No hospital experience...

[zinciest]

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When I apply, I'll have CNA experience in a nursing home for 2 years. I'll also have volunteer experience in a free clinic, but no hospital experience. Does it really matter?

 

[dd128]

As long as you've had PATIENT experience, nobody cares where it was. Hospital or not...

 

[mvenus929]

Have you seen what docs do? Then no, it doesn't matter.

 

[BlueElmo]

If you've worked with patients, then that's clinical experience, you should be good to go.

 

[zinciest]

Have you seen what docs do? Then no, it doesn't matter.

I don't get what you're saying. Nursing homes don't typically have many doctors. The clinic I volunteered at had some, but my interaction was mostly saying hi to them as I finished cleaning out the patient's room. I do have some shadowing though.

 

[Catalystik]

You have clinical patient experience and clinical environment experience in two settings. With all that, and the shadowing, you'll be fine without hospital experience. If you're curious about a hospital environment, a few hours of shadowing at the hospital would tell you what you want to know.

 

[Tin Man]

Uh... the whole point of clinical experience is to see what a doctor does. In my time as a CNA, I didn't see many docs, at least not enough to be able to talk about it confidently in a med school interview. What good is patient contact if it's only through the perspective of a CNA. That only makes you an experienced CNA, not someone who understands what the life of a doctor entails.

 

[red10]

Uh... the whole point of clinical experience is to see what a doctor does. In my time as a CNA, I didn't see many docs, at least not enough to be able to talk about it confidently in a med school interview. What good is patient contact if it's only through the perspective of a CNA. That only makes you an experienced CNA, not someone who understands what the life of a doctor entails.

yes seeing what a doctor does is important but PATIENT contact is what's key. If you can't stand helping people or dealing with patients, then you're going to suck at being a doctor even if you think it's cool to use a stethoscope or w/e.

 

[Beta Cell]

When I apply, I'll have CNA experience in a nursing home for 2 years. I'll also have volunteer experience in a free clinic, but no hospital experience. Does it really matter?

To quote LizzyM, if I may, "If you are close enough to smell patients, it is a clinical experience."

You're good to go. 🙂

 

[TheMightySmiter]

No, it doesn't matter. Hospitals are usually crap places to volunteer, anyway.