Is this considered clinical hours?

[Friendship11]

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[Catalystik]

During freshman year I applied to become a student athletic trainer through my university's athletics department. I worked primarily under an Athletic Trainer/Physical Therapist with some contact with the ortho/IM docs who ran weekly clinics.

Most of the responsibilities were helping athletes go through rehab exercise programs assigned by the PT, using some of the modalities like ultrasound, E Stim, and soft tissue work, concussion testing, etc. It definitely got me used to building a rapport with the athletes and getting used to helping people with injuries, but I'm not sure if this really what med schools are looking for.

Would appreciate some input if this would count as clinical hours. I'm currently working at the front desk of a hospital which also doesn't feel particularly clinical so I'm trying to decide if I need to look for a different route to build hours. Thanks!

Time spent serving patients through a sport clinical staffed by physicians and PTs would be considered active clinical experience. It's a bit one-sided, though, considering you worked only with patients having physical injuries. Ideally, you'd broaden your scope of experience and eventually also have interaction with those have acute/chronic medical conditions, and maybe even psychiatric illness.

 

[LizzyM]

Were you interacting with patients? You called them "athletes" rather than patients so it doesn't, in that regard, meet my definition of a clinical experience. That said, it is a valuable experience where you were required to be in physical contact with people and working with them to build trust and rapport, motivate them to participate, educate them on proper technique, etc.

At the hospital front desk do you deal with patients? Are you entrusted with confidential information regarding patients? Are you in close proximity to patients?

If you don't feel as if either of these is adequately "clinical" it might be time to ask the hospital volunteer office if you could put in for a transfer to a unit that would give you more face-to-face time with patients. Sitting with patients who are agitated, holding premie newborns, etc might be more informative than what you've been doing.

 

[Friendship11]

Were you interacting with patients? You called them "athletes" rather than patients so it doesn't, in that regard, meet my definition of a clinical experience. That said, it is a valuable experience where you were required to be in physical contact with people and working with them to build trust and rapport, motivate them to participate, educate them on proper technique, etc.

At the hospital front desk do you deal with patients? Are you entrusted with confidential information regarding patients? Are you in close proximity to patients?

If you don't feel as if either of these is adequately "clinical" it might be time to ask the hospital volunteer office if you could put in for a transfer to a unit that would give you more face-to-face time with patients. Sitting with patients who are agitated, holding premie newborns, etc might be more informative than what you've been doing.

Hi Lizzy M,

Day-to-day it was a mix of working with athletes returning from practice, and working with athletes who were injured and working to return to their sport. I would possibly consider the latter patients, while the others less so.

At the front desk I split time between walking patients to a department that can meet their needs (Ultrasound, radiology, mammography, or the ED) and directing patient's family members to patient's rooms, the cafeteria, etc.

I'll definitely look into broadening my experience possibly with hospice or see if there are other positions within the hospital. Thanks for the reply!