Will a dental career count as clinical experience?

[Issabee]

I'm a non-trad career changer just starting my pre-med journey. I've been a dental hygienist for 5 years and was working front desk/ insurance before that.

I definitely plan on shadowing physicians as well as volunteering in my local emergency room, but I was curious if my patient care experience as a hygienist will be looked upon favorably. Is it comparable to something like a medical assistant? I do a lot of similar things like vitals, med review, injections, and in my state have the power for diagnosis of periodontal disease.

Should I look for a job that is more whole body focused?

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[EthylMethylMan]

I would argue yes. Dental care is healthcare, and you are directly involved in patients' dental care. Plus it's way more hands-on than what most other premeds are doing. Definitely list it. You'll still need physician-based experiences, but you already know that. And in my opinion, I don't think doing MA work would be so much more valuable that it would be worth taking such a pay cut. Just do some volunteering.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Yes it counts as clinical experience (direct patient care). If you were licensed/certified, you can put that down as something to mention.

 

[wook]

I would think that this would count as clinical contact/experience, after all, you are talking to and with patients and providing evaluation information to the provider (e.g. vitals, weight, etc).