Is being an RBT considered clinical experience??

[blue_muse47]

During my gap year I’m working as an RBT for autistic children at a clinic. I carry out the ABA therapy plan, write SOAP notes, and I do ADLs. Basically I apply the Psych/Soc stuff from the MCAT to real life patients. Is this considered clinical experience??

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[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

It could be considered clinical experience, but you should still strive for a variety of settings working with ill patients, including traditional ones (which you might have already but you haven't told us). If you are into behavioral health, why not PsyD?

Here are the differing opinions:

Behavior therapist and clinical experience

I'm currently working as a behavior interventionist. I work with autistic children and try to reinforce their good behaviors using ABA so that they can become functional in society. I have to abide by HIPAA when I'm working with my clients and I'm also learning quite a bit about Psychiatry...

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[blue_muse47]

Welcome to the forums.

It could be considered clinical experience, but you should still strive for a variety of settings, including traditional ones (which you might have already but you haven't told us).

Here are the differing opinions:

Behavior therapist and clinical experience

I'm currently working as a behavior interventionist. I work with autistic children and try to reinforce their good behaviors using ABA so that they can become functional in society. I have to abide by HIPAA when I'm working with my clients and I'm also learning quite a bit about Psychiatry...

forums.studentdoctor.net

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I have hospice volunteering for 50hrs over 6 months and I have 600hrs of caregiving. The RBT will be a huge chunk of my clinical experience

 

[LizzyM]

I would say "no". They are not patients in a clinical setting as far as physicians might think of a clinical setting.
Is your hospice experience in a hospital or free-standing hospice or is it home hospice? Where is the caregiving taking place? Is it with a family member or a non-family member as an employee or volunteer?

I would see your application as deficient with regard to having the experience being in a professional, clinical environment (hospital, medical clinic, surgical clinic, etc) with a variety of clinical providers (physicians, nurses, PAs, NPs, patient care techs, etc).

 

[blue_muse47]

I would say "no". They are not patients in a clinical setting as far as physicians might think of a clinical setting.
Is your hospice experience in a hospital or free-standing hospice or is it home hospice? Where is the caregiving taking place? Is it with a family member or a non-family member as an employee or volunteer?

I would see your application as deficient with regard to having the experience being in a professional, clinical environment (hospital, medical clinic, surgical clinic, etc) with a variety of clinical providers (physicians, nurses, PAs, NPs, patient care techs, etc).

My hospice volunteering took place in a hospital and caregiving was with a non family member in their home as an employee.

It was hard to find a patient facing job without any certifications and in my state it takes months to get one. I was thinking of starting hospital volunteering during my gap year to supplement being an RBT

 

[LizzyM]

So, some hospital experience is good and getting some hospital volunteering in during your gap year would be an excellent addition to your application.

Do you have any non-clinical volunteering with a underserved population (unhoused, migrants, inner-city kids, etc).

List the gap year job as employment non-clinical and let adcoms "up-code" it if they think it counts as clinical. This is better than calling it clinical and having someone call it into question and have a unconscious bias against you because of it (it can look to some people like you are pulling a fast one).

 

[blue_muse47]

So, some hospital experience is good and getting some hospital volunteering in during your gap year would be an excellent addition to your application.

Do you have any non-clinical volunteering with a underserved population (unhoused, migrants, inner-city kids, etc).

List the gap year job as employment non-clinical and let adcoms "up-code" it if they think it counts as clinical. This is better than calling it clinical and having someone call it into question and have an unconscious bias against you because of it (it can look to some people like you are pulling a fast one).

I have non clinical volunteering I volunteered at a homeless shelter during undergrad and I’m a tutor/ESL teacher for refugee children. This totals to over 1k hours of non clinical volunteering. My clinical experience is the biggest gap in my application

I have health education advocacy volunteering that I plan to list as social justice.

Would 100 hours of hospital volunteering + 1k hours as an rbt + 600hrs of caregiving + 50 hours of hospice volunteering be enough clinical experience??

 

[LizzyM]

Would 100 hours of hospital volunteering + 1k hours as an rbt + 600hrs of caregiving + 50 hours of hospice volunteering be enough clinical experience??

Sounds sufficient even if RBT is not listed as clinical (many may classify it as more of a teaching thing).