Clinical Experience Question

[meliora27]

How important is having clinical experience in a hospital setting. I've volunteered a little bit in the ER but find it terribly boring. On the other hand, for a year now I've been volunteering a lot at a free clinic that serves the uninsured taking vitals, triaging and starting charts. I'm also an EMT-B and will have EMT experience to show on my application. Will my application be at a disadvantage by not having in-hospital experience?

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[njbmd]

You likely have enough meaningful clinical experience. There is no "hard and fast" rule that states an applicant must have "hospital" clinical experience. Just be able to relate some of your experiences when asked either on application or in an interview.

 

[DrMidlife]

I can't imagine being bored in an ER. Can you find a busier one - maybe one that's part of a medical school? What specifically is boring about it? Nothing to observe?

In my ER volunteering experience I got to watch (and very minimally assist with) all kinds of workups, from stabbings to shootings to heart attacks to suicide attempts to broken bones to burns to overdoses...shall I go on? I had access to an almost infinite and constantly changing supply of residents & attendings who were more than happy to let me follow them around, ask questions, hold body parts still, etc. When we were doing menial stuff like cleaning stretchers and rolling gauze, that was a room full of premeds comparing notes on where we were applying and how we were getting LORs and which ochem series to take. Most fun of my premed career, hands down. So I'm sorry to hear it's been a drag for you.

 

[Sunfire]

Very much agreed, volunteering in the ED is what you make of it. If all you concentrate on is 'ugh, I hate making beds', you won't get anything out of it other than that.

In answer to your question, with clinic and EMT work to speak of, I'm not sure that hospital volunteering will be that crucial in the end. However, if you were there for a short time, you might get asked why you left and what you didn't like about it. I suppose that hospital work isn't for everyone, but you should be prepared to explain yourself eloquently.

The clinic you're currently at has you triaging, taking vitals, and starting charts as a volunteer? That strikes me as odd. You mean, in assistance, correct?

 

[holidoc]

I worked sorting charts for a family physician, and never saw a patient. This and a summer undergrad research program at a large research university setting, was enough for me. Of course, when I was an applicant, gpa's less than 4.00, MCAT's less than 30, and anything less than sterling letters of recommendation were a deal-killer. The point is, as long as you are making a demonstrable effort to truly assess your desire to attend medical school, your achievement and eagerness will be recognized.

 

[ChairmanMao]

I worked sorting charts for a family physician, and never saw a patient. This and a summer undergrad research program at a large research university setting, was enough for me. Of course, when I was an applicant, gpa's less than 4.00, MCAT's less than 30, and anything less than sterling letters of recommendation were a deal-killer. The point is, as long as you are making a demonstrable effort to truly assess your desire to attend medical school, your achievement and eagerness will be recognized.

You're kidding right?

 

[Law2Doc]

How important is having clinical experience in a hospital setting. I've volunteered a little bit in the ER but find it terribly boring. On the other hand, for a year now I've been volunteering a lot at a free clinic that serves the uninsured taking vitals, triaging and starting charts. I'm also an EMT-B and will have EMT experience to show on my application. Will my application be at a disadvantage by not having in-hospital experience?

I agree with the others that the experience you have is probably fine from an application adequacy standpoint. But I would suggest that med school and residency is going to take place in a hospital, and you will be working in that environment for the next decade. So I would suggest you probably want to get some exposure to make sure you know what you are getting into. Not for the adcoms, but for you. Because if you found the ER terribly boring, and that's usually the fastest paced part of the hospital, then if I were you I would want to make sure there was something I found interesting about working on the wards at all. Medicine is not for everyone. As a nontrad you are expected to do a bit more due diligence to make sure you know what it's all about and that you will actually like it.

 

[DrJosephKim]

One of the most valuable aspects of clinical experience - it gives you the opportunity to tell some very personal stories about your exposure to medicine/healthcare. For some, their experience may be very personal because they were a patient or their family member was a patient. Hence, we all have some level of clinical experience. The deeper question is: do you fully understand the implications of clinical practice? What have you been exposed to and how have those experiences changed/shaped you? How do you know that you want to pursue medicine?

 

[thoffen]

Most health care isn't provided in a hospital setting. It doesn't matter if your experience is non-hospital as long as you have enough clinical experience and knowledge of the overall health care system and certain issues involved with it. You should have a good appreciation for what you are getting into, and nothing more is necessary.