How to Get Clinical Experience Before Med School

If your ambitions include dreams of becoming a doctor, of helping people, improving and even saving lives, it’s time to start thinking about gaining clinical experience! If you’re already pursuing an undergraduate pre-med degree, you’ve probably already thought about how to get clinical experience. Being in the field of medicine can be extremely rewarding, but getting there can seem a long and arduous journey!

Clinical experience is a necessity for your medical degree!

Whether you dream of being a registered nurse, physician assistant, medical doctor, or medical specialist like an anesthesiologist, you’ll need years of education and practical application. Clinical experience is a critical part of demonstrating that the medical field is right for you.

What is clinical experience?

So, what is clinical experience? It’s truly any job or volunteer experience in the medical field! It’s a chance to see if the life of a medical professional is for you.

For example, organizations like International Medical Aid provide Physician Assistant and Pre-PA Internships for students ready to apply their knowledge and gain hands-on experience in locations around the world. (IMA even provides housing, insurance, 24/7 support, and area-specific training!)

By showing you’re dedicated to a career in the medical field, you’ll be a stronger candidate for medical schools and may also qualify for scholarships.

What is considered clinical experience for medical school?

Clinical experience is required by most medical schools and could include work as a hospice volunteer, an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), or Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). Internships and volunteer opportunities, like those offered by IMA, or shadowing of a physician also count as clinical experience.

When researching for your ideal clinical experience, try to find the opportunity that meets your skill-set, schedule, and career objectives. The best clinical experience for pre-med students includes medical scribing and volunteering at a healthcare facility, where you have direct exposure to patient care.

Other clinical experience examples include medical research positions, hotline counseling, and service research projects. These experiences may not provide direct contact with patients, but do provide a unique look into their respective medical fields.

Why is clinical experience important?

Practical experience is important for your skills, as well as for managing your expectations.

Besides strengthening your medical school application, there are a multitude of other reasons why clinical experience is important. Before dedicating additional money and time to your studies and future career, it’s necessary to learn if you like the day to day life of a medical professional—and whether you are up to the challenge.

Can you react well under pressure? Take on night shifts or overtime? Do you have a good bedside manner and will you truly enjoy learning about and caring for your patients? You may find that with clinical experience, you decide to navigate toward another area of medicine, or gain a renewed passion for the track you’re on.

Clinical experience opportunities also provide a unique chance to travel and learn about healthcare practices in other parts of the world. Being creative and open-minded while seeking experiences will open doors and give you access to a global network. Who doesn’t want to see the world while doing what they love?

How to get clinical experience before med school

1. Intern or Volunteer

Interning or volunteering is a worthwhile (and impactful) way to gain your clinical experience.

If you want experience interacting with patients, which is highly valued by medical schools around the world, try an internship or volunteer experience! Many internships and volunteer experiences can be done without any pre-certification.

Those offered by International Medical Aid come with the added benefit of a truly intercultural experience, and a unique opportunity to travel while diving right into the medical field. You’ll also earn patient care hours through your work as a patient care technician, clinical research coordinator, clinic volunteer, or medical mission volunteer.

In these roles you can expect to gain experience in patient enrollment, monitoring patients, taking vitals and drawing blood, consulting with patients, and more. You’ll also have the opportunity to choose a pre-physician’s assistant (PA) internship in a specialty field, like pediatrics or cardiology.

If you want to see the world while gaining clinical experience, there are tons of medical internships abroad and medical volunteer opportunities around the world.

2. Research Assistant

While this role may not offer direct patient care experience, becoming a research assistant can provide knowledge of the healthcare industry and general insight into what life is like in a hospital setting.

As a research assistant you’ll be collecting and analyzing experimental data in addition to keeping inventory and taking care of laboratory equipment. It’s a great way to get experience in the medical field if you’re analytical, detail-oriented, and curious.

If you’re interested in pursuing a career in healthcare research, this may be just the position for you!

3. Medical Scribe

Your skills gained as a medical scribe won’t go unused!

As a medical scribe, you’ll be helping the physician you’re working with gather information, take notes for medical records, and assist in deciding on a patient care plan.

You’ll need to be able to multitask, type proficiently, and have some knowledge of medical terminology (although this is also a great opportunity to learn healthcare lingo).

Medical scribes are in the room with patients taking notes, and this is therefore an incredible opportunity for learning and growth as a future medical practitioner.

4. Emergency Medical Technician

While training and certification is necessary to become an Emergency Medical Technician, being an EMT is rewarding, significant, and definitely one of the best ways to achieve clinical experience.

As an EMT you’re not only working directly with patients, you’re a first responder, providing initial diagnosis and medical treatment to those in need. You’ll need to stay cool under pressure, apply your training quickly and efficiently, and follow protocol to ensure the wellbeing of your patients.

This hands on experience, and the work you do to get there, won’t go unnoticed by medical school admissions personnel.

5. Certified Nursing Assistant

You may find that being a Certified Nursing Assistant is your calling.

While becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant may be the most time consuming way to get clinical experience before medical school, it could also be a way to keep your budget under control and gain very meaningful experience.

CNAs work under registered nurses and perform basic patient care like moving and grooming patients, taking vitals, and organizing medical supplies. As a CNA, you’ll get one-on-one contact with patients, which looks great on your resume and will put you far ahead of your peers.

Plus, you’ll really get to know what day-to-day life is like for doctors and nurses, which is why getting clinical experience is important.

Convinced that becoming a CNA is the best way to get clinical experience for medical school? You’ll need to complete a state-approved CNA training program, in-person clinical training, and pass a state-approved CNA certification program.

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If you’re a pre med student, you’ll want the best clinical experience!

As a pre-medical student, the best clinical experience is the kind you’ll enjoy, that’s educational as well as hands-on, and that gives you a glimpse into the medical field. The clinical experience examples provided in this article are just a few of the many types of positions you can find.

When searching for opportunities, consider the benefits they could provide to you, including receiving a paycheck while working towards a successful career, getting to know the ins and outs of healthcare from experienced professionals, and building a reputation as well as a network of colleagues.

Be open and creative when searching for a role; if you are able to travel, even better! Gaining clinical experience while traveling and immersed in another culture offers additional rewards, both personally and professionally. Any challenges you’ll face will make you a better healthcare professional, respected by patients and colleagues.

Explore ALL medical internship opportunities on GoAbroad.com

This article was written with help from International Medical Aid, who also provided all photos seen above. IMA is a not-for-profit organization that offers medical programs for students in places like East Africa, South America, and the Caribbean through an ethics-based approach to care. They offer summer, fall, and winter programs.