Nursing EC?

[YBFdoctor]

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I have the opportunity to go on a couple of nursing home health visits with my mom, who is an RN. Basically she goes to the patient's home and performs wellness checks, changes wound dressings, maybe change a catheter or two....just basic medical services. I *might* be able to assist a little. My question is should I put this on my application, or will it be looked down upon because it's a nursing experience and not actually functions a physician would normally do?

 

[LizzyM]

I have the opportunity to go on a couple of nursing home health visits with my mom, who is an RN. Basically she goes to the patient's home and performs wellness checks, changes wound dressings, maybe change a catheter or two....just basic medical services. I *might* be able to assist a little. My question is should I put this on my application, or will it be looked down upon because it's a nursing experience and not actually functions a physician would normally do?

A couple of visits aren't really enough to warrant a slot in your list of ECs. If you went one day a month for a year that might be a different story. Some physicians, particularly in family medicine and geriatrics, are big fans of home visits (more would be if the reimbursement were better) so your experiences might resonate with someone on the adcom. There is a tremendous amount that can be learned by seeing a patient in their personal environment rather than in a clinical setting. This could be a good thing to bring up in the personal statement or during an interview.

 

[AdmiralChz]

A couple of visits aren't really enough to warrant a slot in your list of ECs. If you went one day a month for a year that might be a different story. Some physicians, particularly in family medicine and geriatrics, are big fans of home visits (more would be if the reimbursement were better) so your experiences might resonate with someone on the adcom. There is a tremendous amount that can be learned by seeing a patient in their personal environment rather than in a clinical setting. This could be a good thing to bring up in the personal statement or during an interview.

👍 I've had many encounters in the home setting through my time as an EMT - it can be radically different from the hospital. It's a great opportunity to see "alternative" methods of care, and to see what goes on outside of the acute care setting. I recommend you do this highly, but maybe with more frequency as Lizzy said.

 

[BlueElmo]

Yay, now I know it counts as a clinical experience. I think L2D said in a previous thread it wasn't.

 

[YBFdoctor]

A couple of visits aren't really enough to warrant a slot in your list of ECs. If you went one day a month for a year that might be a different story. Some physicians, particularly in family medicine and geriatrics, are big fans of home visits (more would be if the reimbursement were better) so your experiences might resonate with someone on the adcom. There is a tremendous amount that can be learned by seeing a patient in their personal environment rather than in a clinical setting. This could be a good thing to bring up in the personal statement or during an interview.

Thanks for your always stellar advice! I should have clarified that I've been working for her home health agency as an administrative assistant (aka glorified secretary) since October. I will be able to go on 1-2 visits a week from now until end of June when I submit my AMCAS application. Do you think it will look bad that I'm doing this so late in the game? Better late than never...right? 😕

 

[LizzyM]

Thanks for your always stellar advice! I should have clarified that I've been working for her home health agency as an administrative assistant (aka glorified secretary) since October. I will be able to go on 1-2 visits a week from now until end of June when I submit my AMCAS application. Do you think it will look bad that I'm doing this so late in the game? Better late than never...right? 😕

Yes. Go for it.