Best way to get clinical experience?

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thanecyan

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Greetings

I'm applying to med school after I graduate, which would mean I'd have one year off. My plan is probably to take a couple classes a semester and work. I was wondering, what is the best way to get clinical experience to impress the adcoms?

I am likely going to work in a hospital, but what kind of job in a hospital with a bachelors would give me clinical experience?

Thanks

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Greetings

I'm applying to med school after I graduate, which would mean I'd have one year off. My plan is probably to take a couple classes a semester and work. I was wondering, what is the best way to get clinical experience to impress the adcoms?

I am likely going to work in a hospital, but what kind of job in a hospital with a bachelors would give me clinical experience?

Thanks

Do you have clinical experience now? You'll want it to talk about during your admissions cycle both in the app and during interviews. Things that you do on your year off are nice in that you can tell them you are doing it, but you can't really use it to sell yourself since it is something has just been started or will be started.

If you plan on getting all your clinical experience on your year off, you should reconsider.

As far as jobs at the hospital and jobs in general for your year off, forget that you are a college grad, for these short stints it means little. I've heard of people working as phlebotomist and nurse techs, but I wouldn't rely on job listings since they will want experience. Go in and talk to someone in HR, premeds are usually driven and hard workers so once they meet you they should be more amicable.
 
I'd say the best form of clinical experience I have is volunteering at a mental hospital. I don't do any kind of bitchwork; instead, I participate in the therapeutic classes alongside the instructors.

I interact with the mentally ill face to face.

BTW, what is "HR?"

As for a hospital job, this may sound a little shady, but my father is the chairman for the local hospital board, and he could potentially get me a job. I'm just unsure what kind of position would allow the most 'clinical experience.'

Thanks for your reply.
 
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Start shadowing a physician.
 
I've shadowed three physicians so far, all in different specialties. I have more planned for this coming winter.

What exactly can HR do for me?


Thanks
 
Start shadowing a physician.
This is much easier said then done...I've been searching for a physician to shadow for the last year; still no luck! Now I'm back to working full time and the odds of me finding someone and having the time to do it is looking very slim. I've tried random calling, pulling every connection I have, and tried making contacts through my volunteer position. Most doctors are willing, but hesitant due to privacy concerns, time constraints, or other factors.
 
Start shadowing a physician.
Shadowing a physician is a "nice to have" on your application because it can help with a check mark for "I know what a physician does for a living." But in many cases, shadowing is all about observation, very little about hands on. For most shadowing experiences, it doesn't take the place of clinical experience.

OP- Depending on where you live, you can look at phlebotomy or medical assistant. In some states, there's lots of training and licensing, in others it's minimal or nonexistant.

Also, somemaybedoc is right about starting to rack up your experiences now. How you spend your glide year (the year between graduation and starting medical school) is going to have very little impact on getting in to medical school. It's what you do by the time you apply that counts.

Look at volunteering at free clinics. You tend to get to do a lot more hands on volunteering (taking vitals, histories, etc.) than you do in ERs.

Good luck...
 
Shadowing a physician is a "nice to have" on your application because it can help with a check mark for "I know what a physician does for a living." But in many cases, shadowing is all about observation, very little about hands on. For most shadowing experiences, it doesn't take the place of clinical experience.

Where on earth do you think physicians practice if it's not in a clinical setting?

You want hands on? Go to medical school and start your rotations. Or go do your nursing tasks like taking vitals, but be sure to follow that up with nursing school.
 
You want hands on? Go to medical school and start your rotations. Or go do your nursing tasks like taking vitals, but be sure to follow that up with nursing school.
Talk to some adcoms. The more hands on your clinical experience, the better. Talking to patients, touching patients, helping patients is preferable experience to watching others do same.
 
My senior year in college I volunteered in a children's ER, and in my year off b/w college and med school I worked as a phleb. To work as a phleb though, you probably need to find somewhere that's willing to train you.
 
My senior year in college I volunteered in a children's ER, and in my year off b/w college and med school I worked as a phleb. To work as a phleb though, you probably need to find somewhere that's willing to train you.
Yeah, I've heard in some states that it's all OJT but in others it can be a pretty long and involved process.
 
I think my M3/M4 years will give me good clinical experience.



that might not help you out though.....there isn't one "best" way to get clinical experience. Different regions have different requirements for qualifications for assorted good clinical experiences. In my area, I'd say that best clinical experience is to be an ER tech, but you need experience to get that job, so it's a catch-22.
 
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