Nursing Home Volunteering (Clinical or Non-clinical?)

[Ayettuhanda]

I've read some posts here on SDN which sometimes classify nursing home volunteer work as clinical and other times not, depending on specific roles. I'm assuming my role is non-clinical, but was looking for clarification so that I can plan my future volunteer work accordingly.

I've been volunteering at a nursing home/assisted living community where the majority of the residents are in the later stages of dementia, Alzheimers, etc. Three times a week I'll go in and play piano/guitar as a form of music therapy, help serve food and drinks, and spend one-on-one time with the residents either playing board games or simply holding conversations.

Would this classify as clinical or non-clinical volunteer work?

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[Shunsui]

I've read some posts here on SDN which sometimes classify nursing home volunteer work as clinical and other times not, depending on specific roles. I'm assuming my role is non-clinical, but was looking for clarification so that I can plan my future volunteer work accordingly.

I've been volunteering at a nursing home/assisted living community where the majority of the residents are in the later stages of dementia, Alzheimers, etc. Three times a week I'll go in and play piano/guitar as a form of music therapy, help serve food and drinks, and spend one-on-one time with the residents either playing board games or simply holding conversations.

Would this classify as clinical or non-clinical volunteer work?

Non-clinical experience. However, if you were doing those activities in hospital setting, it would count as clinical volunteering.

 

[LizzyM]

I usually boil this down to whether or not the activity takes place in the presence of patients and if you are in close proximity to those patients (see sig line).

The thing that gets tricky in nursing homes is that some people would call the people who are living there "patients" and others reject that label and believe that they are "residents" and that they are going about their lives. Health insurance covers rehab services for people who are recovering from illnesses or injuries but most people in nursing homes are in what is called "custodial care" which is not covered by most insurance. (Medicaid does pay for custodial care for the sick poor who qualify for Medicaid.)

That said, it is admirable to volunteer in a non-clinical setting helping people with disabilities. In addition to this activity, you should seek out paid employment or volunteer service in a setting where patients are being provided medical care by physicians. Hospitals, health centers, clinics, doctors' offices are some examples of places where patients receive medical care. In addition, you should arrange to have some shadowing experience with physicians, particularly primary care providers.

 

[Ayettuhanda]

Thanks for the response Lizzy!