Does Clinical Experience ever "expire"?

[dramadown]

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I'm a non-trad pre-med student, but I'm posting my question here in hopes of getting a wider range of opinions.

Is there a point after which clinical experiences would be considered too old to have an impact on an application?

I worked as a birth and postpartum doula for 2 years, 2006-8, and taught hospital-based childbirth ed classes for about a year in there too. Those experiences will be nearly 10 years behind me when my applications go in. I'll be doing some hospital and hospice volunteering starting in the fall, plus shadowing, so I won't be lacking in clinical exp, but I doubt any of those things will be comparable to the birth work I have done, in terms of breadth of experiences/tasks and autonomy.

And while we're at it, let's here what folks have to say about including doula work on apps in general.

Thank you!

 

[music2doc]

The more important question is whether YOU think they "expire." In other words, can you still derive meaning from them? Can you discuss your time doing that? Does it influence your decision to become a physician?

 

[dramadown]

I absolutely still derive meaning from those experiences - without them I wouldn't want to be a doctor!

What do folks think about including doula work at all? I have met a fair few physicians who really do not like doulas...

 

[Planes2Doc]

The purpose of clinical experience is to see and understand the clinical environment you'll be working in as a physician. It's not to gain any random set of skills that are irrelevant to what a physician does on a daily basis.

You clearly saw what the clinical environment was, despite this experience being many years ago. Therefore, it should still most definitely count. It sounds good overall!

 

[DokterMom]

The experiences are definitely relevant. To counter the possible negative, I'd be careful with your phrasing on your doula work to make it clear that you viewed your role as supplementing the MD, not in any way a replacement.

Another aim of the clinical activities is to show interest in the work. Why did you stop? And what were you doing after doula/birth support?

You want your journey to be cohesive.