Is Covid contact tracing considered clinical experience?

[MyOdyssey]

Hello All:

Is Covid-19 contact tracing work - calling patients who've tested positive - to ascertain their recent contacts and then to call those contacts to advise them that they have been exposed - considered clinical work?

The communications are entirely by phone/email and not in person for obvious reasons.

I'd be especially interested to hear the perspective of SDN's resident medical school admissions posters.

Thanks!

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[rdyotz]

You can't see or smell the patients. I'd say an interesting EC, but not clinical.

 

[MyOdyssey]

Anything to add?

@gyngyn @LizzyM @gonnif @Goro @meded

 

[Tyrese]

I agree with previous poster: there isn't patient interaction, so it can't really be considered clinical. Be patient, and try to attain a clinical experience that involves patient interaction (of course when things clear up a bit more). As far as I know, there is not much more that people looking to intern on the floor can do at the moment.

 

[Goro]

You can't see or smell the patients. I'd say an interesting EC, but not clinical.

Agree

 

[LizzyM]

According to my definition of clinical experience, you need to be in the same room as the patient. Clearly, you are not. Ergo, not clinical in that sense. Still, a good employment (or volunteer) activity to list on your application and perhaps something novel enough that you might be asked to talk about it a bit at interview.

 

[3.1415927]

I don't think it's clinical experience but I think it's worth listing on your ECs or talking about in your covid essay