What activities are identified as clinical experience?

[s.nd]

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Hello everyone,

I hope you are well!

I'm a sophomore on the pre-med track and have a question about the activities that count as clinical experience. Upon reading posts on SDN other websites, I realized that there are certain activities such as volunteering/working at a hospice, scribing, etc that are considered clinical and for other activities there seem to be some gray area.

In terms of the activities I participate in, I volunteer in a hospital as a patient transporter, in a playspace in a homeless shelter and play with kids there (their age range is 1-6), and also at Red Cross as a blood donor ambassador. I have also recently signed up for another volunteering position in a nursing facility that has residents who are mostly elders who are taken care of (there are nurses and two doctors in this facility and the coordinator let me know that I can ask questions from nurses and observe how they interact with residents there).

I'm aware that the Red Cross and play space volunteering don't count at clinical experience, but I was wondering whether patient transport/ volunteering in a nursing facility would be counted as clinical experiences?

The whole process is a bit confusing to me since I'm an international student just getting to know how the process works in the U.S, so any help would be appreciated 🙂

Thank you!

 

[Goro]

Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics.

Some types of volunteer activities are more appealing than others. Volunteering in a nice suburban hospital is all very well and good and all, but doesn't show that you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty in the same way that working with the developmentally disabled (or homeless, the dying, or Alzheimers or mentally ill or elderly or ESL or domestic, rural impoverished) does. The uncomfortable situations are the ones that really demonstrate your altruism and get you 'brownie points'. Plus, they frankly teach you more -- they develop your compassion and humanity in ways comfortable situations can't.

 

[s.nd]

Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics.

Some types of volunteer activities are more appealing than others. Volunteering in a nice suburban hospital is all very well and good and all, but doesn't show that you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty in the same way that working with the developmentally disabled (or homeless, the dying, or Alzheimers or mentally ill or elderly or ESL or domestic, rural impoverished) does. The uncomfortable situations are the ones that really demonstrate your altruism and get you 'brownie points'. Plus, they frankly teach you more -- they develop your compassion and humanity in ways comfortable situations can't.

Thank you so much for your response

I think I understand your point! The hospital I volunteer at is a very nice, suburban one (Frankly, I have never experienced an uncomfortable situation there). When I visited the nursing facility, I realized the environment was so different (I smelled urine the moment I entered and the coordinate explained that the elders there are in uncomfortable conditions and needed so much help and that most of them suffer from dementia) so I hope this can be a humbling experience for me as well 🙂

Thank you for your help again!

 

[LizzyM]

First, you need to be face-to-face with patients. The nursing home is a gray area because the people living there are usually called "residents" as they reside in the "home". They are not patients any more than my mother, living in her home and taking several medications each day, is a "patient" when someone comes to visit her. Next you need to be in close proximity to the patients. Stocking shelves in the back room, far from any patients, would not be "clinical" but wheeling them from place to place certainly is clinical.

In addition to clinical experience, most schools will expect you to have some non-clinical volunteer experience to demonstrate that you care about people, particularly those who are unable to help themselves, such as adults with dementia and children in a homeless shelter. Being a Red Cross ambassador is a good leadership activity as you are attempting to influence your peers to be blood donors (am I understanding that correctly). It sounds like you have a good mix of activities thus far. Keep in mind that an excellent GPA is priority #1. If that begins to slip, scale down your other activities and put more time into academics.

 

[s.nd]

First, you need to be face-to-face with patients. The nursing home is a gray area because the people living there are usually called "residents" as they reside in the "home". They are not patients any more than my mother, living in her home and taking several medications each day, is a "patient" when someone comes to visit her. Next you need to be in close proximity to the patients. Stocking shelves in the back room, far from any patients, would not be "clinical" but wheeling them from place to place certainly is clinical.

In addition to clinical experience, most schools will expect you to have some non-clinical volunteer experience to demonstrate that you care about people, particularly those who are unable to help themselves, such as adults with dementia and children in a homeless shelter. Being a Red Cross ambassador is a good leadership activity as you are attempting to influence your peers to be blood donors (am I understanding that correctly). It sounds like you have a good mix of activities thus far. Keep in mind that an excellent GPA is priority #1. If that begins to slip, scale down your other activities and put more time into academics.

Thank you so much for your insight, Lizzy!
My GPA is currently 3.87 (I had one B in genetics but my other grades are in the A-/A range). I will definitely make sure to focus on my GPA and balance activities