Medical Assisstant

[The Deep]

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is working as a medical assisstant for few hundred hours enough to replace “clinical experience” which is typically done through volunteering? It will be done in a primary care setting.

 

[mr. tree]

working as a medical assistant is a for sure a good way to get clinical experience (piss poor pay though) being in primary care is for sure a plus

 

[The Deep]

working as a medical assistant is a for sure a good way to get clinical experience (piss poor pay though) being in primary care is for sure a plus

Is It enough that I would not need to supplement It with clinical volunteering?

 

[deleted688779]

AFAIK work done as a medical assistant is "clinical experience". Clinical experience isn't limited to clinical volunteering, though you will still need some form of volunteering on your application whether clinical or non-clinical depends on your interests.

Though admissions can say "if you really wanted to be a doctor, then you SHOULD be interested in clinical work on top of your other interests"

 

[mr. tree]

for me I would say you need clinical and non clinical volunteering to make your app as strong as possible. but you can focus less on clinical volunteering since you will have a clinical job

 

[LizzyM]

You need clinical experience. It can be paid or unpaid. Being a paid medical assistant meets this criteria.

 

[doc05]

Can't tell you what adcoms think, but it's not enough.

Why?

The MAs in my office are clinical, but they don't truly understand the work of a doctor. For your sake, I hope your clinical experience is more varied than working as an MA.

 

[ciestar]

Is It enough that I would not need to supplement It with clinical volunteering?

It’s fine, you won’t need clinical volunteering if you have the MA hours (which is better than what a lot of pre-meds get...). Just be sure you have nonclinical volunteering to go with it!

 

[ciestar]

Can't tell you what adcoms think, but it's not enough.

Why?

The MAs in my office are clinical, but they don't truly understand the work of a doctor. For your sake, I hope your clinical experience is more varied than working as an MA.

This is what shadowing is for.

 

[The Deep]

This is what shadowing is for.

Side question about shadowing: I shadowed the man who has always provided healthcare for me while I was growing up. After shadowing, I realized he was a PA and not an MD/DO. In this particular office, the PA does literally the same thing that the MD’s do (primary care). I can confirm this because they split patients and that I spent 8 hours with an MD at that office when my PA was out sick. I understand I will probably need someone who is an MD to claim It was shadowing that is relevant for medical school, but was my PA shadowing pointless in this case?

 

[ciestar]

Side question about shadowing: I shadowed the man who has always provided healthcare for me while I was growing up. After shadowing, I realized he was a PA and not an MD/DO. In this particular office, the PA does literally the same thing that the MD’s do (primary care). I can confirm this because they split patients and that I spent 8 hours with an MD at that office when my PA was out sick. I understand I will probably need someone who is an MD to claim It was shadowing that is relevant for medical school, but was my PA shadowing pointless in this case?

I don’t consider it pointless since you can always take something from it, but it won’t help a medical school application.

 

[JeSuisUnDoc]

Can't tell you what adcoms think, but it's not enough.

Why?

The MAs in my office are clinical, but they don't truly understand the work of a doctor. For your sake, I hope your clinical experience is more varied than working as an MA.

I don’t think volunteering in a hospital shows you what doctors do. That’s what Shadowing is for. Clinical volunteering/work is more for you to know if you are comfortable dealing with patients.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[LizzyM]

Shadow two or more physicians and be able to compare and contrast the roles of PA and Physician.