How do I get more clinical experience at this point? Do I need more?

[Latteandaprayer]

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I’m now a junior hoping to apply this upcoming cycle.

Ignoring everything else, here’s what I have for clinical experience:
- 100 hours of ED volunteering at hospital A
- 25 hours of pediatric PT volunteering at Hospital B (it was just the summer and they only let you do 2 hours a week. Unfortunately I couldn’t continue when classes started)
- I’ll have about 50 hours of ED volunteering at hospital B by time of application
- 60 hours of shadowing an internist
- 10 hours a week as a caretaker for an immediate relative. I don’t count this as clinical experience though since she’s a relative.

I know it looks like I hopped around a lot, but it’s because my class and work schedule conflict with the requested hours, so I have to drop placements and pick up new ones if I can’t make my schedules fit around them.

 

[Goro]

Get in another 50-100 hrs and you'll be among the upper amounts of applicants. 100-150 is pretty cookie cutter. But so far, so good. You're correct in that caring for a relative doesn't count.

 

[Catalystik]

I’m now a junior hoping to apply this upcoming cycle.

Ignoring everything else, here’s what I have for clinical experience:
- 100 hours of ED volunteering at hospital A
- 25 hours of pediatric PT volunteering at Hospital B (it was just the summer and they only let you do 2 hours a week. Unfortunately I couldn’t continue when classes started)
- I’ll have about 50 hours of ED volunteering at hospital B by time of application

- 60 hours of shadowing an internist

- 10 hours a week as a caretaker for an immediate relative. I don’t count this as clinical experience though since she’s a relative.

I know it looks like I hopped around a lot, but it’s because my class and work schedule conflict with the requested hours, so I have to drop placements and pick up new ones if I can’t make my schedules fit around them.

About 150 hours of clinical experience acquired over 1.5 years is average for those getting patient exposure though volunteering. By the time you complete the anticipated 50 ED hours, you'll be in good shape.

About 50 hours of physician shadowing is average. And you've got experience with a primary care provider, which is highly desirable. If that 60 hour experience included office-based shadowing, so you got a view of longitudinal patient care, you are fine.

You would never want to list caring for a relative as a volunteer experience, but if you were paid, it could be mentioned as Employment. You always have the option of bringing it up in your Personal Statement if it was part of your "Path to Medicine" even if it isn't listed in the Activities section. What exactly was your role?

 

[LizzyM]

You can list caring for a relative as "other" and explain what you do. That helps account for your time given that 10 hr/wk is a substantial time commitment and may help to explain why you haven't been more engaged in other activities.

 

[Wiesal]

Get in another 50-100 hrs and you'll be among the upper amounts of applicants. 100-150 is pretty cookie cutter. But so far, so good. You're correct in that caring for a relative doesn't count.

How advantageous is an "excessive" amount of clinical hours due to a clinical full time job over the course of 1.5 years?

 

[Goro]

How advantageous is an "excessive" amount of clinical hours due to a clinical full time job over the course of 1.5 years?

The more the better. SDNers who report getting into Really Top Schools have 100s, if not even 1000s of hours of clinical exposure due to volunteering and/or employment.

 

[LizzyM]

How advantageous is an "excessive" amount of clinical hours due to a clinical full time job over the course of 1.5 years?

It wouldn't make up for deficits in other areas of the application but otherwise, it only helps.

 

[Latteandaprayer]

You can list caring for a relative as "other" and explain what you do. That helps account for your time given that 10 hr/wk is a substantial time commitment and may help to explain why you haven't been more engaged in other activities.

This kind of makes me nervous, too, because I spend a lot of time doing research and pursuing hobbies to keep me sane. I dedicate a few hours a week doing non-clinical volunteering, but I’m worried it’ll make adcoms question my commitment to medicine. I don’t have the time or money to take a CRNA course now, but the hospitals can’t accomodate me to volunteer for more hours, and local free clinics aren’t easy to volunteer at at the moment.

Does it look bad if I dedicate more time doing community service, research, and directing plays than hospital volunteering? I don’t mean to make excuses, I just think a lot about my story and why specifically medicine and not a PhD in medicine-related fields.

 

[Latteandaprayer]

You would never want to list caring for a relative as a volunteer experience, but if you were paid, it could be mentioned as Employment. You always have the option of bringing it up in your Personal Statement if it was part of your "Path to Medicine" even if it isn't listed in the Activities section. What exactly was your role?

No it’s employment. Basically:
- helping with bathing (trouble with raising arms, so mostly washin hair)
- dressing (mostly shirt and tying shoes)
- preparing meals
- organizing pills and insulin according to doctor’s orders
- next year I’ll start training someone else in how to care for her

This is definitely not clinical experience; it’s just fulfilling my duties toward her, but given that it prevents me from getting a job that pays my bills, which is why I applied to be paid.

 

[Catalystik]

This kind of makes me nervous, too, because I spend a lot of time doing research and pursuing hobbies to keep me sane. I dedicate a few hours a week doing non-clinical volunteering, but I’m worried it’ll make adcoms question my commitment to medicine. I don’t have the time or money to take a CRNA course now, but the hospitals can’t accomodate me to volunteer for more hours, and local free clinics aren’t easy to volunteer at at the moment.

Does it look bad if I dedicate more time doing a) community service, b) research, and c) directing plays than hospital volunteering? I don’t mean to make excuses, I just think a lot about my story and why specifically medicine and not a PhD in medicine-related fields.

You are expected to have a balanced application, with involvement in multiple areas of interest. Having more of a) would never be a negative, once you have a certain base amount of clinical experience. You have not provided details of the b) and c), but research where you gain an understanding of the scientific method is a good thing, and leisure-time/stress-relieving activities are also a positive.

 

[Catalystik]

No it’s employment. Basically:
- helping with bathing (trouble with raising arms, so mostly washin hair)
- dressing (mostly shirt and tying shoes)
- preparing meals
- organizing pills and insulin according to doctor’s orders
- next year I’ll start training someone else in how to care for her

This is definitely not clinical experience; it’s just fulfilling my duties toward her, but given that it prevents me from getting a job that pays my bills, which is why I applied to be paid.

I agree, it sounds like Employment-Not Medical/Clinical would be the best category for your caretaker role.