Is this a worthwhile clinical experience?

[Gladiolus23]

I'm thinking of volunteering at a memory care center for patients with dementia, but I want to make sure it will be considered clinical volunteering. Basically, this place is a nonprofit health center where individuals with late stage dementia can receive specialized care and therapy. As a volunteer, I would basically engage patients with activities (like singing, dancing, art), serve food & possibly feed participants, give hand massages and music therapy, etc.

Will this be considered clinical experience? FYI, this is not a hospital but more like a resource center for adults with dementia.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ChrisMack390]

I'm thinking of volunteering at a memory care center for patients with dementia, but I want to make sure it will be considered clinical volunteering. Basically, this place is a nonprofit health center where individuals with late stage dementia can receive specialized care and therapy. As a volunteer, I would basically engage patients with activities (like singing, dancing, art), serve food & possibly feed participants, give hand massages and music therapy, etc.

Will this be considered clinical experience? FYI, this is not a hospital but more like a resource center for adults with dementia.

Yes.

 

[DokterMom]

The esteemed @LizzyM summed it up best with the pithy "If you can smell the patients, it's clinical experience" standard. This will qualify.

And though you didn't ask, it should get you 'extra credit points' because it will likely be difficult and uncomfortable, and pull at the depths of your compassion.

 

[Planes2Doc]

Yes, this should be a very good thing to talk about.

 

[Gladiolus23]

.

 

[Goro]

I consider it clinical experience, and an admirable one at that.

I'm thinking of volunteering at a memory care center for patients with dementia, but I want to make sure it will be considered clinical volunteering. Basically, this place is a nonprofit health center where individuals with late stage dementia can receive specialized care and therapy. As a volunteer, I would basically engage patients with activities (like singing, dancing, art), serve food & possibly feed participants, give hand massages and music therapy, etc.

Will this be considered clinical experience? FYI, this is not a hospital but more like a resource center for adults with dementia.

 

[Gladiolus23]

The esteemed @LizzyM summed it up best with the pithy "If you can smell the patients, it's clinical experience" standard. This will qualify.

And though you didn't ask, it should get you 'extra credit points' because it will likely be difficult and uncomfortable, and pull at the depths of your compassion.

Yes, this should be a very good thing to talk about.

I consider it clinical experience, and an admirable one at that.

Okay, thanks! Also, I am already volunteering with hospice patients, so would this be too repetitive considering that the dementia patients are also elderly? Should I maybe consider another different type of clinical experience to increase the variety of experiences on my app or can I still go with this?

 

[LizzyM]

Having a focus on the elderly is perfectly acceptable. Many applicants have experiences limited to children and heaven knows, the elderly are beginning to outnumber the children! With the exception of pediatrics, the elderly are over-represented in almost every medical setting/specialty.

 

[Gladiolus23]

Having a focus on the elderly is perfectly acceptable. Many applicants have experiences limited to children and heaven knows, the elderly are beginning to outnumber the children! With the exception of pediatrics, the elderly are over-represented in almost every medical setting/specialty.

Okay, thank you! Also, I am applying this June but will begin the volunteering at this organization around mid-Jan, early Feb. I know this will be a short period, but I plan to accrue ~70 hrs. by application time and will also continue this opportunity throughout my gap year.

This is not my only clinical experience as I have extensive shadowing, hospice volunteering and some scribing experience in hand. Is it okay for me to include this one as well, or will adcoms think that I just did this to check boxes in a short time? I don't want this to be a negative aspect of my app!

 

[Goro]

Yup! And somebody has to take care of us aging Baby Boomers!

Having a focus on the elderly is perfectly acceptable. Many applicants have experiences limited to children and heaven knows, the elderly are beginning to outnumber the children! With the exception of pediatrics, the elderly are over-represented in almost every medical setting/specialty.

 

[LizzyM]

Okay, thank you! Also, I am applying this June but will begin the volunteering at this organization around mid-Jan, early Feb. I know this will be a short period, but I plan to accrue ~70 hrs. by application time and will also continue this opportunity throughout my gap year.

This is not my only clinical experience as I have extensive shadowing, hospice volunteering and some scribing experience in hand. Is it okay for me to include this one as well, or will adcoms think that I just did this to check boxes in a short time? I don't want this to be a negative aspect of my app!

If the alternative is not to do it at all, it is better to start late than not at all.