MCSpicerack Posted February 20, 2007 Report Share Posted February 20, 2007 Hi, wondering if someone who has been interviewed and accepted can comment on this: I haven't really had much clinical experience and I'm starting to feel pretty insecure when being asked the question "What sort of clinical experience do you have?" I believe I have learned some useful skills from other non-medical experiences I've had...but it feels unsatisfying giving this answer. Any advice? Thank you, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_B Posted February 20, 2007 Report Share Posted February 20, 2007 I wouldn't worry about it, you aren't really expected to have clinical experience anyways. Aside from volunteering, where you aren't doing a lot of "clinical work" or if you are a nurse/nursing student, there aren't many chances for a student to get clinical experience. What is important is for you to explain how other activities in your life can help you with future clinical situations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFace Posted February 20, 2007 Report Share Posted February 20, 2007 Hi, wondering if someone who has been interviewed and accepted can comment on this: I haven't really had much clinical experience and I'm starting to feel pretty insecure when being asked the question "What sort of clinical experience do you have?" I believe I have learned some useful skills from other non-medical experiences I've had...but it feels unsatisfying giving this answer. Any advice? Thank you, Hi, Dont worry about clinical experience...medical schools want you to be void of experience so they can "brain wash" you (tabula rasa)...look at the type of students they accept...music majors, economics, etc etc...they are not looking for clinicians specifically, they will make you into a medical clinician. BigFace, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsteen Posted February 20, 2007 Report Share Posted February 20, 2007 Hi there, One of the types of questions in which clinical experience can help with interview responses is those that are similar to: "Why medicine?". That is, clinical experience or exposure to the work that doctors do, can help you decide if you'd like to take on this career. So although you don't need to have clinical experience to decide that you'd like to embark upon a medical career, you should have some other pieces evidence as to why this career is for you. Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffp Posted February 20, 2007 Report Share Posted February 20, 2007 Because I didn't really intend to apply to med school, I didn't seek out clinical exposure per se. After I decided to apply, I did some token ER volunteer shifts, but it really didn't amount to much. I also volunteered at my vet's office, but mostly because I loved animals. Most of my time was spent cleaning cages. I was never asked about "clinical exposure" in my interviews, but was asked if I knew what I was getting into with the medical lifestyle. This was a hard question for me, having no doctors in my family, and not really knowing any doctors aside from my own FP. I answered by saying that a physician has to be self-motivated, have good time-management skills, and be able to multitask under pressure. I then gave some examples from my own life where I had been able to do these things. It seemed like kind of a cop-out/non-answer to the question, but I ended up getting in. good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCSpicerack Posted February 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2007 Hi everyone, thanks for the encouraging replies, I figure I was over-analyzing a bit anyway... and plus, at this point I've done all I can, so I should be honest with what I think is a weakness in my application and what I have that can make up for it, Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaymcee Posted February 20, 2007 Report Share Posted February 20, 2007 Because I have nothing else to add beyond what's been said... "What sort of clinical experience do you have?" "Well, I've seen a few episodes of House. Docs are cool." I agree with everyone above. It's about what you've done (medically-related or otherwise) that give you skills, personality traits, etc. that make you a good doctor. I volunteered in a medically-related setting so I could actually say with some confidence that I knew what I was getting myself into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimmyMax Posted February 20, 2007 Report Share Posted February 20, 2007 Hey, "Well, I've seen a few episodes of House. Docs are cool." LOL!!! Good answer, good answer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostintime Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 What is considered "clinical experience"? If you volunteer at a hospital and work closely with paitents (but obviously nothing medical related), is that "clinical"? I don't really work w/ doctors either.... =( So I guess I have no "clinical experience"? I heard shadowing is illegal in Canada.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMG007 Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 Volunteering in a hospital is considered clinical because you are still showing an interest in medicine. On a second point, shadowing is NOT illegal in Canada. The doctor simply has to make sure the patient is okay with it. My local hospital has students shadow for a weekend all the time. I contacted a doctor first so got around the "weekend only" restriction and job shadowed once a week for two semesters. Many schools are not looking specifically for clinical experience. If you do in fact have hospital volunteer that might be enough. A lot of applicants are what...22...23...24 .... they do not expect you to have a million life experiences and many places hope that you are well rounded and have experiences OUTSIDE medicine. That is my two cents. GOOD LUCK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medgirl08 Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 hmm... Interesting remarks about the shadowing comment. I heard from my GP that shadowing is not legal in Canada....now i wonder if he just didn;t want to take me!!! Does anyone else care to comment on this?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastriss Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 I think volunteering is important, but what is really important about volunteering is that it shows you know what its like to be in a hospital. My volunteer experiences have benefitted me the most in debunking a few myths and preconceptions I had (ie I didnt know doctors don't spend as much time with the patients as I thought they did..i mean not nearly as much as nurses). I had patient interaction, and it was useful and helpful, but I felt that that same interaction was on a grander scale when I worked with children that had special needs. It was relatively boring because as a volunteer you are only helping out by restocking carts and making beds..and it eventually got frustrating to not be able to be 'more' involved in the diagnostic processes and the actual treatment process. I therefore chose to enrol in the medical first responder class as well as volunteer abroad in a health and medical field where I may be more involved than just restocking carts and making beds. My point is, your experiences are only as useful as what YOU make of them in your school submission questions, and in your interview. I think thats why we hear about people with good gpas and good ECs that don't get in - its not the ECs, but what you take from them and how you communicate them to the ad comm. SO with that said, with limited clinical experience, try to go out and get as much as you can. Try to diversify your experiences. At the same time, make the effort to talk to different health care profession personell and really inquire about their jobs, try to read up on what a lot of med students/residents have said about medicine in these forums and use that knowledge to show what you're going to get into. Of course 'hearing,talking, and reading' about medicine is not going to be the same as 'seeing' it first hand (this is where volunteer experiences may kick in) but its a decent substitute nevertheless. just my $0.02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallinar Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 Volunteering in a hospital is considered clinical because you are still showing an interest in medicine. On a second point, shadowing is NOT illegal in Canada. The doctor simply has to make sure the patient is okay with it. My local hospital has students shadow for a weekend all the time. I contacted a doctor first so got around the "weekend only" restriction and job shadowed once a week for two semesters. Many schools are not looking specifically for clinical experience. If you do in fact have hospital volunteer that might be enough. A lot of applicants are what...22...23...24 .... they do not expect you to have a million life experiences and many places hope that you are well rounded and have experiences OUTSIDE medicine. That is my two cents. GOOD LUCK! Thwey don't allow non-med stuidents to shadow in London ontario any way. They say its against insurance policy or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyleh Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Thwey don't allow non-med stuidents to shadow in London ontario any way. They say its against insurance policy or something. Really?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMG007 Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Thwey don't allow non-med stuidents to shadow in London ontario any way. They say its against insurance policy or something. That really sucks. If you still want to do it then go to a hospital outside of an area that has a medical school. Guelph wanted to help me out because they want people to like the hospital and come back and be a doctor there. There are many small communities around London so if you really want to do it for interest and not for your application (because I do not think it will help your application that much) then take a day of classes or go on a weekend to another hospital. They probably will appreciate the interest. They do have a small point about insurance, I had to sign about a million waivers and it was truly shadowing. I was not allowed to touch patients. I did a co-op in high school where I did have insurance and that was a lot of fun since I could...but you still get a lot out by asking questions and just discussing with the doctor what you think the problem is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DalNeuron Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 I'm not sure about most schools, but Dalhousie puts a large emphasis on applicants having had clinical experience. (Volunteering is included in this). They state this explicitly on the website and a former dean of admissions re-emphasized the point to me. The Admissions Committee considers it important that you have some medically related experience. This can be volunteer work or paid work depending on your circumstances. Applications from individuals who do not have such experience are rarely acceptable to the committee. (http://admissions.medicine.dal.ca/faqs.htm#fq10) Med school is a massive undertaking... both for us as applicants and for the school and government in terms of time spent training and dollars invested. If I were running a med school, I would want to be absolutely sure that the applicants know what they are getting themselves into. The only real way to do that is to get into hospitals or clinics with your eyes open. Even volunteering doesn't fully prepare you, because as was mentioned above, sometimes you get stuck making beds, but at least it shows that you are dedicated enough to the field to have done everything you can to solidify the decision in your head. My advice is to get yourself into the volunteer office at your local hospital and sign up for a number of different positions, so that you can start to get a feel for the different areas of medicine that isn't tainted by high-drama theatrics of House, Greys, Scrubs or ER. You owe it to yourself right? my two cents Ps, Even making beds, you can still learn a lot about how a hospital works... just by keeping an open mind and paying attention to how things are working around you. A lot of this information might even come in handy when you are thrown into rounds during clerkship. If you have some familiarity with the natural working order of a hospital, you'll have a better chance of slotting in with fewer bumps to the ego... Maybe you won't have to ask someone how the railings on the bed work by the time you're done making all those beds... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostintime Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 What about the issue where you've had a lot of contact with patients, nurses, healthcare staff, but not so much with doctors directly? i.e. Most of the things you see are observational? And does it sound really uncredible when you say you've discussed a lot with family members who are doctors (perhaps not even in Canada, but I'm sure there's overlaps in terms of being a doctor all over the world), medical students, etc. to get a feel for the profession? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DalNeuron Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 What about the issue where you've had a lot of contact with patients, nurses, healthcare staff, but not so much with doctors directly? i.e. Most of the things you see are observational? And does it sound really uncredible when you say you've discussed a lot with family members who are doctors (perhaps not even in Canada, but I'm sure there's overlaps in terms of being a doctor all over the world), medical students, etc. to get a feel for the profession? IMO, I'd say that a lot of contact with patients is #1 for relevance, even above contact with doctors... you probably aren't getting into medicine to interact with doctors right? That type of personal experience is in many ways more helpful than speaking with doctors, because then the experience is second-hand and filtered by the MDs beliefs. (Not to discredit talking with MDs... I think it's crucial as well, just not the be-all and end-all.) To answer your second question, absolutely not. It's only uncredible if you're making it up. Using whatever resources you have available only makes sense... if your family members are doctors, lucky you, because you're allowed to pick their brains ad nauseum about the nitty gritty of the profession. This is a valuable asset, not a discredit... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMG007 Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 I think that was my point overall that has been said. Volunteering in the hospital is good 'medical experience.' You do not need to be the best doctor in the world before you even apply. As an example I have a friend that volunteered as a paramedic in Israel this summer. Yes she saw amazing things, but that is not exactly a prereq for medicine. The point about Dalhousie is also very true. They are the only school I know of that has a spot on the application for medical related experience. I have quite a lot of medically related experience...I'm not sure how I ended up getting it all, but I love accepting opportunities that seem like they will be worthwhile and it ended that way. I did get an interview for Dal (can't wait!) and I imagine that helped quite a lot. I want to wish you lots of luck, and if you are thinking about next year maybe think of some other ways you can get 'clinical' experience without shadowing if that will not work. However, if it is about this current application year then sit back, try and relax, AND CROSS YOUR FINGERS, as interview notifications continue to come out. If this is your dream and you are willing to work for it, I imagine it will happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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