Volunteering Question

[ChicagoStudent123]

Hello,

I am planning on starting to volunteer as an interpreter for a clinic in which my role would be to translate Spanish with a patient to their provider. Due to COVID, this would be remote. I was wondering if this would be considered clinical volunteering?

Thanks!

 

[GAMING4FUNN]

With or without COVID-19 I am not sure if it would "Technically" count because there is no direct patient contact. I would suggest you look into the schools you are applying to and perhaps contact an admission director and see if they would consider it that. Translating is one thing, but even doing something a simple as taking your patient vitals would be more in line with the term "Clinical Volunteer."

 

[Deleted member 1077394]

I will go against the grain here and saw that I think it's clinical experience. I would argue that this is great clinical experience because you are serving a population with barriers in their access to healthcare due to the Spanish-English language barrier. That is noble work and I am glad you are doing it, @ChicagoStudent123 .

@Goro - What do you think? (Goro is an admissions committee member at a DO school, if you were not already aware of that, ChicagoStudent.)

P.S. I have a soft spot for your username. I am a fellow Chicagoan and am proud of you for taking the time to serve our community.

 

[ChicagoStudent123]

With or without COVID-19 I am not sure if it would "Technically" count because there is no direct patient contact. I would suggest you look into the schools you are applying to and perhaps contact an admission director and see if they would consider it that. Translating is one thing, but even doing something a simple as taking your patient vitals would be more in line with the term "Clinical Volunteer."

I appreciate the insight, i think you bring up a fair point!

 

[ChicagoStudent123]

I will go against the grain here and saw that I think it's clinical experience. I would argue that this is great clinical experience because you are serving a population with barriers in their access to healthcare due to the Spanish-English language barrier. That is noble work and I am glad you are doing it, @ChicagoStudent123 .

@Goro - What do you think? (Goro is an admissions committee member at a DO school, if you were not already aware of that, ChicagoStudent.)

P.S. I have a soft spot for your username. I am a fellow Chicagoan and am proud of you for taking the time to serve our community.

Thank you for the reply (This city has brought me so many great opportunities, cannot wait to give back in any way possible)! I was aware that the "rule" for it to be clinical volunteering was that you had to be able to "smell" the patient for it to count. Obviously, that won't be feasible right now, but would be in the future. I would also consider it an opportunity to interact with the patient and get a perspective in to the day to day of patient provider interactions.

I would love insight from Goro as well.

 

[Goro]

Hello,

I am planning on starting to volunteer as an interpreter for a clinic in which my role would be to translate Spanish with a patient to their provider. Due to COVID, this would be remote. I was wondering if this would be considered clinical volunteering?

Thanks!

I would count it as such