Clinical Experience Overview:

UCLA Pre-Med Community

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Introduction to Clinical Experience

• What is clinical experience?
• Clinical experience generally refers to any work completed in a hospital/healthcare setting where you directly interact with patients. It is a great opportunity for you to find out more about what it means to take care of a patient.
• How much clinical experience do I need for medical school?
• Minimum: ~100 Hours
• Average: ~200-300 Hours
• Clinical Employment/Gap Year: ~1000+ Hours

Paid

Unpaid

Types of Clinical Experience

Shadowing

Research

EMT, CNA, scribe etc.

Hospital volunteering, hospice volunteering, etc .

Recommended in addition to paid/unpaid clinical experience!

Check out our linktree for more information on this!

Clinical Experience Examples

COPE Health Scholars

• The COPE Health Scholars program is an experimental workforce development program that prepares students for a career in healthcare. The program allow students to gain hands-on experience in both clinical and administrative hospital settings through a variety of departments.
• Departments include…
• Emergency Department, ICU, Cardiac Catheter Lab, etc.
• There is an one-time program fee (~$250 - $500) depending on program
• Program Commitment (280 hours):
• 15-month program: 4 hours/week
• 9-month program: 8 hours/week
• 3-month program: 24 hours/week
• For more information on application process:
• https://copehealthscholars.org/

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Care Extenders

• This program provides opportunities for volunteers to gain first-hand clinical experience through volunteering in various departments at the Ronald Reagan or Santa Monica Medical Centers
• Departments include…
• Pediatrics, Emergency Department, Oncology, ICU, Interventional Radiology, and many more.
• One year long commitment (250 minimum hours)
• Weekly 4-hour department shifts
• For more information on application process:
• https://www.uclahealth.org/volunteer/care-extender

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Cedars-Sinai Volunteering

• TCAB
• This program allows volunteers to experience the hospital setting first-hand and shadow registered nurses, as well as round on patients and answer phone calls
• Minimum 100 hours / 1 year commitment and 4 hr shift per week
• Choose own department after orientation:
• Gastroenterology, cardiology, oncology and hospice, and many more
• Pre-Med Program
• Eligible to apply after 100 hours of general volunteering
• Shadow physician mentors
• Minimum 6 hrs per week and weekly Wednesday meetings from 4pm - 6pm

UCLA EMS

• This program at UCLA allows for students to obtain hands-on patient contact/experience and get trained to work as an EMT.
• 3 Phases of Training:
• Phase-1: 3-4 weeks of classroom training
• Phase-2/3: Work with a Field Training OFficer for 12-15 weeks. During Phase-3, trainees are expected to drive the ambulance, assess and treat all patients, and run every aspect of medical aid calls.
• Pay range: $18.50 - $24.05
• For more information on application and selection process:
• https://police.ucla.edu/ems/jobs

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Medical Scribe

• Medical scribes work closely with physicians to document and gather information on the patient’s visit to the hospital
• ScribeAmerica is a good starting point to learn how to scribe and gain paid clinical experience
• You can use the experience you gain from scribing at ScribeAmerica and apply to future scribe positions at different hospitals
• Opportunities for leadership positions (chief scribe)
• Requirements include…
• Typing rate of at least 40 word per minute and familiarity with medical terminology
• For more information:
• https://www.scribeamerica.com/
• You can also mass apply on Indeed!

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Pros/Cons of Being a Medical Scribe

PROS

1) High clinical exposure

2) Learn to write “perfect” notes

3) No certification required

4) Lots of opportunities for those who want clinical experience in ED or surgical fields

5) Flexible hours

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CONS

1) Low pay

2) Even though there is patient contact, there is usually no interaction with patients

3) Can be stressful initially

Certifications

• Some certifications you can obtain to obtain paid clinical experience include…
• Emergency Medical Technician
• Respond to medical emergencies and provide immediate care
• Medical Assistant
• Work with doctors and nurses to provide direct care to patients
• Certified Nurse Assistant
• Provide direct patient care while supervised by nurses or doctors
• Phlebotomy Technician
• Help prepare patients for lab testing and/or bloodwork
• And many more!
• NOTE: Many of these certifications may require extra schooling/training and may require an initial payment for training tuition. Some classes are offered at the UCLA Center for Prehospital Care!

Pro/Cons of Getting Certified

CONS

Requires certifications (more costly/time consuming)

Hours may be less flexible (many of them may require full-time commitment)

For certain jobs, it may be more physically demanding

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PROS

Much more direct patient contact/interaction

Higher pay than scribing

Learn a lot more about how to treat patients and gain skills like… Taking vitals, patient assessment, bedside manner, etc.

FAQs

• Where can I look for clinical experience opportunities?
• Handshake, Indeed, Linkedin, Student Organizations, Word-of-mouth, cold emailing, Career Fairs, etc.

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• Is getting a medical certification worth it?
• It depends on the person! For example, if you’re interested in emergency medicine, becoming an EMT may give you valuable insight into the field! Working also allows you to make more than what you paid for the certification, Make sure that you have the time and dedication when applying to these types of jobs!

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• How do I get shadowing opportunities?
• The best first person to ask is your own primary care physician! You can also ask if they have any colleagues that may be open to you shadowing them. Family, friends, friends’ parents that are doctors are also great resources so don’t be afraid to reach out to them. If you don’t have time for in-person shadowing, consider virtual shadowing (MedSchoolCoach + HEAL VIrtual Shadowing are both great options!)

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