Do I need paid clinical experience and clinical volunteering?

[cubsloverkb17]

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I currently work as an EMT-B for a private ambulance service and have accumulated roughly 1600 hours so far and that will likely be about 3000 by the time I apply. have 0 clinical volunteering experience and am planning on getting non-clinical experience at a homeless shelter before I apply next year. Is it worth it to add on clinical volunteering, or would my application be okay with just paid clinical experience?

 

[LizzyM]

You have an excellent combination if you have EMT-B experience with patients and non-clinical volunteering with a homeless shelter. I would recommend getting at least a little feel for the hospital setting given that your clinical work is outside of an institution. You can get that with 50 hours of shadowing.

 

[AJ25]

As a former EMT, the experience is overrated. It's a glorified medical taxi service and half the time you're matched up with complete idiots and people who take the job way too seriously...you know, the ones that walk around with scissors, tape, and fanny pack.

Having said that, the bigger question here is that you are asking if you should volunteer or not. Let me ask you then, why do you want to pursue those volunteer hours?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I think having some experience in a hospital or academic medical center is desirable. You will be doing rotations in such environments, so navigating the hospital wards and working with other health professions will be informative.

 

[LizzyM]

I think having some experience in a hospital or academic medical center is desirable. You will be doing rotations in such environments, so navigating the hospital wards and working with other health professions will be informative.

This can be volunteer or paid. @cubsloverkb17 given your EMT-B experience, you may want to snag a job as a patient care technician in an emergency department or in an inpatient setting, or as a medical assistant in an outpatient setting (most clinical care occurs in the outpatient setting).

 

[Goro]

I currently work as an EMT-B for a private ambulance service and have accumulated roughly 1600 hours so far and that will likely be about 3000 by the time I apply. have 0 clinical volunteering experience and am planning on getting non-clinical experience at a homeless shelter before I apply next year. Is it worth it to add on clinical volunteering, or would my application be okay with just paid clinical experience?

One needs clinical exposure. That can be either a paid OR a volunteer position; it needn't be both.

 

[cubsloverkb17]

This can be volunteer or paid. @cubsloverkb17 given your EMT-B experience, you may want to snag a job as a patient care technician in an emergency department or in an inpatient setting, or as a medical assistant in an outpatient setting (most clinical care occurs in the outpatient setting).

My job does both ER intakes and a lot of doctors' appointments because it is a private company. I've been able to interact with a variety of different doctors from various specialties during doctors' appointments so I feel like I don't necessarily need a job as a PCT or MA

 

[LizzyM]

Okay, as long as you describe the role in the experience section. Now that I think of it, I hung out on an inpatient unit with a couple EMT's that were waiting for the paperwork to take my loved one to a hospital that could do emergency heart surgery. The EMTs were certainly seeing what the environment was like there in the hospital and then having the pleasure of driving "lights and sirens" with a patient who might "decompensate". Fortunately, that did not happen and the patient survived and has done well.

 

[TakotsuboOkazaki]

Paid or unpaid it doesn't matter as long as you have patient contact and learn something about yourself, what you want out of your career, and gain some perspective on life. That's what's going to carry you in interviews and life in general. Being an EMT is awesome. Be proud. I wish I did something like that!