What is “hands on” clinical experience?

[chemdoctor]

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I was looking at some schools’ websites, and they state that they want hands on clinical experience. What exactly is that?

How is it different from normal clinical experience? As a hospice volunteer, I read to children, offer support, bring coffee and just overall help out.

 

[chemdoctor]

Pretty obvious if you ask me. You put your hands on to the patient.

Lol

 

[Equality]

I think hands-on clinical means what every med school offers nowadays: see real patients in the hospital starting year 1 (or 2--either way earlier than MS3), and you get to interact with them and examine them. It's way more than dealing with standardized patients (actors pretending to be sick) or shadowing physicians.

 

[toedrag]

Hands on clinical experience means physically touching the patient. Being a PCA, MA, EMT/Medic, ED Tech, Phlebotomist, would have requirements in their job description that are literally "hands on." For example, taking vital signs, conducting flu swabs, drawing blood, placing IVs, performing EKGs, splinting, etc.

 

[LizzyM]

Ironically, hands-on usually means you should be wearing gloves. 😉 It involves more physical engagement than some activities that meet my definition of "clinical" experiences.

 

[chemdoctor]

Could rolling someone’s wheelchair count? Checking vitals?