Clinical experience?

[C. Ronaldo]

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I read in my Kaplans book on how to get into medical school, that its very important to have clinical experience. How are you supposed to have clinical experience unless your a nurse, respiratory therpaist, ect? Is it worth getting an AS in something like respiratory therapy to gain clincal experience or would be deemed counter-productive?

 

[Gutierrez001]

you can volunteer anywere, you dont have any cert. . I got my EMTB ,which only took three months,and i volunteer at a clinic taking B/P, pulse , weight , and med. history. SOme place even teach you on how to do all of that.

 

[HNS]

I agree, EMT is a good place to start. It provides for with clinical exposure as well as getting something most miss, the ability to manage a patient. I feel that this exposure is critical to deciding that you actually want to pursue a career in medicine,

 

[DocRadak]

Clinical experience can be anything from shadowing doctors, working in a hospital facility as a volunteer, or volunteering for Hospice or retirement homes. You dont have to have a job doing clinical work. Just give up some of your time volunteering.

RR

 

[(nicedream)]

The easiest thing to do is shadowing. Just call doctors up (DO's if you're applying osteopathic) and ask if you can follow them around awhile.

 

[gr8n]

Shadowing is definitely the best way to go if you don't have any other certifications.

BUT!!! On your applications, substitute the word "shadowing" for "preceptorship."

The most important thing that they are looking for is that you understand the rigors of DO (or MD) life. Make it obvious that you do because of conversations with physicians and so on...

Good Luck!

gr8n
LECOM-Bradenton
c/o 2008

 

[Aaron Earles]

I read in my Kaplans book on how to get into medical school, that its very important to have clinical experience. How are you supposed to have clinical experience unless your a nurse, respiratory therpaist, ect? Is it worth getting an AS in something like respiratory therapy to gain clincal experience or would be deemed counter-productive?

I agree with the above posters. Preceptorship and or volunteering is the best route to go. They just want to see if you know how the medical and health care field operates before you make a decision to apply to medical school.

Volunteer work always looks good.

Aaron

 

[mickdogg81]

I would definitely agree with the above posts. Clinical experience can be an important part in the application process. I have two classmates who had pretty good numbers but no experience, not even a preceptorship! Needless to say, they both didn't get in. I am not saying that clinical experience is the cornerstone of admissions by any means, just that it can set you apart from the rest of the applicant pool....I know it did for me! Volunteer, shadow a physician (if you are going DO, shadow a DO), or try to get a job in the hospital like a CNA or Nurse Aide. Good luck.

 

[AspiringDoctor9]

Hihi guys,

Yeah, I totally agree with everyone else. The point of volunteering isn't necessarily that you expect to learn oodles about medicine, but it's to get you exposure to the medical field. Medicine is a long and rigorous process, and medical schools want you to know what you're getting yourself into. Volunteering is the way to figure this out and see for yourself first-hand what the field is like. I've done some volunteer work, and honestly, I learned very close to nothing. Answering phones and pulling charts isn't my idea of a learning experience, but I think a big part of it is just experiencing the setting itself. I found other volunteer experiences that I've done which aren't necessarily "clincal experience" to be more rewarding, in all honesty.

 

[C. Ronaldo]

so when apparently in all inerviews they ask you "what clinical experience do you have?" do you just say i pulled charts at a doctors office, or do you go on about the volunteer experience you had regardless of what it was.

 

[DaveinDallas]

So here's a pertinent question - Does it necessarily have to be in the DO or MD field? What about working in a chiropractic office as an assistant. That would include learning how to develop XRays, perform some therapies on patients, learn about initial patient exams (ROM, neurological/orthopedic testing, DTRs, etc.).

Would that count?