Is this clinical experience?

[frosty42]

I’m planning on spending 2 gap years working in a clinical position. I’ve considered the typical ones like MA, scribe, PCT, etc. but most of them either require expensive training courses or don’t interest me very much. I recently found another job opportunity that is much more appealing to me but I want to make sure it’s sufficiently clinical. If it’s not, I will likely go the MA or scribe route.

Here’s the job description:

Direct Support Professional at a group home for individuals with developmental disabilities

• Assist in activities of daily living skills
• Administer or assist with prescribed medication
• Provide transportation
• Assists in the implementation of individual plans for individuals and behavioral plan goals
• Assists individuals in the pursuit of recreational, social and community activities based on their preferences and individual plans
• Support people to achieve personal outcomes that characterize a high quality of life

Would this be considered clinical experience? Or should I try to get a job in a more traditional hospital/clinic setting?

I also have 3 years of experience with clinical research administering neuropsychological assessments to individuals with schizophrenia at a psychiatric hospital

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[Doctor-S]

I’m planning on spending 2 gap years working in a clinical position. I’ve considered the typical ones like MA, scribe, PCT, etc. but most of them either require expensive training courses or don’t interest me very much. I recently found another job opportunity that is much more appealing to me but I want to make sure it’s sufficiently clinical. If it’s not, I will likely go the MA or scribe route.

Here’s the job description:

Direct Support Professional at a group home for individuals with developmental disabilities

• Assist in activities of daily living skills
• Administer or assist with prescribed medication
• Provide transportation
• Assists in the implementation of individual plans for individuals and behavioral plan goals
• Assists individuals in the pursuit of recreational, social and community activities based on their preferences and individual plans
• Support people to achieve personal outcomes that characterize a high quality of life

Would this be considered clinical experience? Or should I try to get a job in a more traditional hospital/clinic setting?

I also have 3 years of experience with clinical research administering neuropsychological assessments to individuals with schizophrenia at a psychiatric hospital

Here are my comments:

1. Since you would be paid a "salary" as an employee of the group home, this would be gainful employment as a Direct Support Professional in a group home for developmentally challenged "residents/clients" (and not "patients"). It is "paid employment" and can be entered as Paid Employment on AMCAS.

Reason: individuals in a group home are referred to as "residents" or "clients" (and not as "patients"); and in the job description you provided above, none of the individuals are referred to as "patients."

2. It is advisable to obtain clinical volunteering/experience in at least one primary care field (e.g., EM, Peds, FM, etc.). Right now, it sounds as if most of your experience has been with psychiatric patients in connection with neuropsychological testing/research. For that reason, it is advisable to obtain more clinical experience, in either a paid clinical job, or as a volunteer in a clinical setting in which you encounter "patients."

Hope this information is useful to you - thank you.

 

[LizzyM]

Agree with the above. The key to clinical experience is that you interact with "patients".