What counts as clinical Experience?

[bluishbird336]

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Hi I just had a few questions about what activities counts as clinical experience.

I currently am a ER volunteer where I dispatch patients on wheel chairs, get water, get blankets, restock gloves, and observe/shadow procedures being preformed.

I am also volunteering at and Adult Day care center for dementia patients where I conduct like arts and craft and going out on walks with them.

Do either of these count as clinical experience?

Thanks

 

[Melchizedek]

in b4 "if you can smell the patient it counts as clinical experience"

 

[klever]

Hi I just had a few questions about what activities counts as clinical experience.

I currently am a ER volunteer where I dispatch patients on wheel chairs, get water, get blankets, restock gloves, and observe/shadow procedures being preformed.

I am also volunteering at and Adult Day care center for dementia patients where I conduct like arts and craft and going out on walks with them.

Do either of these count as clinical experience?

Thanks

to me (not an expert), in the ER volunteer, the people you are helping are "Patients" so I would say that is clinical experience as you are helping patients

the Adult Day care center they are "residents(?)" more than anything, and you're not really doing anything clinical to refer to them as a "patient" you're helping so I'd say no

 

[Mr.Smile12]

On first blush, the ER volunteering is definitely clinical, even if it is back office. You are shadowing/observing procedures from the health care team.

The Adult Day Care work seems more like "therapy", which could be clinical or could fall under non-clinical. If you are assigned to the resident/patient and have to report any specific observations to nurses, you have a little more argument as a clinical experience, but it is a gray area.

 

[LizzyM]

Agree with all of the above.

Interacting with patients or being in close proximity to them is clinical.

If you were doing arts and crafts with children in a Day Care Center would you call it clinical? Why is it clinical when the people with neurological deficits are enjoying recreational activities in a congregate setting?

 

[candbgirl]

to me (not an expert), in the ER volunteer, the people you are helping are "Patients" so I would say that is clinical experience as you are helping patients

the Adult Day care center they are "residents(?)" more than anything, and you're not really doing anything clinical to refer to them as a "patient" you're helping so I'd say no

But this is good nonclinical volunteering.

 

[GoSpursGo]

ER is clinical, adult day care is not (but is a good activity)

 

[SahilMehtaMD]

Hi I just had a few questions about what activities counts as clinical experience.

I currently am a ER volunteer where I dispatch patients on wheel chairs, get water, get blankets, restock gloves, and observe/shadow procedures being preformed.

I am also volunteering at and Adult Day care center for dementia patients where I conduct like arts and craft and going out on walks with them.

Do either of these count as clinical experience?

Thanks

Both are fantastic activities and are well-worth continuing and including in your application. But I would argue that only the ER volunteer role counts as clinical.

If you need more clinical hours for your apps, I would suggest trying to get a certification that allows you to actually provide patient care, like an EMT or CNA cert. ER volunteering is great and by all means continue that as long as you can. But the best clinical experience is direct patient care. Setting aside applications for a second, becoming an EMT or CNA will actually give you insight into what it's like to treat patients and which aspects of medicine you like best. It's also fantastic, fantastic experience. If you've been a HCP for a few years by the time you're MS1, that's going to be a huge leg up -- you'll run circles around your classmates who have never touched a patient in their life.

 

[bluishbird336]

Both are fantastic activities and are well-worth continuing and including in your application. But I would argue that only the ER volunteer role counts as clinical.

If you need more clinical hours for your apps, I would suggest trying to get a certification that allows you to actually provide patient care, like an EMT or CNA cert. ER volunteering is great and by all means continue that as long as you can. But the best clinical experience is direct patient care. Setting aside applications for a second, becoming an EMT or CNA will actually give you insight into what it's like to treat patients and which aspects of medicine you like best. It's also fantastic, fantastic experience. If you've been a HCP for a few years by the time you're MS1, that's going to be a huge leg up -- you'll run circles around your classmates who have never touched a patient in their life.

Hi thanks for replying.

I actually have an EMT license but I am heavily involved in research and school and cannot work as an EMT right not. I was wondering if there was any other uses for my EMT license without a significant weekly commitment?