US clinical experience

i'd say it varies depending on the program but definetely the majority would consider it as excellent usce. i didn't work as an rn but er tech/psych tech and was told it was considered as usce

gutonc said:

Ummm...no, it's not.

Useful for getting into med school? Sure.

USCE for your residency app? A job at Starbuck's is equally relevant.

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This impression varies on the perceptions of the program directors. I'd think it's still better than the job at Starbucks.

The most ideal USCE is as a medical student: clinical clerkships/Sub-internships. A distant second/third is externship/observership. But some programs specifically regard observership as USCE, whereas others explicitly state they do not consider observership as USCE. Overall prelim residency year, whether IM/Surg/TY is the best but that also counts as a form of residency.

Experience as RN is not expected to give you a huge benefit by any means. But give it a shot; when applying for residencies, just emphasize the work and you never know who'll take a strong notice and send you an interview call.

medical assistant or 1-year LVN/LPN?

Domenech said:

This impression varies on the perceptions of the program directors. I'd think it's still better than the job at Starbucks.
...
Experience as RN is not expected to give you a huge benefit by any means. But give it a shot; when applying for residencies, just emphasize the work and you never know who'll take a strong notice and send you an interview call.

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I think gutonc was talking about the job as an ER/Psych tech.

gutonc said:

Actually, I was talking about any non-physician medical job.

If you think than being a tech/phlebotomist/RN/MA/RT/CNA is going to be viewed by residency PDs as residency-relevant "US Clinical Experience" you are high, psychotic or possibly both.

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Thank you for a piece of anecdote. It's probably true no one would take this as USCE. If you become a PD, you definitely won't be falling for this trick. Unfortunately for people who have had nothing to substitute for this "experience", they cannot be advised to leave the CV empty on ERAS application.

Like I mentioned previously, technically observerships can never be a US "clinical" experience because all you're doing is observing, however some programs specifically take this as USCE.

Every PD has his or her own way of thinking. We know for sure what you'll be thinking of.