how do you get meaningful clinical experience and what exactly counts as "clinical experience?"

[mrh125]

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i begrudgingly realized that i have to do something about my like no clinical experience asap. if i shadow an anethesiologist does that count? i really want to do something meaningful and enjoyable. how do you even find clinical experience or apply or whatever? is it easy to get it? I just got my shiny new bio bachelors degree (officially tomorrow), so if i need to send a resume that should look kinda cool.

also, after january i can do clinical experience 8 hours a day 5 days week or more if that's possible. im used to 8 hours a day hustling (i worked at cvs 😛)

 

[Mavs88]

Anything where you get direct/close patient contact counts. Mostly volunteering....do you have local hospitals? Look at their website or go ask, almost all of them have volunteering. If you want something more personal, look into nursing homes, free clinics, etc. There are lots of opportunities, even the ER at some hospitals. You will surely put on the hours fast with that kind of availability. Shadowing alongside volunteering is great too...surely you will meet some docs as you volunteer.

 

[karayaa]

clinical experience = able to smell patients, per LizzyM
Did you search the fora? This is a pretty basic question for pre-meds, so others have probably asked/answered it already.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/is-this-clinical-experience.1011314
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/clinical-experience.1008961
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/why-do-you-volunteer-and-why-do-med-schools-care.1006862/

 

[mrh125]

Anything where you get direct/close patient contact counts. Mostly volunteering....do you have local hospitals? Look at their website or go ask, almost all of them have volunteering. If you want something more personal, look into nursing homes, free clinics, etc. There are lots of opportunities, even the ER at some hospitals. You will surely put on the hours fast with that kind of availability. Shadowing alongside volunteering is great too...surely you will meet some docs as you volunteer.

thanks. is it hard to get accepted as a volunteer to local hospitals or will they generally accept you if you met certain requirements or are interested? how does it work?

 

[mrh125]

also, would shadowing a doctor and watching him interact with patients/helping him count as clinical experience?

 

[deleted407021]

also, would shadowing a doctor and watching him interact with patients/helping him count as clinical experience?

Yes. However, you need to have a long term type of clinical presence. What I mean is you need to volunteer or work/research in a clinical setting for at least a year to show commitment and genuine interest. I recommend a free clinic which serves uninsured people. If you come to a situation where you can't get a long term clinical thing set up, you can show commitment to plenty of other things (others ECs or volunteering). Just make sure to get as much clinical exposure as you can.

 

[mrh125]

Yes. However, you need to have a long term type of clinical presence. What I mean is you need to volunteer or work/research in a clinical setting for at least a year to show commitment and genuine interest. I recommend a free clinic which serves uninsured people. If you come to a situation where you can't get a long term clinical thing set up, you can show commitment to plenty of other things (others ECs or volunteering). Just make sure to get as much clinical exposure as you can.

thanks got it. thing is im applying this cycle and got everything else going except this clinical experience. i can work all the time i have available at clinic in the mean time.

 

[Mavs88]

thanks. is it hard to get accepted as a volunteer to local hospitals or will they generally accept you if you met certain requirements or are interested? how does it work?

I'm sure it depends on where you are, but there were no requirements where I live besides a TB test.

 

[karayaa]

I'm sure it depends on where you are, but there were no requirements where I live besides a TB test.

A large county hospital in my town requires orientations and 100hr in gift shops etc before doing stuff like ED

 

[Mavs88]

A large county hospital in my town requires orientations and 100hr in gift shops etc before doing stuff like ED

really? wow. at the county/teaching hospital here, they just had a certain number of slots open to volunteer in different parts like: ICU, Peds, cancer center, etc.

 

[mrh125]

Would working with a cosmetic dentist for more than a few hundred hours and interacting with patients of hers qualify as clinical experience? i know it's dentistry but i dont see why it wouldnt.

 

[Charles Ferraro]

There are lots of opportunities, even the ER at some hospitals.

 

[atypicalperson]

It's usually meaningful when it strikes the heart and makes a connection. For me, medical mission trips are worth almost every penny.

 

[Planes2Doc]

i begrudgingly realized that i have to do something about my like no clinical experience asap. if i shadow an anethesiologist does that count? i really want to do something meaningful and enjoyable. how do you even find clinical experience or apply or whatever? is it easy to get it? I just got my shiny new bio bachelors degree (officially tomorrow), so if i need to send a resume that should look kinda cool.

also, after january i can do clinical experience 8 hours a day 5 days week or more if that's possible. im used to 8 hours a day hustling (i worked at cvs 😛)

You need to volunteer. It's an unwritten requirement. Unless you're a 4.0 student with a 40+ MCAT who has heavy research, it's still a requirement.

The truth is, very few pre-meds will get to do anything "meaningful" while they volunteer. For the majority that volunteer in the hospital ED, while you may see a couple things that really tug at your heart strings, for most part you're just doing scut work. ADCOMs want to see a commitment. So you generally want at least a year and be sure that you're currently volunteering when you're applying to medical school and throughout the process. Unless you're a genuinely altruistic person who has been heavily involved in service long before ever becoming a pre-med, it's just a check-box that needs to be checked, yet look as legitimate as possible.

really? wow. at the county/teaching hospital here, they just had a certain number of slots open to volunteer in different parts like: ICU, Peds, cancer center, etc.

Yeah this was the case at the suburban hospital I volunteered at. This is because there were no colleges nearby. If a hospital is located next to a school(s) that has pre-meds galore, then it can pick and choose its volunteers. Hospital administration isn't stupid, they know why they are really there. I hope the ADCOMs do as well.

It's usually meaningful when it strikes the heart and makes a connection. For me, medical mission trips are worth almost every penny.

If it's a short-term medical mission, then it may cause headaches. Check out this older thread of mine, which also talks about the opinions of ADCOMs on the matter: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...oseph-kony-and-why-you-shouldnt-do-it.994079/

 

[thisisansley]

I've been a doula (non-medical labor support person for births) since 2011 and used that as my clinical experience since I only attend hospital births. It was definitely meaningful and hands on and I think helped me to stand out - I have 5 acceptances right now and waiting to hear back from several others post interview. So I always like to suggest that to pre med friends because it's really easy to get involved and get super hands on experience, but most people haven't heard of it.

 

[mrh125]

I've been a doula (non-medical labor support person for births) since 2011 and used that as my clinical experience since I only attend hospital births. It was definitely meaningful and hands on and I think helped me to stand out - I have 5 acceptances right now and waiting to hear back from several others post interview. So I always like to suggest that to pre med friends because it's really easy to get involved and get super hands on experience, but most people haven't heard of it.

Sounds great! Are there any requirements to be a doula? Do I need a certification, special-training? If so how long does that take? I thought about going through EMT training but thatd take two years and im applying next cycle for med school

 

[thisisansley]

Sounds great! Are there any requirements to be a doula? Do I need a certification, special-training? If so how long does that take? I thought about going through EMT training but thatd take two years and im applying next cycle for med school

There are so many ways to go about it depending on where you live. If you want to become certified, you have to take a training workshop and then read a bunch of books and take some classes (the route I took). But some of my doula friends are not certified and took shorter workshops through pregnancy centers or hospitals. In NYC, for example (where I live), we have The Doula Project, which will train you once you sign up, and some local hospitals with volunteer doula programs.

No matter what avenue you take though you can get started with experience right away. There's only so much a class can teach you before you have to just get hands on.

You can PM me if you have more questions.