what is the best way to gain clinical experience?

[lukeocyte]

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hi everyone,

i'm a rising sophomore and i have 0 clinical experience so far. tbf, i only started becoming serious about med school recently and up until now i was planning to pursue a PhD. i've been volunteering in a research lab since May and plan on continuing this research for the rest of my undergrad, hopefully with at least one publication and some poster conferences.

i am planning for my upcoming school year which starts in ~1 month (quarter system) and i'm at a crossroads about which clinical experience to pursue. research is sort of my number one focus even as i plan to apply to med school, so between classes, research, my job (i work as a tutor), and the 2 clubs i'm in, it'll be hard to fit clinical experience that runs more than once a week- but many say that the *best* clinical experiences you can get (EMT, CNA, etc) are very demanding and require a lot more time than just once a week.

i'm planning on applying to more research-heavy med schools than service-heavy med schools anyway, but i know that clinical experience is necessary.. what is the best form of clinical experience for someone in my position?

thank you in advance!

 

[tracylawrenceEnthusiast97]

If there is a hospital near your university, many hospitals do volunteer programs where you can sign up for a regular weekly shift in a department for the semester. These roles allow you to build patient skills and sometimes watch physicians work, just aim for a position where you can interact with patients. You could also try hospice volunteering, but I'm not sure how open those opportunities will be right now because of the delta variant. If nothing else, you could try to shadow some if there are willing doctors near your school. There are other options too, but these are a few that come to mind. You have options and a lot of time to get some experience. Good luck!

 

[Goro]

hi everyone,

i'm a rising sophomore and i have 0 clinical experience so far. tbf, i only started becoming serious about med school recently and up until now i was planning to pursue a PhD. i've been volunteering in a research lab since May and plan on continuing this research for the rest of my undergrad, hopefully with at least one publication and some poster conferences.

i am planning for my upcoming school year which starts in ~1 month (quarter system) and i'm at a crossroads about which clinical experience to pursue. research is sort of my number one focus even as i plan to apply to med school, so between classes, research, my job (i work as a tutor), and the 2 clubs i'm in, it'll be hard to fit clinical experience that runs more than once a week- but many say that the *best* clinical experiences you can get (EMT, CNA, etc) are very demanding and require a lot more time than just once a week.

i'm planning on applying to more research-heavy med schools than service-heavy med schools anyway, but i know that clinical experience is necessary.. what is the best form of clinical experience for someone in my position?

thank you in advance!

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.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

I know some of the ones you mention take more time, but as a rising sophomore you have some of that time. Obviously pick the one that fits you best, but quality over quality is a great general rule and being a part of something in the medium to long term can be very strong for your resume.

David D MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[LizzyM]

Keep in mind that second year of college is often the most challenging. Watch out for over-commitment. GPA is, by far, the most important thing you have control over right now, and repair can be a long, difficult and expensive road.

You should try to be sure that medicine is the right road for you and that means testing the waters through shadowing and being in contact (or at least in the same room) with patients.

Get vaccinated as soon as possible if you have not already done so. Starting with hospitals that are the shortest travel time from home/campus, reach out to volunteer offices offering to take a weekly shift. Don't overlook children's hospitals and large rehabilitation hospitals. You want a role that will put you face-to-face with patients. The emergency department is open 168 hours per week so they have the greatest number of hours to fill but they may also be trying to limit the exposure of volunteers to highly contagious patients. Although the hours in which volunteers are needed might be shorter, there is a need for helpers in the NICU, regular nursery, inpatient units, hospice unit, even psych unit. There may also be opportunities in outpatient clinics. Another possibility may be part-time employment in a doctor's office if you can guarantee that you'll be reliable for a specific day/time each week, or if the office can offer flexibility as long as you do N hours per week. Just be sure that you have a patient facing role and not something in the back.

 

[thedude6512]

I would highly recommend getting an EMT license and working for a few hundred hours on an ambulance. Unlike many other clinical experiences, you'll actually be providing hands-on medical care to patients. Just taking vitals during my initial clinical shifts helped me tremendously in getting over some initial anxiety about working with patients. After working for a few months, I also had a ton of great stories to relate in my application. Plus, it's very workable with a college schedule, as you can knock out the certification over the summer and work part-time during the academic year.

 

[LizzyM]

I would highly recommend getting an EMT license and working for a few hundred hours on an ambulance. Unlike many other clinical experiences, you'll actually be providing hands-on medical care to patients. Just taking vitals during my initial clinical shifts helped me tremendously in getting over some initial anxiety about working with patients. After working for a few months, I also had a ton of great stories to relate in my application. Plus, it's very workable with a college schedule, as you can knock out the certification over the summer and work part-time during the academic year.

The problem with that is that it is, by definition, out of hospital service. While it does provide face-to-face experience with patients, it doesn't inform you about any of the environments in which physicians work. There is also the concern that the work one would end up would be driving people in need of a medical van from place to place (back and forth from home to dialysis, or nursing home to radiation oncology, etc). EMT should not be one's sole clinical experience.

 

[thedude6512]

The problem with that is that it is, by definition, out of hospital service. While it does provide face-to-face experience with patients, it doesn't inform you about any of the environments in which physicians work. There is also the concern that the work one would end up would be driving people in need of a medical van from place to place (back and forth from home to dialysis, or nursing home to radiation oncology, etc). EMT should not be one's sole clinical experience.

Agreed. Getting clinical exposure and observing doctors in their natural habitat is important. Buuuut, after 50-100 hours of shadowing, I think one's time would be better spent as an EMT. Yes, there will be times when you're driving the truck. However, you will get some really good experience working both medical and trauma emergencies. And the non-emergent transports are actually the times when you'll be riding with patients if you just have the EMT-Basic license. While it is pretty mundane, you get plenty of hours taking vitals, talking to patients, and drafting patient care reports. Reflecting on those mundane interactions actually was a big point in my PS.

Again, I agree that it shouldn't be the only clinical experience you get, but it is a pretty good one for building a foundation of practical BLS skills and directly interacting with patients.