Strategies for Success
Clinical Experience
Kinds of Clinical Experience
As a prospective applicant, you should seek out experiences that
will provide an in-depth look at the intended health profession
and the work life of those who currently practice it. Hopefully,
you will have an opportunity to closely observe the professionals
and talk with them in order to get your questions and concerns answered.
The goal is to understand the scope, limitations, satisfactions,
dissatisfactions, and future directions of the intended field.
Health care settings provide varying forms of experience. These
experiences will range from peripheral to central and direct and
may be paid, voluntary, or for academic credit. The setting can
vary from large hospital to small clinic and may be rural, urban,
or suburban. The key issue is determining if the experience will
give you a clear and comprehensive view of your field of interest.
Generally, it is good to seek experience that will provide a broad
rather than a narrow introduction to the career field. For example,
those interested in physical therapy should not limit experience
to sports injuries but should seek hospital exposure to the broad
range of problems seen in such a setting. Similarly, the pre-veterinary
student should become familiar with the work of small and large-animal
veterinarians.
For pre medical students no particular setting or experience is
preferred. For example, you do not need to work in an emergency
room to "prove" your motivation or that you can "stand
the sight of blood." A rural clinic may be an ideal place to
really understand the physician's role and to clarify your reasons
for going into medicine. It also should be understood that there
are many settings where you can demonstrate that you are a helping,
caring person, such as a nursing home, a hospice, a teen center,
or a battered women's shelter. The key question to ask yourself
is whether the setting and experience will allow you to explore
carefully the intended field and to demonstrate motivation to pursue
a career in it.
For allied health professions it is recommended to gain experience
in your chosen field. For example if you are interested in optometry
school gaining experience at an optometrists office is recommended.
How to Obtain Clinical Experience
There are many ways to find experience in a health field. Many hospitals
have a volunteer office from which information or opportunities
and placement may be obtained. Be clear on what will be expected
of you and what you can expect from the experience. For example,
if new volunteers start folding towels, how long will it be before
more substantial experiences can be expected? In other instances,
a community agency may act as a clearinghouse or referral to volunteer
opportunities. Check with the appropriate staff member to determine
what is available. ALso listed in the phone book under County Government
Offices is Health Services. This listing provides a wealth of information.
Examples of agencies listed: Aids Services, Alcohol Services, Children's
Medical Clinics, EMS, Homeless Projects etc. The Career Center may
offer listings of volunteer positions, internships, or even paid
jobs in health care organizations or facilities. Paid positions
probably will be hard to find in a time of budget constraints. You
may be able to arrange for academic credit for your volunteer work
through a form of "Field Study" or other title. There
may be a class that offers an experience component in a health facility.
At UCSC Health Slugs and AMSA may assist its members in locating
experiences with local health professionals. Summer enrichment programs
often offer direct health care experience as a part of their curricula.
While it is often wise to seek experience in more than one setting
in order to obtain a comprehensive view of the intended field, in-depth
exposure should be sought. Brief, fleeting volunteer experiences
normally will not be effective in helping you decide if the intended
career is the "right" one, nor will they be persuasive
in demonstrating to the admissions committee that you are truly
interested in the field. In other words, those who get accepted
have a "track record" that shows they are truly interested
in the field and that they know "what they are getting into."
In many fields, lack of direct experience will raise serious questions
about the applicant and often will prevent the applicant from being
accepted.
But even more importantly, those considering a career in a health
profession (or another area) should explore their intended field
to make certain that it is the appropriate one. In short, it is
necessary to determine if the field excites them and if they will
be able to carry out its responsibilities and obligations willingly
and well.
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