical schools, nursing, and physician assistant programs around California present tips on applying to their programs. Open to all.

View event details and register to attend.

CREST Program Logo

CREST Program

Applications are now closed. More information coming soon!

The Clinical Research Staff Research and Exploration to Facilitate STEMM Training (CREST) Career Development Program supports clinical research staff who plan to pursue additional training in STEMM professions. 

 

Other Staff Resources

For Advanced Practice Providers

 Collaborative Career Advancement Network (C-CAN)

A career development program for staff who are interested in NP, PA, or CNM training. To learn more about the program email

 [email protected]

 

Online Resources
Career Path Videos

Career Paths: A Virtual Guide to Healthcare Professional Careers - A portfolio of recorded interviews with UCSF/HDFCCC healthcare professionals from different fields. Learn how they got interested in science/healthcare and their path to their current field.