How does one obtain adequate clinical experience?

[nchop28]

Most people on this forum have hundreds of hours of clinical experience in the ER, hospitals, and clinics of various specialties. The only volunteering I'm allowed to do in a hospital is in the gift shop or tending to administrative work. The hospitals in my state don't allow undergraduate students to do anything related to what these other applicants do in their clinical experience. The local hospice and planned parenthood similarly don't have any legitimate patient interaction or care available for volunteers. I'm not able to scribe or work any other allied health job because I'm a full-time student.
I have shadowed physicians in their clinics and have worked as a retail pharmacy technician for a few years, but that's the extent of what I have done that's classified as clinical (I'm not even sure pharmacy technician counts as clinical for the admissions counsel).
I'm just so frustrated and feel so subpar compared to the other pre-medical students here. Can you guys tell me how you achieved all of this experience and what can I do?

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[Dr panda]

I cannot imagine that you don't have any other hospices/clinics around you. These places are always in need of volunteers and allow you to be with patients. When I was looking for a clinical experience I literally called/applied everywhere and it worked out perfectly. Even major hospitals have many opportunities such as greeting/directing/transporting patients, which is also considered clinical experience.
Use volunteermatch and click Health & Medicine, this also can net you some opportunities (literally half of them are hospices).

 

[nchop28]

I cannot imagine that you don't have any other hospices/clinics around you. These places are always in need of volunteers and allow you to be with patients. When I was looking for a clinical experience I literally called/applied everywhere and it worked out perfectly. Even major hospitals have many opportunities such as greeting/directing/transporting patients, which is also considered clinical experience.

Greeting, directing, and transporting patients is considered clinical experience? I was under the impression that legitimate clinical experience was obtained by working an allied health job (scribing, EMT, etc.) or volunteering somewhere where you are caring for the disabled and elderly. Basically hands-on experience working with patients and doctors.
Please pardon my ignorance

 

[Dr panda]

Greeting, directing, and transporting patients is considered clinical experience? I was under the impression that legitimate clinical experience was obtained by working an allied health job (scribing, EMT, etc.) or volunteering somewhere where you are caring for the disabled and elderly. Basically hands-on experience working with patients and doctors.
Please pardon my ignorance

This is not the best experience, but it still counts. Also, you can become EMT, they have night classes at accredited government career centers, this takes 1 semester (could be done during summer) and then you can volunteer/work with ER/Fire departments, just screw private companies. There are skilled level nursing homes that do care for Alzheimer/memory impairment residents (which I am doing right now) this is also clinical and easy to get, though some adcoms are biased against it (but some will be OK with it).
As wise LizzyM said: "If you are close enough to smell the patient - it is clinical experience"

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

Most people on this forum have hundreds of hours of clinical experience in the ER, hospitals, and clinics of various specialties. The only volunteering I'm allowed to do in a hospital is in the gift shop or tending to administrative work. The hospitals in my state don't allow undergraduate students to do anything related to what these other applicants do in their clinical experience. The local hospice and planned parenthood similarly don't have any legitimate patient interaction or care available for volunteers. I'm not able to scribe or work any other allied health job because I'm a full-time student.
I have shadowed physicians in their clinics and have worked as a retail pharmacy technician for a few years, but that's the extent of what I have done that's classified as clinical (I'm not even sure pharmacy technician counts as clinical for the admissions counsel).
I'm just so frustrated and feel so subpar compared to the other pre-medical students here. Can you guys tell me how you achieved all of this experience and what can I do?

Greeting, directing, and transporting patients is considered clinical experience? I was under the impression that legitimate clinical experience was obtained by working an allied health job (scribing, EMT, etc.) or volunteering somewhere where you are caring for the disabled and elderly. Basically hands-on experience working with patients and doctors.
Please pardon my ignorance

Yup. Any job with patient contact of any kind is clinical.

It’s really not the specifics of the job which are important. The key is your ability to speak intelligently and say the things Adcoms want to hear. You need to be able to prove that you understand what “patient care” is. Believe it or not a lot of people don’t.

Your retail pharmacy hours def count as clinical, as do shadowing, volunteering in the gift shop, wheeling patients around, enrolling people in Obamacare, meals on wheels, etc.

 

[nchop28]

Yup. Any job with patient contact of any kind is clinical.

It’s really not the specifics of the job which are important. The key is your ability to speak intelligently and say the things Adcoms want to hear. You need to be able to prove that you understand what “patient care” is. Believe it or not a lot of people don’t.

Your retail pharmacy hours def count as clinical, as do shadowing, volunteering in the gift shop, wheeling patients around, enrolling people in Obamacare, meals on wheels, etc.

Would you advise against reapplying for my job as a pharmacy technician? Do you recommend leaving my previous 2 yrs experience at that and instead diversify my clinical experience by doing something else?

 

[MyOdyssey]

Most people on this forum have hundreds of hours of clinical experience in the ER, hospitals, and clinics of various specialties. The only volunteering I'm allowed to do in a hospital is in the gift shop or tending to administrative work. The hospitals in my state don't allow undergraduate students to do anything related to what these other applicants do in their clinical experience. The local hospice and planned parenthood similarly don't have any legitimate patient interaction or care available for volunteers. I'm not able to scribe or work any other allied health job because I'm a full-time student.
I have shadowed physicians in their clinics and have worked as a retail pharmacy technician for a few years, but that's the extent of what I have done that's classified as clinical (I'm not even sure pharmacy technician counts as clinical for the admissions counsel).
I'm just so frustrated and feel so subpar compared to the other pre-medical students here. Can you guys tell me how you achieved all of this experience and what can I do?

Try volunteering at one of the public hospitals where you attend school or, over the summer, where you live.

The public hospitals are usually run by the county and are different from the private hospitals.

Public hospitals are less well funded, and in my experience need volunteers more. You're more likely to get more responsibility and opportunities for real patient contact at the public hospitals and to be exposed to a more diverse array of patients.

 

[Dr panda]

Your retail pharmacy hours def count as clinical, as do shadowing, volunteering in the gift shop, wheeling patients around, enrolling people in Obamacare, meals on wheels, etc.

I think it's way over optimistic, shadowing is not clinical experience, it is shadowing. Meals on wheels is an excellent community service but I doubt it is clinical, same for a gift shop. From wise LizzyM:

Retail pharmacies don't care for patients. You deal with customers, some of whom have a prescription from a health care provider, but I've never heard a retail pharmacist or pharm tech say, "a patient is waiting" or "can I help the next patient?".

Stay in a job that pays well or leave it for something that pays better or is more fulfilling. Get your clinical experience through volunteerism if you aren't employed in a setting where you are close enough to smell patients.

 

[ciestar]

Yup. Any job with patient contact of any kind is clinical.

It’s really not the specifics of the job which are important. The key is your ability to speak intelligently and say the things Adcoms want to hear. You need to be able to prove that you understand what “patient care” is. Believe it or not a lot of people don’t.

Your retail pharmacy hours def count as clinical, as do shadowing, volunteering in the gift shop, wheeling patients around, enrolling people in Obamacare, meals on wheels, etc.

Pharm tech is not considered clinical experience by the people who’s opinion matters.

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

Pharm tech is not considered clinical experience by the people who’s opinion matters.

Hmm maybe I’m stretching a bit. But I could totally see how someone could spin both of those things for solid admissions essays.

Or maybe my relationship with my retail pharmacist is just way too personal

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

I think it's way over optimistic, shadowing is not clinical experience, it is shadowing. Meals on wheels is an excellent community service but I doubt it is clinical, same for a gift shop. From wise LizzyM:

Yea that’s true. I guess a better response would be that “clinical hours” is not a thing. There’s “community service/volunteer - medical/clinical” and “physician shadowing/clinical observation.”

Shadowing is clinical observation.

I’d personally still say meals on wheels is clinical volunteering as you’re working with people who are disabled/have medical conditions which necessitates their needing the service. No different from pushing around the meal cart in a hospital or helping patients eat in a hospital. But I guess that’s just my opinion and open to adcom interpretation

 

[JeSuisUnDoc]

I would email a bunch of volunteer coordinators and ask them if they have any position where you work in the nursing unit or the ED.
Even if you restock the patient rooms, you’ll have the opportunity to see nurses interact with the patients, you’ll be able to talk to the actual patients, and even see doctors interact with them. That’s what I did.

 

[Ms Procrastinator]

The local hospice and planned parenthood similarly don't have any legitimate patient interaction or care available for volunteers.

What do you mean by legitimate? As long as you're interacting with patients it counts as clinical volunteering. I doubt that a hospice won't allow their volunteers to be in contact with patients, that's one of the reasons they need volunteers.

 

[ciestar]

Hmm maybe I’m stretching a bit. But I could totally see how someone could spin both of those things for solid admissions essays.

Or maybe my relationship with my retail pharmacist is just way too personal

I put it as clinical on my own application. I just got told repeatedly that it didnt count.

 

[ciestar]

Yea that’s true. I guess a better response would be that “clinical hours” is not a thing. There’s “community service/volunteer - medical/clinical” and “physician shadowing/clinical observation.”

Shadowing is clinical observation.

I’d personally still say meals on wheels is clinical volunteering as you’re working with people who are disabled/have medical conditions which necessitates their needing the service. No different from pushing around the meal cart in a hospital or helping patients eat in a hospital. But I guess that’s just my opinion and open to adcom interpretation

It isn’t clinical in the same way the Special Olympics isn’t clinical. Just because a person is disabled doesn’t make them a patient.

 

[Cornfed101]

Yeah it’s tough to get your foot in the door for clinical volunteering and work, but I feel like that’s part of the reason it’s “required”. It shows that you are dedicated to this and that you are willing to jump through whatever hoops are necessary to make it happen. Dig deeper and think outside the box. Hospitals are often fraught with a lot of red tape and I’ve found some outpatient and private clinics to be a little more accepting of help.

 

[Goro]

Most people on this forum have hundreds of hours of clinical experience in the ER, hospitals, and clinics of various specialties. The only volunteering I'm allowed to do in a hospital is in the gift shop or tending to administrative work. The hospitals in my state don't allow undergraduate students to do anything related to what these other applicants do in their clinical experience. The local hospice and planned parenthood similarly don't have any legitimate patient interaction or care available for volunteers. I'm not able to scribe or work any other allied health job because I'm a full-time student.
I have shadowed physicians in their clinics and have worked as a retail pharmacy technician for a few years, but that's the extent of what I have done that's classified as clinical (I'm not even sure pharmacy technician counts as clinical for the admissions counsel).
I'm just so frustrated and feel so subpar compared to the other pre-medical students here. Can you guys tell me how you achieved all of this experience and what can I do?

Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics.

Some types of volunteer activities are more appealing than others. Volunteering in a nice suburban hospital is all very well and good and all, but doesn't show that you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty in the same way that working with the developmentally disabled (or homeless, the dying, or Alzheimer’s or mentally ill or elderly or ESL or domestic, rural impoverished) does. The uncomfortable situations are the ones that really demonstrate your altruism and get you 'brownie points'. Plus, they frankly teach you more -- they develop your compassion and humanity in ways comfortable situations can't.

 

[CyrilFiggis]

@nchop28 what city are you in?

 

[LizzyM]

Do you have any VA medical centers or clinics in your area? They operate under federal laws and regs that might make it easier to get your foot in the door.