Getting clinical experience - how much is enough?

[patrickd223]

I worked as a physical therapy aide throughout senior high school year, and half year while in college. At this job I get tons of patient contact and basically do the physical therapists job half of the time. I still work 50 hours weeks at this job on vacations and the hours def. stack up on christmas break. I volunteer at the hospital 4 hours per week but the job is boring as hell and basically all i do is shuffle papers. Is this enough clinical experience or should I seek getting an EMT-B or something like that? I could also volunteer at the nursing home... Just need some outside opinions because I cant really gauge where I am at. thanks.

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[Captain Fantastic]

Add some physician shadowing hours and you're good, IMO.

 

[IckeyShuffle]

I worked as a physical therapy aide throughout senior high school year, and half year while in college. At this job I get tons of patient contact and basically do the physical therapists job half of the time. I still work 50 hours weeks at this job on vacations and the hours def. stack up on christmas break. I volunteer at the hospital 4 hours per week but the job is boring as hell and basically all i do is shuffle papers. Is this enough clinical experience or should I seek getting an EMT-B or something like that? I could also volunteer at the nursing home... Just need some outside opinions because I cant really gauge where I am at. thanks.

you can never have too much clinical experience. the more, the better as long as you can balance it with class work.

 

[LizzyM]

OP, ask some of the docs who write orders for P.T. to let you shadow. It will help put what you have been doing in perspective as it relates to the practice of medicine.