clinical experience in addition to EMT

[medfromeng]

tl;dr is I believe need "in-clinic" clinical voluteer hours on top of my main EMT gig. Which option is the best fit & how many hours would be ideal w/in my timeframe?

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Non-trad; 10 years as a software engineer. Have quit to pursue this full time. My ~2.5 semester post-bac starts this summer, Application planned to be slightly late this coming cycle (end June'24) after taking Mcat (early June'24), due to a full course load through early May'24. A critical detail is my free time for clinical hours is front-loaded. I have complete flexibility/time-off now through early May'23, part time classes until end of August'23, then full time++ student through early May'24. IE I'm free now but will be slammed closer to my application. My interests at this point are "generalist" roles (PCP, hospitalist, etc - not surgery et al.) and likely rural.

Current/firmly planned experience:

1. clinical: EMT will be my first clinical exposure.
   1. I'm presently in EMT-b training, and have a volunteer ems role lined up. I'll have easily > 300+hrs prior to application (and as many 'projected') of EMS 'clinical volunteering'. EMS (esp SAR) volunteer work is actually something I've been interested in for a long time, so FWIW I anticipate this being a ~permanent gig at maybe 60-100hrs/yr.
   2. I could easily bump these EMT hours up substantially (perhaps 700 by application time).
2. non-clinical: I have some interesting experience, but it's been a while and it's not a ton of hours (200 total). I'll be bolstering this somewhat.
3. Shadowing: once i have some terminology & biology under my belt, i hope to aim for 30ish hours each of shadowing a DO and an MD
4. [this thread] I believe I want (need) some substantial "in clinic" time as well - for adcoms, but also for my own validation of my path.

As I understand it, here are my options, sorted roughly from least to most meaningful/beneficial:

• MA:
  • I don not have any known connections and thus it would be a real tossup on what type of quality of experience I'd have.
  • unknown/variable patient/Provider interaction
• Hospice volunteer:
  • I'm investigating this now, honestly don't know what's available & what patient/family interaction looks like. Sounds intense, but also meaningful.
  • no interaction with Providers
• small/rural hospital "patient assistant" (sit with patients who need monitoring, general greeter/wheelchair, some stocking/cleaning)
  • lots of direct patient interaction, with the demographic I believe I'd like to serve
  • little interaction with Providers
• ED tech at a small/rural clinic
  • only feasible after I get my EMT & some experience - IE well into my full-time classes
  • likely decent interaction with Providers (at least at the small clinic), and I'd see a good variety of patients.
• Scribe:
  • pros:
    • 100% exposure to patients (albeit passive); most exposure to Providers out of any opportunity.
    • Could lead to a very needed LOR
    • charting experience should prove useful
  • cons:
    • huge disadvantage here, is I cannot find any opportunity that does not request a full year commitment, and am unsure what my class schedule will be like). Could I still make one full work day a week? Two??
    • I'm most interested in PCP, hospitalist - but it seems like openings are slanted more available in the specialties?
  • other: Propose my own position? The rural hospital that I am optimistic about landing a volunteer slot at does not have a scribe program - but I hear from employees they might be amenable. I am interested in proposing a volunteer scribe program to the medical director, but have not found any self-directed training resources (eg what I'd need before I'd be ready/useful to be the first participant)

What should I pursue/prioritize? EMT is relatively easy for me to accumulate clinical hours - what should I shoot for "in clinic" clinical?

Thank you!!

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[Fluidity of Movement]

So I'm not an expert but I would say as far as your application goes your EMT job will more than suffice. It's more about what experiences did you have and how impactful were they rather than how many hours you did and whether they were inside of a hospital or not.

I would be more focused with making the most out of your EMT time rather than trying to split it up unless that's what you really want to do for your own personal reasons. Staying in one position actually has its benefits over a long period of time.

I definitely raised an eyebrow at the scribing thing because you're going to get two certifications? How long is all of this taking?

Your timeline still seems a little nebulous to me but I would be trying to find something that is easier to work with hours-wise.

As far as actual part-time paid employment your best bet is just going to be to contact the hospital and see if they're willing to take someone on PRN or if they will work with you on your schedule. The website's usually list all of the recruiters and you could end up sending five emails in an afternoon.

.

So to summarize here I don't think that you need in clinic hours but if that's what you really want to do then go for it. I would personally advise against scribing just because that's more training and time and you're already shadowing.

Hospice will definitely be the best for you in terms of personal growth, and I know a few of the experts around here always recommend it as their top pick. I also think it would probably be easier to find a workable volunteer schedule two or three hours a week. (You can't necessarily preload all of your hours and then go a year etc with nothing because then it can comes off that you're trying to check box.)

Anyway sorry for a wall of post I dictated this one and I tend to be wordy. X)

Just get through the EMT training and actually get some hours under your belt before being worried about what you're going to do next!!

 

[medfromeng]

So I'm not an expert but I would say as far as your application goes your EMT job will more than suffice. It's more about what experiences did you have and how impactful were they rather than how many hours you did and whether they were inside of a hospital or not.

I would be more focused with making the most out of your EMT time rather than trying to split it up unless that's what you really want to do for your own personal reasons. Staying in one position actually has its benefits over a long period of time.

I definitely raised an eyebrow at the scribing thing because you're going to get two certifications? How long is all of this taking?

Your timeline still seems a little nebulous to me but I would be trying to find something that is easier to work with hours-wise.

As far as actual part-time paid employment your best bet is just going to be to contact the hospital and see if they're willing to take someone on PRN or if they will work with you on your schedule. The website's usually list all of the recruiters and you could end up sending five emails in an afternoon.

.

So to summarize here I don't think that you need in clinic hours but if that's what you really want to do then go for it. I would personally advise against scribing just because that's more training and time and you're already shadowing.

Hospice will definitely be the best for you in terms of personal growth, and I know a few of the experts around here always recommend it as their top pick. I also think it would probably be easier to find a workable volunteer schedule two or three hours a week. (You can't necessarily preload all of your hours and then go a year etc with nothing because then it can comes off that you're trying to check box.)

Anyway sorry for a wall of post I dictated this one and I tend to be wordy. X)

Just get through the EMT training and actually get some hours under your belt before being worried about what you're going to do next!!

Thanks; especially since it's not looking easy to line up much meaningful beyond EMT, that's the perspective I'm trying to take.

EMT will definitely be meaningful for me - which is obviously most of the point.

I just wish I could find a meaningful opportunity, paid or not, "in clinic" ... still looking.