Clinical Experience Options?

[thedude777]

Hey Everyone,

I am currently a premed sophomore and thinking about starting clinical volunteering or training to work for a clinical job. I was just wondering what clinical experience option to go for. As far as I know, the main options are EMT, scribing, and volunteering at a clinic or hospital. Does anyone possibly know of other clinical jobs or volunteering opportunities?

As far as those three go, I feel that taking classes and becoming certified as an EMT would take quite a while at this point so I would only be able to work as an EMT for a short period of time. Scribing sounds the most interesting to me, but I feel as though it would be minimal patient contact and getting into scribing itself in my area is very hard since a lot of premeds at my school want to do it. In addition, all the hospitals and clinics in my area require a car for scribing, which I am not allowed to have this year but would be allowed to have next year. With clinical volunteering, I have the option of two hospitals and one clinic which are feasible to go to with the bus system. With the clinic, I believe that there would be greater patient contact but it is only open on weekdays and closes at 5 most days, so I'd probably only be able to volunteer for a very short time every week. On the other hand, the hospitals would be open on weekends, giving me more time to volunteer there, but would also have the risk of lesser patient contact (since there are so many volunteers at each, it's possible I could get shifted to stocking cabinets).

So basically, I was just wondering, first of all, what clinical experiences exist other than EMT, scribing, and volunteering? And of those three, what would you recommend? Would it be worth waiting to become an EMT or scribe in the summer before or during junior year, or better to start volunteering now? If I did start volunteering, would the hospitals or clinics be a better choice? Thanks so much!

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[GrapesofRath]

Many pre-meds get into medical school just volunteering in a clinical setting and doing some shadowing. From what Goro and others have said many ADCOMs view EMTs as glorified taxi drivers so I would not want that to be my only clinical experience. The one thing I recommend anybody looking for clinical experience to consider is working as a Nursing Assistant. The work is hard and grueling but it is the definition of serving and taking care for others. It's the type of thing that can really boost an application given how few people are willing to do that type of grunt work in a clinical setting and really caring for people. Altruism at the end of the day is maybe the biggest thing to highlight in your EC's for a med school application. It might also be worth considering other clinical jobs that might require a certificate such as a phlebotomist.

 

[thedude777]

Thanks so much! I will make sure to look into Nursing Assistants and phlebotomy. I was wondering if you possibly had any opinion on volunteering at a clinic as opposed to a hospital?

 

[LizzyM]

Thanks so much! I will make sure to look into Nursing Assistants and phlebotomy. I was wondering if you possibly had any opinion on volunteering at a clinic as opposed to a hospital?

Clinic volunteering is fine. Most medical care these days is delivered in ambulatory settings. Some physicians practice solely in these settings.

 

[thedude777]

Thanks LizzyM!