Hello,
I began working towards prerequisite science courses and clinical experience for the about a year and a half (with another two to three years of part time classes in a DIY Post-Bacc). I worked as a CNA for 8 months at an Assisted Living Facility before taking a job as a Cardiac Monitor Technician at a local medical center. My question is whether either or both of these work experiences count towards clinical experience. As a CNA I of course was face to face with the residents, but as a monitor tech I am in a separate room for most of the 12 hour shifts I work. I am exposed to a wide variety of conditions and have learned a great deal about cardiovascular pathology (luckily my brother is an EP Physician at the same facility, which helps in my learning process). Would I be able to either of these experiences as clinical experience? I figure as of now I have over 2,000 hours of experience in these positions (and will earn thousands more in my current position), so obviously it would be tremendous of those would count. I am lucky in that I have ready access to shadowing opportunities, so I could potentially supplement with more shadowing if need be.
Thank you very much, and this site and the podcasts are any amazing resource (I am listening to them at work right now).
- Jeremy B.