My only other clinical hours currently are roughly 100 hours of shadowing, although I'm applying for a few internships through my uni this summer that would offer a couple hundred hours that I could do while balancing some research work at my uni which would be mostly completed by the time I submitted apps. I was probably interacting with patients roughly 40% of the time if I had to make an estimate, although that is definitely a rough estimate. Most of my interactions were oriented toward nonmedical concerns-- patient refused to eat their lunch, needed a few extra pillows or some newpapers or something along those lines-- although occasionally they would express concerns to me that for whatever reason they had either forgotten or not felt comfortable bringing up to the nursing staff that I would then relay to whoever was in charge of their care. The rest of my work was devoted to maintaining a safe environment, primarily by keeping the environment sterile. I definitely felt involved in the care of the patients, but far more in a hospitality sense than a medical sense. I definitely think that that's a valid and necessary role for someone to play, and it gave me a better understanding of all the moving parts that make up a healthcare team, but I still don't know that I'd call it clinical, strictly speaking. I know there's a rule that if you can smell the patient then it's clinical, and please believe me when I say that I could see, touch, and smell the patients, but I don't know how far that rule can be stretched. Either way, thank you so much for your help! I very much appreciate the feedback and the prompt response! Hope you have a lovely day.
