Is This Valued Clinical Experience

[Falling Up]

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Hi!

My university has just offered me the opportunity to sign up for a course that involves clinical volunteer experience. However, because it associated with the Psychology and Neuroscience department the clinical experience will be in the field of psychology with organizations like "CASA, Unbound, Victims Advocacy Center, and Family Abuse Center."

My question is: Will I raise adcom eyebrows if I'm a psychology major, work in a psychology research lab, and have a lot of psychology related clinical experience? Will the experience even be valued by adcoms?

I don't want to appear as if I'm confused about what I really want to do. I do volunteer at a low-cost clinic weekly and have shadowed and volunteered in several medical fields that are unattached to psychology if that says anything.

 

[sss1219]

I took a ton of education courses, did 3 years of Education research, and talked about wanting to teach long-term. I turned out okay. If you can relate this passion to your long term vision in medicine, you will be fine.

In terms of value, I think you will find it will be much better to pursue something that you can write passionately about in lieu of something that sounds more premed-y on paper.

 

[Catalystik]

My university has just offered me the opportunity to sign up for a course that involves clinical volunteer experience. However, because it associated with the Psychology and Neuroscience department the clinical experience will be in the field of psychology with organizations like "CASA, Unbound, Victims Advocacy Center, and Family Abuse Center."

1) My question is: Will I raise adcom eyebrows if I'm a psychology major, work in a psychology research lab, and have a lot of psychology related clinical experience?

2) Will the experience even be valued by adcoms?

I don't want to appear as if I'm confused about what I really want to do. I do volunteer at a low-cost clinic weekly and have shadowed and volunteered in several medical fields that are unattached to psychology if that says anything.

1) No.

2) How could adcomms not consider working with child advocacy, the poor, crime victim support, or family shelters to be of no value? Or course it will be valued! But much of it would not be viewed as "clinical" in a medical sense unless you are directly helping those with related mental health issues.

 

[Falling Up]

1) No.

2) How could adcomms not consider working with child advocacy, the poor, crime victim support, or family shelters to be of no value? Or course it will be valued! But much of it would not be viewed as "clinical" in a medical sense unless you are directly helping those with related mental health issues.

Yes! I think we are directly working with those with mental illnesses. The course description says we will be working with "adults and children with mental and/or behavioral problems" and will write a clinical case presentation at some point. I'll be close enough to smell em', so hopefully I'll get some clinical value out of it!

 

[LizzyM]

You may include a description of the activity in the experience section although you also received college credit for the activity.