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[deleted922305]

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[notretired]

really thought this was going to be about something else

 

[u_raptor]

Non-clinical is typically anything from tutoring to working at a soup kitchen. Escorting patients would likely fall under clinical, as that's what a lot of premeds put down for some clinical volunteering.

 

[Catalystik]

really thought this was going to be about something else

I shared your thought.

 

[Catalystik]

I know it's in a hospital, but can I mark pushing patients as non-clinical? My other clinical experiences are much more direct & hands on, and this would balance my app out more

Were they sedated post-op patients with whom you could not interact?

 

[Goro]

I know it's in a hospital, but can I mark pushing patients as non-clinical? My other clinical experiences are much more direct & hands on, and this would balance my app out more

Nope. Don't try this

 

[LizzyM]

I have had an escort (get your mind out of the gutter) and I recall reflecting on it in a post that is still relevant.

If you are close enough to smell patients, it is a clinical experience.

A little over a year ago I was hospitalized overnight for surgery (just fine now, thanks for asking) and I was the grateful recipient of a wheelchair ride to the lobby by a young volunteer. My experience gave me some food for thought when it comes to transport as a clinical activity. It may not seem like much but it is an opportunity to:

learn how to properly use equipment. Someday someone may trust you with a endoscope or a CT scanner. Start by learning to operate something simple like the locks on a wheel chair. And learn how to position the wheelchair so that someone who has lost the use of a leg (temporarily) can safely get their butt into the chair.

learn to be mindful of the patient's condition and observant. It shouldn't be difficult to operate a wheelchair without running the patient's broken leg into a wall but it does require power of observation as well as the dexterity and strength to steer the chair.

make small talk. After being stuck in a hospital bed by the door for 24 hours with a roommate who did not speak English, I hankered for a little chitchat. Talk about the weather or the local sports team but find something nice to say in the 3 minutes it takes to get the elevator down to the lobby

put your patient ahead of your own self-interest. Being a doctor does require some self-sacrifice. Get a head start by making little sacrifices for patients. In other words, when the temperature outside is unbearablly cold or hot, don't dump the patient in the lobby, yards away from the curb cut on the sidewalk and hightail it back to the nurses station. That's for wimps!

So now you see how a adcom sees transport It can be a great opportunity to make a difference for patients or it can be something else.