Volunteer Work vs Work Experience on ERAS

[Dr. LeBron]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I worked at a Diabetes clinic for three years. It was volunteer work because I did not get paid. However ERAS says to put clinical experience in the work experience section, and that would be nice. What do I do?

I'm currently lacking in the work experience section. I have worked various jobs but none in the medical field, except at that clinic.

Any help would be appreciated greatly, thanks in advance.

 

[Dr. LeBron]

??????????

 

[NotAProgDirector]

What did you do at the clinic?

 

[Dr. LeBron]

What did you do at the clinic?

· Took daily history and physical examinations.

· Inventoried and ordered medical, lab, and office supplies and equipment.

· Performed therapeutic procedures such as injections/immunizations, and was involved with wound care and infection management.

· Cleaned and sterilized instruments and disposed of contaminated supplies.

· Taught a weekly Diabetes information course counseling patients about etiology, signs/symptoms, diagnosis and management of the disease.

· Made tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients with physician approval.

· Obtained, compiled and recorded patient medical data including health history, and progress notes.

About 12 hrs a week. I was a physician's assistant really.

 

[gutonc]

· Took daily history and physical examinations.

· Inventoried and ordered medical, lab, and office supplies and equipment.

· Performed therapeutic procedures such as injections/immunizations, and was involved with wound care and infection management.

· Cleaned and sterilized instruments and disposed of contaminated supplies.

· Taught a weekly Diabetes information course counseling patients about etiology, signs/symptoms, diagnosis and management of the disease.

· Made tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients with physician approval.

· Obtained, compiled and recorded patient medical data including health history, and progress notes.

About 12 hrs a week. I was a physician's assistant really.

No you weren't. You were an MA+Scribe. It's great clinical experience, but you weren't a PA and don't pretend you were, or ever tell anybody else that you thought you were.

 

[Dr. LeBron]

No you weren't. You were an MA+Scribe. It's great clinical experience, but you weren't a PA and don't pretend you were, or ever tell anybody else that you thought you were.

Yeah I meant medical assistant sorry.

 

[Dr. LeBron]

Right now I just have it under volunteer, position: volunteer (lol).

 

[NotAProgDirector]

If you didn't get paid, then it's a volunteer position. I hate to say it, but if your "boss" thought you were "worth it", they would have paid you. Unless you couldn't legally be paid (because of a visa issue), at which point the whole thing is possibly illegal anyway. And if you were doing physical exams without some sort of license/credential, you could have potentially ended up in trouble (although it sounds like nothing happened).

 

[Dr. LeBron]

If you didn't get paid, then it's a volunteer position. I hate to say it, but if your "boss" thought you were "worth it", they would have paid you. Unless you couldn't legally be paid (because of a visa issue), at which point the whole thing is possibly illegal anyway. And if you were doing physical exams without some sort of license/credential, you could have potentially ended up in trouble (although it sounds like nothing happened).

I was not looking to get paid, just wanted to give back to the community. This was in Africa by the way, they don't care about stuff like that ha!

 

[rokshana]

I was not looking to get paid, just wanted to give back to the community. This was in Africa by the way, they don't care about stuff like that ha!

still volunteer...place it there.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

I had assumed it was in the US. It is definitely a volunteer experience.

 

[Crayola227]

Good on you giving back and doing all that in Africa.

Volunteering in Africa is all the rage these days.

Don't worry, this will look great on your app, supposedly they read these thing and the people who read it will be smart enough to see that it is good clinical experience, so it will count for you on two fronts, volunteer and clinical

But yes, put it in as aProgDirector says.

I know what you meant by physician's assistant, ie someone who helps a physician do stuff, more accurate would be assistant to physician, funny how those little details matter, honest word choice on your part, but be cognizant that Physician's Assistant is a credentialed positions here, in fact, most MAs (medical assistants) are too.

I don't know how you want to word the title of your positions

Good luck in the match!