First Year Looking for Clinical Experience

[pumpkinman]

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Hello! Would this clinical researcher position count as clinical experience? Here's a brief description: "During a Code Stroke, members of the Student Stroke Team and Stroke Force document pertinent information about a patient's last known well time, time of stroke onset, neurological deficits, and medical history. If a patient meets the inclusion/exclusion criteria for a clinical study, we communicate that information with Dr. Starkman and are involved in enrolling the patient in the trial."

Here's the website: What We Do

 

[LizzyM]

I would say that it is given that you are interacting with people who are patients and who have not yet qualified and been enrolled in a research study. You are interacting with them in a clinical setting. It meets my definition.

Tag this as "volunteer-clinical" (or paid clinical if that's the case) and not as "research". If you tag it as "research" it won't be counted as clinical.

 

[GoSpursGo]

I think you need more information. It isn’t clear to me whether you would actually interact with patients. If you are physically present with the ED physician as they obtain the history to determine eligibility, that obviously would count. If, however, you’re reviewing the chart to determine eligibility, that would not be clinical. “Enrolling” sounds more like you are involved on the backend getting them plugged into the trial database rather than “consenting” patients.

Based on the description, I would guess this is not actually as patient facing as you would hope. But you just have to ask

 

[Goro]

It seems to me that you're dealing with research subjects, not patients.

Hence, no for me.

 

[Doctor-S]

Hello! Would this clinical researcher position count as clinical experience? Here's a brief description: "During a Code Stroke, members of the Student Stroke Team and Stroke Force document pertinent information about a patient's last known well time, time of stroke onset, neurological deficits, and medical history. If a patient meets the inclusion/exclusion criteria for a clinical study, we communicate that information with Dr. Starkman and are involved in enrolling the patient in the trial."

Here's the website: What We Do

Inclined to agree with @Goro.

1. It sounds as if you are a "researcher" who is relaying information about patients to a Doctor BUT the clinical information about each "patient" was actually obtained and documented by members of the Stroke Team and Stroke Force during a Code Stroke, and not by you. You have never met the patients.

2. In other words, you did not personally interact with each patient during a Code Stroke because that is not your job. Instead, that is the job of the Stroke Team and Stroke Force members.

3. It sounds as if your job is to report inclusion/exclusion information to a Doctor/PI who may or may not not seek your assistance in enrolling a patient as a research subject in a trial.

4. For these reasons, it sounds as if the clinical researcher position is a "research" experience.

 

[pumpkinman]

Inclined to agree with @Goro.

1. It sounds as if you are a "researcher" who is relaying information about patients to a Doctor BUT the clinical information about each "patient" was actually obtained and documented by members of the Stroke Team and Stroke Force during a Code Stroke, and not by you. You have never met the patients.

2. In other words, you did not personally interact with each patient during a Code Stroke because that is not your job. Instead, that is the job of the Stroke Team and Stroke Force members.

3. It sounds as if your job is to report inclusion/exclusion information to a Doctor/PI who may or may not not seek your assistance in enrolling a patient as a research subject in a trial.

4. For these reasons, it sounds as if the clinical researcher position is a "research" experience.

Hi! Thanks for the feedback. Just to clarify, I am planning on being a Stroke Team member! So in that case, it would be clinical? I’m not trying to get some other position; Stroke Team gets the patient info and relays it I think.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I understand how this can be clinical considering how the website pitches the experience, especially for premeds.

The description is like being a scribe for the Stroke Team and not just a data entry position. I definitely consider this clinical (give the benefit of the doubt to the faculty running this program). Plus it trains more members of the public to recognize when others might be suffering from a stroke.

But remember OP, as a first year undergraduate, you should try to get a broad collection of experience when you can.

I would get the college credit if offered. "Research" credit is nice.

 

[pumpkinman]

I understand how this can be clinical considering how the website pitches the experience, especially for premeds.

The description is like being a scribe for the Stroke Team and not just a data entry position. I definitely consider this clinical (give the benefit of the doubt to the faculty running this program). Plus it trains more members of the public to recognize when others might be suffering from a stroke.

But remember OP, as a first year undergraduate, you should try to get a broad collection of experience when you can.

I would get the college credit if offered. "Research" credit is nice.

Thanks for your feedback! But, I think the wording of the website may be confusing. I was asking if being a member of the Stroke Team itself would be clinical? There’s no separate position being described. All responsibilities described are things that the Stroke Team does.

 

[LizzyM]

I have seen applicants who interviewed patients and/or family members in the ED (emergency department) to get information needed to determine if the patient is a candidate for a research study. Some studies were survey research and in those cases the patient/family were informed and consent obtained for study participation by the applicant.

If people have not yet signed a consent form when you talk with them and they are wearing a patient ID wristband, by my definition they are patients and not research subjects.

 

[Doctor-S]

Hi! Thanks for the feedback. Just to clarify, I am planning on being a Stroke Team member! So in that case, it would be clinical? I’m not trying to get some other position; Stroke Team gets the patient info and relays it I think.

If you are an actual "member" of the Stroke Team, I would list that as clinical experience because you are: (1) directly and personally interacting with a patient during a Code Strike, and (2) your direct interaction with the patient is occurring before the patient has lawfully consented to become a subject in a subsequent research study.

In this situation, I am defining a patient as an individual who is the recipient of health services and who is (or who has begun or will) receive inpatient or outpatient services as part of an encounter with a health care services provider.

In this case, it sounds as if the patients you are interacting with, as a member of the Stroke Team, already have some type of "patient" identifier (e.g., patient ID number assigned to them by hospital admissions) and not a "research subject" identification number that would be assigned by a research study team.