DV Clinics / Substance Abuse Clinics - Clinical Volunteering?

[breezy16]

Hey all,

Currently, where I live, there are only clinical volunteering opportunities in nursing homes or the hospital. I volunteered in an ER for a little over semester (~40hrs) then graduated / moved so I didn't continue there, obviously. I feel like my current app is a little weak in clinical volunteering and I want to supplement.

My question:
Volunteering in a DV clinic or substance abuse clinic, does that count as clinical volunteering?

Thanks!

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[nwts]

It depends on what the clinic does. If no medical care is provided, it isn't clinical volunteering. If medical care is provided but you have absolutely no contact with any patients (for example, you work in the back room filing paperwork and never encounter any patients), it is also not clinical volunteering. If medical care is provided and you encounter patients, it could be clinical volunteering.

 

[breezy16]

It's a mental health clinic, no MD's are affiliated with it. However, if people are suffering from mental illness and come to this clinic to receive treatment in a form of therapy, how is it different (other than an MD/DO/PA is not associated) from receiving pharmaceuticals to alleviate high BP?

 

[starlite911]

If you are interacting with patients receiving mental health treatment, I think it does count as clinical exposure. However, make sure you interact with other types of ill people as well, which it seems that you've done through your ER exposure, although for a somewhat limited amount of time. Gotta do what you can with the opportunities in your area!

 

[nwts]

It's a mental health clinic, no MD's are affiliated with it. However, if people are suffering from mental illness and come to this clinic to receive treatment in a form of therapy, how is it different (other than an MD/DO/PA is not associated) from receiving pharmaceuticals to alleviate high BP?

My post was not an effort to attack the services provided by the mental health clinic at which you volunteer. I was more concerned that you were talking about a homeless shelter specifically for victims of domestic violence or a substance abuse help center that assists addicted individuals in finding jobs. Both of these are wonderful services that are much needed in our communities, but volunteering at one of these places does not constitute clinical volunteering since none of the aforementioned services have anything to do with meeting anybody's medical needs.

 

[breezy16]

No, absolutely I agree. I've worked for several hundred hours in a homeless shelter and absolutely do not consider that to be clinical.
I'm currently working in a field where I research and do wetbench research.. I am a certified phlebotomist and take blood samples of people who participant in our clinical studies and/or observational studies under a PhD and an MD/PhD, so this is also clinical in a sense and I have much more hours associated with this.

I just want to be a strong as I can for this cycle and give some continuous updates on things other than FT work.