I'm very confused…

[Gladiolus23]

Okay, so here's the situation: My MCAT is in two months, and I feel like I'm behind. I need to study 10hrs/day starting Feb. 1st to reach my goal score.

I'm a recent graduate who is applying in June and I feel like I have very low clinical experience! So I keep looking for things to add…

Here is what I have so far -

1. 200-250hrs. shadowing in different specialities (including a short-term rural internship abroad)
2. ~100 hrs. hospice volunteering (engaged in music therapy w/patients)
3. ~100 hrs. volunteer scribing (on and off since 2013)
4. Started volunteering at a memory care center for dementia patients (will have ~60 hrs. by June) - I play games with patients, dance with them, serve meals and sometimes feed patients, and give hand massages.

I also have the option to volunteer in a hospital as a patient transporter, but this is a 4-hr shift per week! I'm worried it will impact my MCAT studies

So do I have enough clinical experience or should I take on the hospital volunteering? Should I switch any of the above activities (the scribing or memory care center) w/hospital volunteering instead?

My main concern is that the memory care center experience is not in a "hospital" so adcoms may question the clinical value of the experience since many of my ECs are not in a hospital. I am also worried about the scribing part…I'm not getting paid, so my job mainly involves going to see the patient, talking to them about their concerns, relaying them to the doc and then, going in again with the doc to finish up the patient's case. It's not the typical scribing experience so I'm not sure if this is more shadowing or if I can list it as scribing with no consequences.

Would really appreciate the input! Thanks

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[thatwouldbeanarchy]

I'm no expert on the amount of hours that you should consider "sufficient." But I definitely don't think you should worry about not having hospital volunteering. I would stick with the memory care center. Sounds like it gives you lots of patient contact. It can be challenging to navigate interactions with people with dementia - so I think it's definitely considered a worthwhile activity.

Your scribing experience sounds fine, too. As long you're doing chart documentation, I think it's fine to call yourself a scribe. Doesn't matter if you're getting paid or not. And it sounds like you have a bit of patient contact here, too? If so, even better.

If I were you, I'd keep up with what you've been doing and skip the hospital gig in favor of more MCAT prep time.

 

[WedgeDawg]

1. Your clinical experience is fine, but 4 hours a week shouldn't appreciably impact your MCAT score. I would take it the memory center position if you're interested. It should count as clinical.

2. Your "scribing" isn't scribing, more like patient support and advocacy, but it still absolutely counts as clinical experience and is something that will be looked favorably upon. It's not shadowing.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

2. Your "scribing" isn't scribing, more like patient support and advocacy, but it still absolutely counts as clinical experience and is something that will be looked favorably upon. It's not shadowing.

It's not the typical scribing experience so I'm not sure if this is more shadowing or if I can list it as scribing with no consequences.

Ah, I assumed you were doing chart documentation! If not, then definitely don't call it scribing. I agree with WedgeDawg's definition. If you're actually talking with patients and taking part of the history, it's more than shadowing but not really scribing.

 

[Gladiolus23]

1. Your clinical experience is fine, but 4 hours a week shouldn't appreciably impact your MCAT score. I would take it the memory center position if you're interested. It should count as clinical.

2. Your "scribing" isn't scribing, more like patient support and advocacy, but it still absolutely counts as clinical experience and is something that will be looked favorably upon. It's not shadowing.

Ah, I assumed you were doing chart documentation! If not, then definitely don't call it scribing. I agree with WedgeDawg's definition. If you're actually talking with patients and taking part of the history, it's more than shadowing but not really scribing.

Hmm…maybe I should be a little more clear. At the private clinic, this is exactly what I do:

I take in the computer with the EMR system, go in alone to see the patient and type out what they say in the respective EMR categories. I start with chief concerns, then Subjective, and finally Review of Systems (ROS), where I ask them a list of questions about each organ system (e.g - Do you have difficulty breathing? chest pains? blurry vision). Then, I step outside, meet with the doc to explain the situation, re-enter with the doc all the while listening to his diagnosis and proposed treatment. The doc takes the computer to put in a prescription, and we both leave. Later, I finish the patient's EMR with the Plan where I summarize what happened with the case, detail the diagnosis and treatment plan for the clinic's record-keeping, save and close. Then, I'm on to the next patient.

Okay, so now that its more detailed, what should I call this as? If not shadowing or scribing, what do I say on AMCAS? Can this be clinical volunteering? Also, am I even allowed to do the above? I have no training other than what the doctor tells me since it is his clinic.

Also, there are rotating 3rd year medical students at the clinic and this is what they all do, although they obviously have more knowledge and can do basic check-ups on the patient which I can't do.

 

[Lannister]

10 hours a day studying for the MCAT. Holy ****. I'd go insane.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Hmm…maybe I should be a little more clear. At the private clinic, this is exactly what I do:

I take in the computer with the EMR system, go in alone to see the patient and type out what they say in the respective EMR categories. I start with chief concerns, then Subjective, and finally Review of Systems (ROS), where I ask them a list of questions about each organ system (e.g - Do you have difficulty breathing? chest pains? blurry vision). Then, I step outside, meet with the doc to explain the situation, re-enter with the doc all the while listening to his diagnosis and proposed treatment. The doc takes the computer to put in a prescription, and we both leave. Later, I finish the patient's EMR with the Plan where I summarize what happened with the case, detail the diagnosis and treatment plan for the clinic's record-keeping, save and close. Then, I'm on to the next patient.

Okay, so now that its more detailed, what should I call this as? If not shadowing or scribing, what do I say on AMCAS? Can this be clinical volunteering? Also, am I even allowed to do the above? I have no training other than what the doctor tells me since it is his clinic.

Also, there are rotating 3rd year medical students at the clinic and this is what they all do. I'm basically doing what they do I guess…

Yes, I have friends who have done very similar things. It's basically patient support. You're helping the patient present relevant information to the doctor in a way that is mutually beneficial for both the patient and the doctor. You also make sure that their concerns are addressed. I would list it under the category of clinical volunteering as patient support or clinical assistant or something like that.

 

[Gladiolus23]

Yes, I have friends who have done very similar things. It's basically patient support. You're helping the patient present relevant information to the doctor in a way that is mutually beneficial for both the patient and the doctor. You also make sure that their concerns are addressed. I would list it under the category of clinical volunteering as patient support or clinical assistant or something like that.

Okay, so this would be as relevant as scribing is? Is this considered a unique way to get clinical volunteering by any means? Also, could I say I'm a volunteer medical assistant?

And lastly, if I have ~100 hrs of this and also the shadowing, hospice work and memory care center am I good to go with all my clinical volunteering? Will this allow me to apply to top 20s provided my MCAT is great?

I'm planning on not taking the hospital gig…too much work esp since I am also doing research, working and leadership activities on campus.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Okay, so this would be as relevant as scribing is? Is this considered a unique way to get clinical volunteering by any means?

I don't know what you mean by "relevant", but it's good clinical experience.

Also, could I say I'm a volunteer medical assistant?

yes

And lastly, if I have ~100 hrs of this and also the shadowing, hospice work and memory care center am I good to go with all my clinical volunteering? Will this allow me to apply to top 20s provided my MCAT is great?

It's adequate clinical volunteering. Your success at top 20s will depend on the entirety of the rest of your app.

 

[Goro]

Chill! Not all patient contact has to be in a hospital. Your patient contact experience is outstanding!!

My main concern is that the memory care center experience is not in a "hospital" so adcoms may question the clinical value of the experience since many of my ECs are not in a hospital. I am also worried about the scribing part…I'm not getting paid, so my job mainly involves going to see the patient, talking to them about their concerns, relaying them to the doc and then, going in again with the doc to finish up the patient's case. It's not the typical scribing experience so I'm not sure if this is more shadowing or if I can list it as scribing with no consequences.

Would really appreciate the input! Thanks

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

Ultimately, it's just semantics but this does sound like scribing to me. As an ED scribe, many docs allowed me to see the patient first to collect the history and ROS before they went in. But honestly, I think as long as you convey what you did and what you learned, it probably doesn't matter so much how you word it.

It's definitely good experience so don't worry about that!

 

[Strudel19]

Hmm…maybe I should be a little more clear. At the private clinic, this is exactly what I do:

I take in the computer with the EMR system, go in alone to see the patient and type out what they say in the respective EMR categories. I start with chief concerns, then Subjective, and finally Review of Systems (ROS), where I ask them a list of questions about each organ system (e.g - Do you have difficulty breathing? chest pains? blurry vision). Then, I step outside, meet with the doc to explain the situation, re-enter with the doc all the while listening to his diagnosis and proposed treatment. The doc takes the computer to put in a prescription, and we both leave. Later, I finish the patient's EMR with the Plan where I summarize what happened with the case, detail the diagnosis and treatment plan for the clinic's record-keeping, save and close. Then, I'm on to the next patient.

Okay, so now that its more detailed, what should I call this as? If not shadowing or scribing, what do I say on AMCAS? Can this be clinical volunteering? Also, am I even allowed to do the above? I have no training other than what the doctor tells me since it is his clinic.

Also, there are rotating 3rd year medical students at the clinic and this is what they all do, although they obviously have more knowledge and can do basic check-ups on the patient which I can't do.

Worked as a scribe - this is scribing. Doing it as a volunteer is a pretty nice gig!

 

[Gladiolus23]

I don't know what you mean by "relevant", but it's good clinical experience.


yes



It's adequate clinical volunteering. Your success at top 20s will depend on the entirety of the rest of your app.

Chill! Not all patient contact has to be in a hospital. Your patient contact experience is outstanding!!

Okay thank you! Unfortunately though, the "scribing" has been discontinuous. I started in Dec. 2013 for about a month, stopped, and then re-started at the same clinic this January. I will still have a total of 100 hours by application time, but obviously the gap of 2 years is too much to ignore. How will this affect me in admissions? Does it look like box checking? If it helps, the shadowing, and hospice were spread out over ~2 years. The memory care thing I also only started this past January :/ so my clinical stuff is all bunched up randomly.

 

[tantacles]

Okay thank you! Unfortunately though, the "scribing" has been discontinuous. I started in Dec. 2013 for about a month, stopped, and then re-started at the same clinic this January. I will still have a total of 100 hours by application time, but obviously the gap of 2 years is too much to ignore. How will this affect me in admissions? Does it look like box checking? If it helps, the shadowing, and hospice were spread out over ~2 years. The memory care thing I also only started this past January :/ so my clinical stuff is all bunched up randomly.

I don't think adcoms are going around saying "THIS IS BOX CHECKING!"

This experience clearly belongs on your application. You can simply write in the box that you had a break in between.

 

[Turkishking]

10 hours a day studying for the MCAT. Holy ****. I'd go insane.

Some people require more time to study, while others don't.