Clinical Experience

[Archimedes]

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Man, I wish there were some FAQ sections on just Clinical experience alone.

So, here is what i gather from what I've seen posted here.

Ways to get Clinical Experience

-volunteer in a nursing home
-volunteer in a hospice
-volunteer in a hospital
-shadow physicians
-clinical research
-volunteering abroad

Now, are there other ways of gaining clinical experience as well?
Secondly, how much clinical research would be considered "average", and how much would be considered "a lot"?

I always thought quality matters more than quantitiy, so that even if you have just one or two clinical experiences, its sufficient if you can talk about them in depth.

Also, how many hours are we talking about? Like 100 at least in one place? 20? Is there any golden rule?

Also, do these hours have to be documented in the primary or secondary applications? For example, do we need to get the volunteer coordinator to write a letter or something certifying that we're not lying on the application? Or do the schools just go ahead and actually call these coordinators?

 

[ishaninatte]

you worry too much. take a clerk job in a hospital and call in the morning.

 

[Siggy]

The problem with the quality vs quanity debate is that there is no way for med schools to verify the quality of your volunteer. 1 person can do great things at the crapist volunteer group while another could have done nothing with a great group. Its all about what you put in.

Since you can't compare quality, you are left with quanity in tems of both breath (i.e. shadowing comes to mind here) and time. With time, its like other things. More is better, but make sure it doesn't impact other areas (social life [keep sane], GPA, etc).

 

[Archimedes]

What do you mean they can't verify the quality? That's one thing you will be writing about in your applications, right?

 

[Siggy]

Whos to say that you didn't.....embellish the truth.

 

[cfdavid]

I know how much the adcoms advocate and look for clinical or research experience. What you have to realize is that unless you get pretty lucky, you really need to take this one in stride.

I do some hospice stuff, and I'll be starting in the ED at a local hospital (tommorrow actually). One piece of advice about healthcare related experiences you should keep in mind is that it's absolutely what you choose to make of it. Many of us are "doers", and we always are looking to be busy and to be doing something, physically contributing in some way.

But, you need to keep in mind that your role as a volunteer is minimal in terms of what you can do. Physically, I mean. But, you need to approach it from a different angle. You DO have an important role in the healthcare system as a volunteer. Even if you feel like you're out of place because everyone's so busy and seems to have a defined role, like is the case in some hospitals, you can still make a contribution.

So, what can you DO? You can observe. Just take it all in. It's an important part of your learning experience. You can help out, and make yourself available for whatever may come up. If everyone's really busy, no big deal. Then, it's not the time to try starting up a conversation with a doc or nurse. They were there once too.

In hospice, it can be tough, but you need to realize that even if you see someone for only 15 minutes, you've contributed in some small way. I've been to the hospital in a hospice volunteer role, and sometimes I was only there for 1/2 hour on a Friday afternoon. On this occassion, there were only two hospice patients (at the actual hospital), and they were both unconcious.
But, their families were there. So, I just walked in, calmly, and introduced myself as a hospice volunteer, asked if there was anything I could do for them, told them where the lounge was, and that was about it.
I didn't think I did jack sh..t. I felt kind of useless.
(I should add that without exception, the families have been VERY nice and seemed very appreciative of me just stopping by to check on them.)

But, I spoke to a doc friend of mine, and she helped put it all in perspective. You're role will sometimes seem minimal. But, even if you keep your goals modest, you can get something out of this stuff. More importantly, you CAN contribute, but in a less tangible way. You may simply have made the daughter of the dying man feel as if someone cared enough to simply ask "is there anything I can do for you?". It's not much to us, but to a family it can really have a positive impact.

The point is that you need to keep the expectations kind of low, and realize that you will be making small contributions in less tangible ways. But, it's part of the process.

Also, you're learning much more than you think, by just being there.

I'm rambling, so I'll stop now. Good luck though.

 

[45408]

Now, are there other ways of gaining clinical experience as well?

You could be a CNA, an EMT/ER tech, a phlebotomist, EKG tech (I've heard of them on here, I think), etc. You could be a paramedic or a surgical tech, but those are more like a year of training, so it's not going to be worth it for the average pre-med. Try looking through the local classifieds (online or in paper) for available jobs and consider going for those positions.

 

[OSUdoc08]

You could be a CNA, an EMT/ER tech, a phlebotomist, EKG tech (I've heard of them on here, I think), etc. You could be a paramedic or a surgical tech, but those are more like a year of training, so it's not going to be worth it for the average pre-med. Try looking through the local classifieds (online or in paper) for available jobs and consider going for those positions.

EMT can be done in one month in the summer, and can work on the ambulance or in the ER.

Patient Care Technician & Phelbotomist are on-the-job training.

Other jobs can be done in the evening even while a full-time student.

I completed the entire paramedic program going to night school 2 nights a week while in college. My GPA was higher during the semesters that I was in the program, so that wouldn't be an excuse.

 

[Siggy]

But, you need to keep in mind that your role as a volunteer is minimal in terms of what you can do. Physically, I mean. But, you need to approach it from a different angle. You DO have an important role in the healthcare system as a volunteer. Even if you feel like you're out of place because everyone's so busy and seems to have a defined role, like is the case in some hospitals, you can still make a contribution.

So true. Probably the most helpfull I've even been was in the middle of a code that I walked in on (it was about 1/2 over when my shift started). What did I do? Get continuation note sheets for the RN doing the recording, fetching pieces of equiptment, getting IV bags set up (priming the tubing), restocking the nurseing carts that they were emptying at an alarming rate.

Did I do anything that affect the outcome of the patient? Probably not, they would have been able to get through it just fine with out me.

By lending a hand that was withing my scope of practice, did I make the code go easier for the medical professionals? Most definitely.

Know your place and carve out a niche for yourself.

 

[Trismegistus4]

Patient Care Technician & Phelbotomist are on-the-job training.

Does this vary by area of the country? I've looked at the job listing websites of several local hospitals, and these types of jobs ALL require either some type of certification or previous experience.

 

[OSUdoc08]

Does this vary by area of the country? I've looked at the job listing websites of several local hospitals, and these types of jobs ALL require either some type of certification or previous experience.

This is true for Texas and Oklahoma. It is determined by hospital, however.

The courses shouldn't be that long and can be taken in the summer or in night school.

 

[45408]

EMT can be done in one month in the summer, and can work on the ambulance or in the ER.

It obviously varies, because you can't do it in less than a semester here. It was 144 hours of training (four hours, two (sometimes three) times a week, for 16 weeks).

 

[OSUdoc08]

It obviously varies, because you can't do it in less than a semester here. It was 144 hours of training (four hours, two (sometimes three) times a week, for 16 weeks).

This is true if you are taking the course for college credit. You can, however, take the EMT course for non-credit through an EMS agency or Fire Department.

 

[Archimedes]

See, I had inquired about jobs like nursing assistant and EMT and other kinds of stuff out at my school as well. The typical advice I got from everyone in the premed office and the deans was basically that if you need some sort of income, than choose a job that's in a clinical setting - you kill two birds with one stone.

However, they dont necessarily expect you to have a job in a clinical setting, and you can do something else. You could get paid for the research you do, for example.

Now, their theory was this: that if you don't need the extra flow of cash because you're on scholarship or because daddy dearest is paying for it, or you're okay with just taking out flat loans, then you ought to do work in a clinical setting as a VOLUNTEER. This, according to them, is a safe way to go, because it shows a lot about your character.


I have had to take on a job myself which I need to pay for room/board, food, and tuition with. Even so, I was told to focus on clinical research via volunteering...that volunteering in a hospice or a nursing home looks way better than volunteering as a nursing assistant. They always would ask me ... "okay, so if you work as nursing assistant or as an EMT or whatever, you get to see plenty of blood but what do you really get out of it that you oculdn't get out of volunteering? In the end, you're witnessing human suffering right? Why not do that thru volunteering?"

Hmm...who knows?

 

[OSUdoc08]

See, I had inquired about jobs like nursing assistant and EMT and other kinds of stuff out at my school as well. The typical advice I got from everyone in the premed office and the deans was basically that if you need some sort of income, than choose a job that's in a clinical setting - you kill two birds with one stone.

However, they dont necessarily expect you to have a job in a clinical setting, and you can do something else. You could get paid for the research you do, for example.

Now, their theory was this: that if you don't need the extra flow of cash because you're on scholarship or because daddy dearest is paying for it, or you're okay with just taking out flat loans, then you ought to do work in a clinical setting as a VOLUNTEER. This, according to them, is a safe way to go, because it shows a lot about your character.


I have had to take on a job myself which I need to pay for room/board, food, and tuition with. Even so, I was told to focus on clinical research via volunteering...that volunteering in a hospice or a nursing home looks way better than volunteering as a nursing assistant. They always would ask me ... "okay, so if you work as nursing assistant or as an EMT or whatever, you get to see plenty of blood but what do you really get out of it that you oculdn't get out of volunteering? In the end, you're witnessing human suffering right? Why not do that thru volunteering?"

Hmm...who knows?

You do know you can volunteer as an EMT, right?

 

[45408]

This is true if you are taking the course for college credit. You can, however, take the EMT course for non-credit through an EMS agency or Fire Department.

I wish that'd been an option for me. I got a big fat B in my EMT-B class (not sure why, I got A's on all my exams), and I didn't realize that it'd be in my AMCAS GPA. 😡