Answered

[toastedbutter]

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[GoSpursGo]

I think it’s less that it’s a “red flag” for an activity, and more that I’m just not sure it’s a super strong experience in the first place. While you are providing an important service, it’s really not clinical and more of a Public Health Service. People coming in for screening STI testing generally would not be considered patients, IMO.

If you have other clinical experience then you may be fine. If you were banking on this as being your primary clinical experience, then I think you have a problem, because you haven’t really done a job that teaches you what it means to be a physician.

 

[toastedbutter]

I think it’s less that it’s a “red flag” for an activity, and more that I’m just not sure it’s a super strong experience in the first place. While you are providing an important service, it’s really not clinical and more of a Public Health Service. People coming in for screening STI testing generally would not be considered patients, IMO.

If you have other clinical experience then you may be fine. If you were banking on this as being your primary clinical experience, then I think you have a problem, because you haven’t really done a job that teaches you what it means to be a physician.

Thanks for your reply, this is not listed as clinical for me but rather non-clinical community service. I have a different experience as a medical tech that I am considering my main clinical experience.

 

[toastedbutter]

@Mr.Smile12 @Goro @LizzyM @Med Ed @Moko Hi would any of you be able to weigh in? I believe you all have adcom experience and I am still unsure what to do. Thank you

 

[LizzyM]

People who are being tested for a communicable disease and being given test results can be a gray area in terms of clinical/non-clinical. Clearly some people do go to a health care provider for such tests and some go to non-profit facilities like yours that has no health care provider on staff. Testing for COVID and giving results is pretty common place and not a devastating experience for people who are asymptomatic or who have minimal symptoms and who are at low risk for serious morbidity (or death). HIV is a bigger deal, although not as big a deal as when it was incurable, untreatable and often fatal within a year or two. That you got training and were certified goes a long way as the delivering of good or bad news and the counseling that goes with it is of critical importance.

It seems reasonable to call this non-clinical volunteering. I don't see why it would raise a red flag (You are state certified so no one can say that you aren't qualified in some way to give advice about how to be safe or what the options are to get health care for this condition.)

 

[Moko]

@Mr.Smile12 @Goro @LizzyM @Med Ed @Moko Hi would any of you be able to weigh in? I believe you all have adcom experience and I am still unsure what to do. Thank you

I don't see how communicating test results and linking people to other healthcare resources would be considered a red flag when it's all within scope of what you're credentialed to do. Just mention your certification from the state and continuing education. Just my thoughts.

 

[Goro]

I don't see how communicating test results and linking people to other healthcare resources would be considered a red flag when it's all within scope of what you're credentialed to do. Just mention your certification from the state and continuing education. Just my thoughts.

Ditto

 

[Mr.Smile12]

As described, no it's not a problem. I agree it's in a gray area in terms of classification, but say it is non-clinical (analogy: you are performing screens and rendering results, like you would test for blood sugar and triglycerides at a health screening fair, educate people on proper nutritional and eating behaviors). Describe it authentically, and the faculty may consider it more clinical at their discretion. Bonus on the certification to convince people that your training could facilitate working in clinical environments.

I also would encourage you to give yourself more credit. Not many people want to do what you're doing in testing for STI's... patients or some providers. It remains a difficult taboo subject, and you will have gained insights to communicating with the public and your peers about this subject when the curriculum turns to urology and reproductive health. Even though there are treatments for HIV, many medical schools surprisingly may superficially cover patient management, especially in disadvantaged environments.

 

[Med Ed]

I don't see how communicating test results and linking people to other healthcare resources would be considered a red flag when it's all within scope of what you're credentialed to do. Just mention your certification from the state and continuing education. Just my thoughts.

This.

Also, take Dr. Gray with a pound of salt.

 

[N3utr0ph!l]

Hi,

I’m a current applicant and I volunteered as an HIV Counselor in Baltimore. I listed it on AMCAS as “Community Service/Volunteer- Medical-Clinical”. I actually got asked about it in both my interviews. It was not my only clinical experience though.

 

[USN2MD]

It’s probably more the wording of the description than the activity itself. You can make any activity bad by seeming like a hero and giving yourself a god complex.