I don't know what to classify this EC as

[nerdyjedi]

I've just started out volunteering for a new program started by some residents at my school's hospital. The program serves members of very poor areas of our city, who do not get regular medical care, often due to lack of info on where to go and lack of transportation. I will be helping to get this project up and running and will be responsible for: screening/interviewing patient participants, taking their medical history, finding appropriate doctors for them to see and helping them to make an appointment, coordinating transportation (we have an arrangement with a medical transport company), conducting followup interviews. I will be working alongside medical students and some faculty advisors.

I'm not sure what the heck this sort of activity would be classified as though... It's community service I guess, but is it also patient care experience? The whole point of the program is to increase health care for underserved populations. Also, can I list it as leadership? I will be helping to get the program up and running but I will be the only non-med student/faculty MD involved with the program (as in, I am hugely outranked in awesomeness by everyone else).

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[Catalystik]

It sounds like a great opportunity that will be Community Service-Medical/Clinical, aka volunteer patient care experience. By "getting the project up and running" (whatever that means), like recruiting physicians to volunteer their time to see these patients, you have a component of Leadership, too.

 

[AnotherDork]

I came out of SDN retirement to respond to you solely because of your username, so you should feel proud of that.

That being said, this sounds like a great experience, and it's definitely both clinical and community service. Have fun with it!

 

[LizzyM]

I would classify it as "volunteer, medical/clinical" and you might title it "case manager" as that is the skill you are using. Another option would be "patient navigator". The description you provide would also provide information on the leadership aspect as mentioned by Catalystik.

 

[nerdyjedi]

Thanks everyone (and I'm glad my username is appreciated!)

I actually forgot to mention one thing that might matter - the meetings that we conduct with patients will not necessarily be done at the hospital. There is an off-site space that is possibly being donated for this and if that's the only thing we can find, that's probably where I'll end up meeting people.

Does this change anything? Sorry I wasn't clear about this before :/

 

[Catalystik]

All clinical experience isn't gained in a clinical environment (eg, EMT, battle field medic, first aid at events/pools/camps, international health volunteerism). And you did say that a faculty MD and residents are involved (will they be on-site or available by phone?).

You are screening people with medical conditions (and likely some without) and triaging them into an appropriate venue to treat their problems. To me this still sounds like a clinical patient experience, but not a clinical environment experience.

With luck, LizzyM will chime in again, too. She may have tougher criteria.

 

[LizzyM]

If you have health care professionals with the power to write prescriptions close at hand for advice and consultation, then I'd call it a clinical setting.