Is this experience eligible for medical/clinical ?

[591489]

Hello,

I want to know if a certain experience I had can be counted as "volunteer/comm. serv. - medical/clinical" on the AAMC medical school application (in the work/activities section).

I worked once a week for two years at a university's radiation oncology clinic. Here I worked one on one with physicians do design tools for them to use to optimize their treatments and even training their residents. I often joined them in the OR and while they saw patients in the clinic so I can gain a better idea of how to make the tools. Also, I sometimes (not too often) just join them in the clinic for fun and help out with little things like contouring images. In the end, most of my time was spent researching on how to make the tools.

I feel like just calling this "research" would not be right since I worked with physicians and sometimes saw patients. I feel like calling it medical clinical would be weird as well since I did not get much patient interaction. I only saw patients. I mostly interacted with physicians.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

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[dcamkl1]

Hello,
I worked once a week for two years at a university's radiation oncology clinic. Here I worked one on one with physicians do design tools for them to use to optimize their treatments and even training their residents. I often joined them in the OR and while they saw patients in the clinic so I can gain a better idea of how to make the tools. Also, I sometimes (not too often) just join them in the clinic for fun and help out with little things like contouring images. In the end, most of my time was spent researching on how to make the tools.

The bolded sentences above tell me that it is more on the research side, specifically clinical research (which involves working with physicians and patients).

 

[Catalystik]

You could describe it as a special project under the "Other" designation and carve out the Shadowing time to list separately (being careful not to count the same hours twice). If the activity wasn't for a class or a required project and you received no compensation then you could make the volunteer element clear somewhere in the description. How exactly did you get this opportunity?

 

[AquiVoy13]

I would make sure to engage in some other activities to gain clinical experience (ex. hospital/hospice volunteering). Like Catalystik said, you could count the hours you spent seeing patients w/ docs as shadowing, and the remaining hours as research or work.

 

[591489]

Thank you all for your replies.

Catalystik, I called a prof and asked them if they needed help with clinical research.

From what I gathered from all of you, I think I should list it as "other" and define how many hours I spent in the lab vs the clinic.

Thanks!

 

[591489]

Also, this will be one of my most meaningful experiences so I will have plenty of space to explain.

 

[LizzyM]

If you don't have other research, and the investigators consider you a collaborator in their research, call it research or bear the stigma of not having research on your application.
If you don't have any other clinical, at the very least count some of the time when you are getting a feel for what doctors do as "shadowing" rather than "volunteer clinical".

 

[591489]

If you don't have other research, and the investigators consider you a collaborator in their research, call it research or bear the stigma of not having research on your application.
If you don't have any other clinical, at the very least count some of the time when you are getting a feel for what doctors do as "shadowing" rather than "volunteer clinical".

Thanks Lizzy,

I have a ton of research including a conference oral presentation and 1st author publication. Both of which were from this experience that this post is about. In my application I am lacking clinical things ...

Why would I count it as shadowing over volunteer clinical?

 

[LizzyM]

Thanks Lizzy,

I have a ton of research including a conference oral presentation and 1st author publication. Both of which were from this experience that this post is about. In my application I am lacking clinical things ...

Why would I count it as shadowing over volunteer clinical?

Volunteer, clinical means that you were helping people, helping an organization. Shadowng, which now has its own tag on the AMCAS application, means that you were an observer in the physician/patient interaction and perhaps observed other things physicians do that do not require interaction with patients (reviewing results of diagnostic tests, dictation & paperwork, continuing ed, interaction with staff and sales reps).

If you published the results of what you did, in all likelikhood this activity should be tagged "research". Carve out a portion of the hours spent in the OR & clinic and call it "shadowing". Mentinon in the write up of the research that you were a volunteer.

 

[PHellmuth]

Volunteer, clinical means that you were helping people, helping an organization. Shadowng, which now has its own tag on the AMCAS application, means that you were an observer in the physician/patient interaction and perhaps observed other things physicians do that do not require interaction with patients (reviewing results of diagnostic tests, dictation & paperwork, continuing ed, interaction with staff and sales reps).

If you published the results of what you did, in all likelikhood this activity should be tagged "research". Carve out a portion of the hours spent in the OR & clinic and call it "shadowing". Mentinon in the write up of the research that you were a volunteer.

I agree, research and shadowing... Just divide up the time.