Behavior therapist and clinical experience

[aayz345]

I'm currently working as a behavior interventionist. I work with autistic children and try to reinforce their good behaviors using ABA so that they can become functional in society. I have to abide by HIPAA when I'm working with my clients and I'm also learning quite a bit about Psychiatry.

Will this count as clinical experience on my app? I do have clinical experience in the traditional setting (300hrs hospital volunteering + 50hrs shadowing).

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[DrRedstone]

It is absolutely clinical experience. You should put it on your application and definitely talk about what you learned from it.

 

[LizzyM]

It is not clinical experience. These children are not "patients"; you yourself called them "clients". It is employment and it is admirable and will be valued by adcoms but it is no substitute for experience in a setting where the sick or injured (or those seeking preventive services such as birth control, HIV testing, etc) are receiving medical services under the direction of a licensed physician.

I may be biased given that one of my sibling's kid is getting a masters degree focused on the care of children with autism and her background is as a classroom teacher. I just don't see the education and training of people with disabilities as clinical (medical) care.

 

[DrRedstone]

Most ABA therapy is done under the supervision of team of clinicians, including a BCBA, Pediatrician, and Psychiatrist. It is a standard part of mental health care for those on the autism spectrum. It is common to call patients in an outpatient psychiatric facility 'clients' instead of patients as it is more humanizing.

 

[NickNaylor]

I agree with Lizzy to a degree and disagree in another sense. It isn’t “clinical experience” in the sense of working in a strictly medical setting as we normally think of with, say, somatic medicine. However, a lot of the skills you likely have developed in your work would undoubtedly be valuable as a medical student and future clinician. I also agree that the experience should correctly be described as employment since you’re being paid for it, but again, this doesn’t necessary lessen the value of the experience in terms of “intangibles.”

Irrespective of whatever we think, you would certainly get have a better view of what medicine is about by getting additional clinical experience in traditional somatic medicine as, really, that’s what you’re going to spend the overwhelming majority of your time in medical school doing.

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

Regardless of how you classify it, adcoms will view it one way or the other. IMO, nobody will ding you for classifying it as clinical experience (not like you're saying working in a hospital cafeteria is clinical experience).

 

[Osminog]

LizzyM seems to be conflating OP's role with that of a special education teacher. It doesn't sound like OP's work focuses on "education and training"; rather, it sounds like OP plays a role in mental health treatment for children with developmental disorders. That's clinical experience.

 

[Catalystik]

I'm currently working as a behavior interventionist. I work with autistic children and try to reinforce their good behaviors using ABA so that they can become functional in society. I have to abide by HIPAA when I'm working with my clients and I'm also learning quite a bit about Psychiatry.

Will this count as clinical experience on my app? I do have clinical experience in the traditional setting (300hrs hospital volunteering + 50hrs shadowing).

I'd call it Clinical Experience, but would hope you'd have additional activities where you interact with medically ill or injured patients as well.

 

[LizzyM]

LizzyM seems to be conflating OP's role with that of a special education teacher. It doesn't sound like OP's work focuses on "education and training"; rather, it sounds like OP plays a role in mental health treatment for children with developmental disorders. That's clinical experience.

"I work with autistic children and try to reinforce their good behaviors using ABA so that they can become functional in society."
what does ABA involve?
* The learner’s day is structured to provide many opportunities – both planned and naturally occurring - to acquire and practice skills in both structured and unstructured situations.
* The learner receives an abundance of positive reinforcement for demonstrating useful skills and socially appropriate behaviors. The emphasis is on positive social interactions and enjoyable learning.

Frankly, this does not sound like "clinical care" to me. I would be very wary of an applicant who had this as their sole clinical experience or who had this plus organizing a flu vaccine program and calling numbers at a nursing home bingo game.

 

[aayz345]

I'd call it Clinical Experience, but would hope you'd have additional activities where you interact with medically ill or injured patients as well.

Ah, got it thanks! I did mention that I have 300hrs of volunteering in a hospital setting as well as 50hrs of shadowing a physician.

 

[aayz345]

"I work with autistic children and try to reinforce their good behaviors using ABA so that they can become functional in society."
what does ABA involve?
* The learner’s day is structured to provide many opportunities – both planned and naturally occurring - to acquire and practice skills in both structured and unstructured situations.
* The learner receives an abundance of positive reinforcement for demonstrating useful skills and socially appropriate behaviors. The emphasis is on positive social interactions and enjoyable learning.

Frankly, this does not sound like "clinical care" to me. I would be very wary of an applicant who had this as their sole clinical experience or who had this plus organizing a flu vaccine program and calling numbers at a nursing home bingo game.

Thank you for the insight. I’ll take this into account. I do have 300hrs or volunteering in a hospital, so this job won’t be my only form of clinical exposure

 

[Catalystik]

Ah, got it thanks! I did mention that I have 300hrs of volunteering in a hospital setting as well as 50hrs of shadowing a physician.

Yes, I saw that, but you weren't specific that the experience was more what we were looking for and not in the gift shop or a back office where you entered data, rather than actually interacting with patients.

 

[aayz345]

Yes, I saw that, but you weren't specific that the experience was more what we were looking for and not in the gift shop or a back office where you entered data, rather than actually interacting with patients.

Oh right! Yes, I did interact with patients a lot. No gift shop gig

 

[Stumpyman]

I had a similar gap year experience. It's a job that involves a lot of direct contact and there's a clinical aspect to it, but I wouldn't call it a clinical position. It was looked upon favorably when I applied though, but it shouldn't be your only clinical experience.

 

[857770]

I would say that it is clinical experience. These interventionists are not only in the school setting with the child, they do things with the individual on a one on one basis. For instance, I have met several interventionists and their "clients" on the bus. Sometimes they become out of control or inappropriate and the Interventionist has to know how to handle the child and the situation. I think it is a mental health clinical setting.