Front Office + Assisting Nurses/Physician - Clinical Experience?

[Doctoscope]

After a grueling search, I was finally able to score un unpaid "internship" with a small local FM clinic with a focus on geriatrics. My tasks include:

- Helping out in the office (obviously nonclinical),
- Front office patient support/taking info, like calling patients, taking their info, and answering any questions about their appt,
- Assisting nurses whenever they need help,
- Assisting and shadowing the physician whenever the doctor needs help.

There's definitely "patient-smelling," as I'm like one of 3-4 people in the clinic at a given time. But it isn't very "hands-on," and mainly consists of assisting.

The clinic is rather small, so there's an intimate, small-group (3-4) dynamic between nurses, volunteers, and the doctor (which I think would be much more insightful than volunteering at a major hopsital). It mainly sounds like a mix between administrative + pseudo-MA/scribe type of gig. The lack of pay is probably meaningless compared to actually getting some potential clinical exp.

Do the bolded activities count as clinical experience? I'm really hoping it does, because the clinic is only 6 minutes away from me, and I can come in as many times as I want.

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[stickgirl390]

Yes, it all counts.

 

[DNAJB6]

- Assisting nurses whenever they need help,
- Assisting and shadowing the physician whenever the doctor needs help.

What does this mean exactly? We need details.

 

[Doctoscope]

What does this mean exactly? We need details.

I called and asked, they said it's "whatever the nurse or doctor needs at the time while with the patient." They were super vague about it, so I guess I'll find out when I start in 2 weeks.

If it's some ploy to use me as free receptionist labor, I'll just quit. Seems a lot of hospitals like doing it, like gift shop volunteering.

 

[DNAJB6]

I called and asked, they said it's "whatever the nurse or doctor needs at the time while with the patient." They were super vague about it, so I guess I'll find out when I start in 2 weeks.

If it's some ploy to use me as free receptionist labor, I'll just quit. Seems a lot of hospitals like doing it, like gift shop volunteering.

That's exactly what it sounds like it is. If I read that on a resume, I would be disinclined to consider it clinical but we don't know until you start. With that said, I realize the need to be creative during the pandemic and applaud your effort.