Interpreting

[Bavestry]

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Hey everyone, the past few years I have volunteered as a spanish/english interpreter at a free clinic. I know that a lot of people get jobs as medical scribes because it is patient exposure and shadowing experience together when they scribe for physicians (or so I've heard). I was wondering if it would be seen negatively if I mentioned that interpreting is like shadowing because I'm literally following physicians around all day throughout the clinic and seeing what their day is like.

I am kind of low on shadowing hours, but I feel that I really do understand what a physician's day is like because of this other experience. Let me know if you guys think this is not a good idea or if I should count it towards shadowing and/or clinical volunteering or how I can reflect this. Thank you!

 

[stinkycheeseperson]

how qualified are you to interpret? if the adcom decided to do the whole interview in spanish, could you do it?

 

[LizzyM]

I have seen Spanish-English interpreting be well received as clinical experience. That you, like a scribe, are at a physician's elbow for your shift does make it smilar to shadowing such that concerns that you understand what a physician's day are like are less than they would be if your clinical experience were at a reception desk or in the pediatric playroom. That said, there is more to a physician's day beyond patient care (phone calls, charting, insurance forms) that you may not see as an interpreter so it is good to have at least some shadowing that gives you a look at a physician's workday that is not patient facing.