Importance of Clinical
Experience for Premedical Students
Of all the activities a premedical student could be involved
in, clinical experience is most likely to be considered essential
by a medical school admissions committee. Medical schools
want to be confident that you have a good understanding of
the pressures and demands of the profession, that you are
service-minded and people oriented, and that you are committed
to the practice of medicine.
Admissions committees generally focus on three criteria when
assessing clinical experiences: length or time of the experience,
depth of the experience, and lessons learned from the experience.
Any setting involving the care and treatment of patients can
be a valuable experience for you. You may wish to volunteer
at a hospital, shadow a physician, or volunteer in other patient
care settings.
Volunteer at a hospital
Volunteering or working at a hospital (ER clerk, patient
transportation, information desk duty, clerical work, etc.)
is a good way to become accustomed to the infrastructure of
a hospital. Most of the volunteer assignments, which might
entail about 4-5 hours a week, will provide some degree of
patient contact, directly or indirectly. The University Academic
Advising Center (UAAC) can provide you with a list of the
volunteer coordinators at Chicago-area hospitals.
Shadow a physician
Shadowing a physician on the job – observing patient-physician
interactions on rounds in the hospital and perhaps even in
treatments and surgeries – allows you to experience
the daily life of a doctor. Finding this type of experience
will require personal networking on your part. Try contacting
doctors you know or have connections to through friends and
family. Some students have reported success by contacting
their own physician, by using the NU Alumni Association network
(identifying physicians who attended Northwestern as an undergraduate
and/or as a medical student), or by using the yellow pages.
Shadowing opportunities can sometimes develop out of volunteering
at a hospital or clinic. Due to confidentiality and liability
issues, not all physicians are eager to bring undergraduates
into a shadowing setting, but many physicians understand a
premedical student’s need for early experience and are
willing to set up this kind of relationship.
Patient Care
Other possibilities for clinical experience include volunteering
at a rape crisis center, a social service agency (suicide
hotline, Alzheimer’s Association, etc), a clinic, a
hospice or retirement center, or at the health department.
You could also become certified as an emergency medical technician
(EMT).
Externship Program
The Northwestern Alumni Association (NAA) has an externship
program (NEXT), which is a one-to three-day job shadowing
assignment pairing second-year Northwestern students with
alumni sponsors.
International Experience
The Study
Abroad Program at NU offers public health programs in
France, Mexico, and China.
The following are a few organizations that offer international
experiences. The UAAC is not specifically recommending any
of these programs. Some students have found them to be a valuable
experience, but in many cases, the costs can be quite high.
The Child Family
Health International offers service learning in international
health for medical, pre-medical and nursing students.
Community-Campus
Partnerships for Health is a nonprofit organization that
promotes health through partnerships between communities and
educational institutions.
World Health
Organization
Global
Volunteers
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