Is this clinical or non-clinical volunteering?

[BirdietheCockatiel]

is volunteering as a counselor at a pediatric medical camp considered clinical or non clinical volunteering? It’s called Camp Boggy Creek.

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[Catalystik]

is volunteering as a counselor at a pediatric medical camp considered clinical or non clinical volunteering? It’s called Camp Boggy Creek.

Can you describe your role?

 

[BirdietheCockatiel]

I volunteer as a camp counselor where I play with the kids and bring them to and from activities. They all have chronic illnesses.

 

[Catalystik]

I volunteer as a camp counselor where I play with the kids and bring them to and from activities. They all have chronic illnesses.

This is considered Non-Clinical for med school application purposes.

 

[STLouisVuittonDon]

This sounds like an awesome experience! I second the non-clinical though.

 

[Goro]

is volunteering as a counselor at a pediatric medical camp considered clinical or non clinical volunteering? It’s called Camp Boggy Creek.

Personally, I consider it clinical. I view it as that you're around actual patients, not clients or research subject.

 

[thegreengreatdragon]

According to the LizzyM rule of thumb ("if you can smell the patient, then it's clinical experience"), it's clinical.

 

[STLouisVuittonDon]

To clarify why I said non-clinical. These are not patients. This is not a medical facility. People with diseases aren't patients all of the time. If you're part of medical care that is given to them at this camp, then that's a different story.

 

[BirdietheCockatiel]

Thank you for all of your replies. To clarify further, there is a medical facility on site with a physician and nurses on staff in case a child needed immediate medical attention. But as far as my role is concerned, I am to play with the kids and keep them safe.

 

[Lawpy]

According to the LizzyM rule of thumb ("if you can smell the patient, then it's clinical experience"), it's clinical.

Right but if an activity falls in a gray area and it's unclear, it's better to be safe and call it non-clinical.

 

[Alejandro]

If this is to decide where you put something, I think this question makes sense. However, don't forget about what you could get away from this experience. Like @STLouisVuittonDon said, this could be a very formative experience and may give you an opportunity to reflect and grow even if it isn't clinical. I think a lot of people think that you can only "learn" from a clinical experience.

I personally don't think its one or the other. Its all a dumb formality: a volunteer could be in the ED restocking suction canisters and moving linens into the warmers, but if they haven't interacted with a patient or stepped outside of the stockroom, its technically no more clinical than if you volunteered in the kitchen for all i care. I usually read what people have to say about their activities to help me define truly if it was clinical or not.

To be honest, some of my more powerful answers to questions about my activities were pertaining to non-clinical work. Was very weird but also pretty cool when those things helped me seal the deal on an interview.

 

[Dr. Scribe]

Being personally familiar with this activity, I would consider it to be clinical. All of the premeds i know also considered it to be clinical on their AMCAS

 

[thegreengreatdragon]

To clarify why I said non-clinical. These are not patients. This is not a medical facility. People with diseases aren't patients all of the time. If you're part of medical care that is given to them at this camp, then that's a different story.

That's a good way of thinking about it! When OP works with them, they're not patients, they're kids at a summer camp. If OP was working directly with the doctors/nurses on-site, that would be clinical. That doesn't mean it's a bad experience; it sounds pretty meaningful.
(I mostly just cited LizzyM because I figured someone would at some point, and it may as well be me haha).

 

[LizzyM]

Are they patients or campers? Would you say, "One of my patients got mustard all over his face?" or would you say "One of my campers...?"

Do keep in mind that non-clinical volnteering is very important to adcoms and they love to see this. Just be sure you also have a paid or unpaid experience in a hospital or clinic or physician's office that provides medical services to the public.

 

[Catalystik]

If OP was working directly with the doctors/nurses on-site, that would be clinical.

Or providing PT/OT assistance, dealing with feeding tubes, checking blood sugars, giving nebulizer treatments, ostomy or catheter care, dressing changes, passing out medication, etc.

 

[Goro]

My reasoning is that these aren't merely campers, they're campers with chronic medical conditions. Getting up close and personal with a demographic like this is very different from you're typical campers, even if you're not giving them medical care. Heck, most volunteers in the hospital aren't giving medical care, even if they're wheeling them down to Radiology.

 

[dpl763]

@Goro I know general rule of thumb is to not include anything from highschool, but I racked up some solid hours as a pharmacy tech in spring semester of senior year (2014) and was wondering if I could include that as it wasn't all that long ago..

 

[Goro]

@Goro I know general rule of thumb is to not include anything from highschool, but I racked up some solid hours as a pharmacy tech in spring semester of senior year (2014) and was wondering if I could include that as it wasn't all that long ago..

If it happened in high school, it stays in high school.

If you carry the activity through to college, then I think it's OK.

 

[stine97]

@BirdietheCockatiel what did you end up deciding? I'm in the same boat. I was a volunteer camp counselor for kids with muscular dystrophy.

 

[BirdietheCockatiel]

@BirdietheCockatiel what did you end up deciding? I'm in the same boat. I was a volunteer camp counselor for kids with muscular dystrophy.

Hi there, sorry for late reply. I have decided to list it under nonclinical.