Little clinical experience...what to do during gap year?

[frenvedd]

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[ThisCouldBeYou]

Shadowing is not clinical experience. For something to count as clinical, you have to relate to, or talk to, or help the patients, but not just transporting patients. You know what LizzyM says: if you can smell the patients……


What is Epic?

 

[frenvedd]

[deleted]

 

[LostinLift]

Become a scribe. /Thread

 

[Mad Jack]

I'd say EMT myself, because I enjoy actually working with patients. The experience you gain as a CNA or EMT is far more valuable than most people realize, as it gets you used to actually speaking and interacting with patients, something that doesn't come nearly as easily as one might think. I sure as hell will be glad that it isn't my first time ever interacting with a real patient come 3rd year when I'm on the wards. Scribing makes you more of an observer- it isn't really a clinical position in any practical sense of the word.

 

[optimistic3]

Yeah, I'm no expert but I'm also taking a gap year (or two!) and I plan on becoming an EMT. I feel that the hands-on experience will be invaluable.

 

[frosted_flake]

Yeah, I'm no expert but I'm also taking a gap year (or two!) and I plan on becoming an EMT. I feel that the hands-on experience will be invaluable.

Good choice 🙂

 

[frosted_flake]

I'd say EMT myself, because I enjoy actually working with patients. The experience you gain as a CNA or EMT is far more valuable than most people realize, as it gets you used to actually speaking and interacting with patients, something that doesn't come nearly as easily as one might think. I sure as hell will be glad that it isn't my first time ever interacting with a real patient come 3rd year when I'm on the wards. Scribing makes you more of an observer- it isn't really a clinical position in any practical sense of the word.

So true! I have shadowed before and some med students just look dumbfounded/nervous when the resident/attending asks them to go speak with the patient.
One might not think so, but it is tough to do at first.

 

[Kochanie]

I'd say EMT myself, because I enjoy actually working with patients. The experience you gain as a CNA or EMT is far more valuable than most people realize, as it gets you used to actually speaking and interacting with patients, something that doesn't come nearly as easily as one might think. I sure as hell will be glad that it isn't my first time ever interacting with a real patient come 3rd year when I'm on the wards. Scribing makes you more of an observer- it isn't really a clinical position in any practical sense of the word.

Would you recommend being a CNA/EMT if even for a month or so? Getting the certification is going to be a pain for me, much more than actually working as one which I've always wanted to do.

 

[Kochanie]

Yeah I know, still, doesn't change the situation.

Epic is a company that makes health care software for a lot of hospital systems in the US, it's pretty well known for hiring pre-meds that want to make a good living during their gap years

Why work there if you can work somewhere else that will benefit you in the future?

 

[Mad Jack]

Would you recommend being a CNA/EMT if even for a month or so? Getting the certification is going to be a pain for me, much more than actually working as one which I've always wanted to do.

A month isn't nearly long enough. It takes a couple months just to get acclimated to working in an ambulance and with people, and you feel like a ******ed screw up for a while. Things are hard to find, you're in the way, you haven't learned what to say to patients, etc. You don't want your only clinical experience to be "omg I was so bad at being an EMT" because it'll just make you even more anxious come time for clinicals. I'd say 3 months is about the minimum of personally recommend, but that's just my opinion. CNA would be easier to acclimate to in a short period IMO, and you'd get more out of it in only a month, but, depending on where you work, this might not be the case. Some places require blood drawing, others EKGs, etc. More complex skill sets will require longer for proficiency, thus leading to diminishing returns on a one month time investment.

 

[Kochanie]

A month isn't nearly long enough. It takes a couple months just to get acclimated to working in an ambulance and with people, and you feel like a ******ed screw up for a while. Things are hard to find, you're in the way, you haven't learned what to say to patients, etc. You don't want your only clinical experience to be "omg I was so bad at being an EMT" because it'll just make you even more anxious come time for clinicals. I'd say 3 months is about the minimum of personally recommend, but that's just my opinion. CNA would be easier to acclimate to in a short period IMO, and you'd get more out of it in only a month, but, depending on where you work, this might not be the case. Some places require blood drawing, others EKGs, etc. More complex skill sets will require longer for proficiency, thus leading to diminishing returns on a one month time investment.

I see, thank you! Definitely something I will consider during my gap year.

 

[frosted_flake]

A month isn't nearly long enough. It takes a couple months just to get acclimated to working in an ambulance and with people, and you feel like a ******ed screw up for a while. Things are hard to find, you're in the way, you haven't learned what to say to patients, etc. You don't want your only clinical experience to be "omg I was so bad at being an EMT" because it'll just make you even more anxious come time for clinicals. I'd say 3 months is about the minimum of personally recommend, but that's just my opinion. CNA would be easier to acclimate to in a short period IMO, and you'd get more out of it in only a month, but, depending on where you work, this might not be the case. Some places require blood drawing, others EKGs, etc. More complex skill sets will require longer for proficiency, thus leading to diminishing returns on a one month time investment.

I remember when I was first cut loose from my 'probationary hiring' and I had my first patient that was my patient. I had no idea what to say and I felt like a total fool. Although I had talked to a patient with my preceptor present, it is so different when you are the one in charge and responsible for your patient.
Haha, good times

 

[frosted_flake]

Would you recommend being a CNA/EMT if even for a month or so? Getting the certification is going to be a pain for me, much more than actually working as one which I've always wanted to do.

Getting EMT certified was SO much fun. I never dreaded going to class because I loved what I was learning and doing 🙂
You never know, you may love it too!

 

[Mad Jack]

Getting EMT certified was SO much fun. I never dreaded going to class because I loved what I was learning and doing 🙂
You never know, you may love it too!

EMT certification is usually a good time. Most classes around here are about half made up of firefighters and ex military that don't take the training more seriously than it needs to be taken and are good for a few laughs every class, as well as some great stories. The teachers are usually grizzled EMS veterans that have hilarious stories aplenty and really care about the field. And the material is interesting but not overly challenging, which makes learning it *mostly* painless.

 

[Kochanie]

Getting EMT certified was SO much fun. I never dreaded going to class because I loved what I was learning and doing 🙂
You never know, you may love it too!

EMT certification is usually a good time. Most classes around here are about half made up of firefighters and ex military that don't take the training more seriously than it needs to be taken and are good for a few laughs every class, as well as some great stories. The teachers are usually grizzled EMS veterans that have hilarious stories aplenty and really care about the field. And the material is interesting but not overly challenging, which makes learning it *mostly* painless.

Doing the class would be fun! If only I could find one to fit my schedule before graduation.

 

[LostinLift]

I'd say EMT myself, because I enjoy actually working with patients. The experience you gain as a CNA or EMT is far more valuable than most people realize, as it gets you used to actually speaking and interacting with patients, something that doesn't come nearly as easily as one might think. I sure as hell will be glad that it isn't my first time ever interacting with a real patient come 3rd year when I'm on the wards. Scribing makes you more of an observer- it isn't really a clinical position in any practical sense of the word.

It depends on what type of clinical experience you want. If you want to work side by side with a physician for 8-12 hours in a row, see what a physician does, how patients are treated in the ED or in-patient setting, how the physician thinks through patients, and what they have to deal with on a day to day basis - then become a scribe. If you want first-hand patient interaction and occasional 1-2 minute presentations to physicians, then sure be an EMT.

Ideally you could do both, in fact someone I know is a scribe, an EMT, and an EKG tech. But if you want to be a physician and you haven't shadowed for 500 hours, then scribing is the way to go.

 

[Mad Jack]

It depends on what type of clinical experience you want. If you want to work side by side with a physician for 8-12 hours in a row, see what a physician does, how patients are treated in the ED or in-patient setting, how the physician thinks through patients, and what they have to deal with on a day to day basis - then become a scribe. If you want first-hand patient interaction and occasional 1-2 minute presentations to physicians, then sure be an EMT.

Ideally you could do both, in fact someone I know is a scribe, an EMT, and an EKG tech. But if you want to be a physician and you haven't shadowed for 500 hours, then scribing is the way to go.

The clinical experience requirement is less to see that you know what being a doctor entails (you can do 4 or 5 days of shadowing for that), but more to see that you can handle patient interactions and contact. Any adcom will straight up tell you that scribing is lower on the totem pole than EMT or CNA experience because you're essentially just watching things while writing notes but not participating. Getting your hands dirty with frontline care jobs shows commitment and a genuine desire and ability to interact with and take responsibility for sick patients.

 

[LostinLift]

4-5 days of shadowing does not teach you the realities of medicine. Doing anything for 4-5 days can look peachy keen. Clinical experience is to expose you to what physicians do and allow you to interact with patients. I did plenty for patients, often non-clinical, but daily interaction. I'm not saying EMT is a bad experience, but you simply cannot argue that being an EMT is more relevant to becoming a physician than actually working with a physician.

 

[LostinLift]

I'm probably biased because not only did I get to do a lot more than I should have been allowed to as a scribe, but I also worked other jobs where I directly interacted with people and patients, so EMT had no appeal to me.

 

[frenvedd]

Thanks for all the help guys, would getting a CNA certificate and becoming a PCT be a good option as well? I think there are a lot more open PCT jobs opportunities than EMT jobs in my area

 

[The Milkman]

Shadowing is not clinical experience. For something to count as clinical, you have to relate to, or talk to, or help the patients, but not just transporting patients. You know what LizzyM says: if you can smell the patients……


What is Epic?

I'm not sure how you can say transporting patients is not clinical experience... maybe you've never done it, or it's different at different hospitals, but my job is gives me a lot of clinical experience doing so.