"Clinical" Experience Enough?

[AlteredScale]

Simply put, I never started any clinical experiences until this past January. Mainly because of my own self questioning to actually pursue medicine while in community college at the time. I was 98% sure I would sign into a label to pursue music full time, travel and take a break from school. But turned it down once the opportunity arose for a number of reasons.

I've really enjoyed my "clinical" experiences so far, I spent time in the ED doing the "normal" volunteer work and providing directly for the patient. I feel I can excel at it and am (so far) comfortable with it. I've been working the food service (In-n-Out and Sbux) since I was 16, so providing customer service is my speciality so to speak, and it wasn't difficult to manage with patients in the ED, I think my work experienced helped!

I am now in a research associates program where we conduct most of the clinical research in the ED. It's allowed me to learn how to use EPIC and I think has better suited me in the fact that I've had to learn proper bedside manners and uphold patient privacy and research ethics to the highest extent. About 75% of our time is asking patients questions, and the other 25% is spent dealing with the computers and inputting that information into 3 different programs which has been quite the pain.

Along with shadowing a few docs, I believe I have a good amount of experience so far and am continuing to pursue them. But I am hoping that AdComs see to it that I am taking this seriously. I write about my transition from music into medicine in my PS draft and so am hoping that they (AdComs) don't consider my story a lack of commitment to medicine. I truly want to pursue medicine with the full extent and understanding of the trials and sacrifices it comes with, and feel I've have gotten a pretty fundamental understanding of what to expect in choosing this career path.

Any opinions or criticism (constructive or SDN-ive) of my overtly increasing neuroticism as the next cycle approaches will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks ahead!

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[AlteredScale]

Anyoneeeeeee? D:

 

[Lya]

How many hours do you think you will have by the time you apply?

Take note of particular patients you encountered, any unique lessons you learned that you didn't know before, and any events that happened. Bring up these examples when you talk about your clinical experiences and focus on the quality of your experiences. Although the adcoms generally prefer longitudinal clinical experiences (2+ years), I think you should be fine.

 

[AlteredScale]

Thanks for the response! At the end I should have about 60 hrs shadowing, and about 150 hrs of volunteer/research associate work, It will be about a year and half of culminated experience, and will be continuing the research associates program well into the cycle. There have been so many patient encounter accounts already that I've been keeping track of and that have really impacted my way of thinking in the clinic, so I'm hoping it's something that shows that I'm getting meaning out of this, and not just racking up hours.

 

[theseeker4]

Simply put, I never started any clinical experiences until this past January. Mainly because of my own self questioning to actually pursue medicine while in community college at the time. I was 98% sure I would sign into a label to pursue music full time, travel and take a break from school. But turned it down once the opportunity arose for a number of reasons.

I've really enjoyed my "clinical" experiences so far, I spent time in the ED doing the "normal" volunteer work and providing directly for the patient. I feel I can excel at it and am (so far) comfortable with it. I've been working the food service (In-n-Out and Sbux) since I was 16, so providing customer service is my speciality so to speak, and it wasn't difficult to manage with patients in the ED, I think my work experienced helped!

I am now in a research associates program where we conduct most of the clinical research in the ED. It's allowed me to learn how to use EPIC and I think has better suited me in the fact that I've had to learn proper bedside manners and uphold patient privacy and research ethics to the highest extent. About 75% of our time is asking patients questions, and the other 25% is spent dealing with the computers and inputting that information into 3 different programs which has been quite the pain.

Along with shadowing a few docs, I believe I have a good amount of experience so far and am continuing to pursue them. But I am hoping that AdComs see to it that I am taking this seriously. I write about my transition from music into medicine in my PS draft and so am hoping that they (AdComs) don't consider my story a lack of commitment to medicine. I truly want to pursue medicine with the full extent and understanding of the trials and sacrifices it comes with, and feel I've have gotten a pretty fundamental understanding of what to expect in choosing this career path.

Any opinions or criticism (constructive or SDN-ive) of my overtly increasing neuroticism as the next cycle approaches will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks ahead!

Years and years of clinical volunteering is only required on SDN. Having a solid year and a half + before you even submit your application will be plenty of clinical volunteering, so don't worry about that. Ease off on the neurotocicism...

I started my clinical volunteering the same month I submitted my primary......certainly not ideal, but it didn't result in a rejection, so you are definitely fine.

 

[AlteredScale]

Thank you very much theseeker4! Appreciate all of your help!