Clinical Experience

Clinical volunteer experiences involve volunteering in a healthcare setting, such as a clinic or hospital. As an Emory student, you have many options both on campus and in the Atlanta area. It's important to remember that your volunteer work should be meaningful to you! Clinical community service should not be looked at simply as a way to “check the box.” Working with organizations and populations that are important to you will allow you to have more meaningful experiences and a desire to continue to give back.

Clinical Experiences Abroad:

• AAMC Guidelines for Clinical Experiences Abroad
• ADEA Guidelines for Clinical Experiences Abroad

Shadowing Resources

• Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Rehabilitation Observation (for students interested in PT, Audiology, and OT): Rehabilitation Observation.
• Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Physician Shadowing (only available to students who have volunteered 60 hours at CHOA).
• Search the Emory Alumni Career Network for providers in your area.
• Ask the people you know! Your own healthcare provider, family, friends, etc.

Emory Healthcare Observerships

1. You must find a clinician willing to have an undergraduate student shadow. Pre-Health Advising does not match students with Observership opportunities nor does the Emory Healthcare Office of Observership Credentialing.
2. Once you have identified and confirmed a clinician whom you can shadow, you must email the Emory Healthcare Office of Observership Credentialing to receive further instructions and be granted access to the observership application. Their email address is observership.credentialing@emoryhealthcare.org 
3. One of the first things they will ask you to do is to collect and submit your immunization documentation and to get a TB blood test (they cannot accept TB blood test results performed more than 3 months from the time you plan to start your observership). Instructions on which immunizations are required and which TB tests they accept can be found here. If you do not have easy access to your immunization documentation, you should be able to obtain it from the Emory Student Health Services where you can also make an appointment to schedule your TB blood test.
4. If you submit your application with the supplemental required documents and are approved, you will receive an email from the Emory Healthcare Office of Observership Credentialing granting you clearance to begin your observership and instructions on getting your security badge. You will need to pick up your security badge prior to your start date. Please note the badge will cost $10 with the possibility of a $15 processing fee added. You CANNOT start shadowing within Emory Healthcare until you receive your official clearance email from the Emory Healthcare Office of Observership Credentialing.

Informational Interviewing is another great way to learn more about healthcare professions. Some hospitals, clinics, private practices, and offices have strict requirements and do not permit shadowing, but the professional may be willing to sit down with you and talk with you about his/her career. You can find more information about informational interviewing on the Career Center website. Be sure to be professional in your dress and demeanor. It is always nice to follow up with a thank you note as well.

There are several options for students to participate in paid clinical experiences. Many paid opportunities require a significant time commitment and prior training, so students often choose to engage in these experiences during the summer or during a gap year.

Medical Scribe

A medical scribe specializes in charting provider-patient encounters in real time, such as during medical examinations. A medical scribe's primary duties are to follow a healthcare professional through his or her work day and chart patient encounters in real-time using a medical office's electronic health record (EHR) and existing templates. Some of the companies who hire and train scribes in the Atlanta area include:

• ProScribe
• ScribeAmerica
• SuperScribe, LLC

Healthcare Consulting

Healthcare consultants examine the efficiency, profits, and structure of a healthcare organization and offer suggestions on methods of improvement. These positions can give applicants insight to the business and administrative side of healthcare. Healthcare Consulting jobs are full-time positions that require a bachelor's degree. Triage Consulting, based in Atlanta and San Francisco, is one example of a popular healthcare consulting company. To learn more about these types of positions, please visit the Career Center website.

Allied Healthcare Providers

There are several allied health professions that require minimal training (less than 1 year), making them ideal for pre-health students looking to gain experience during school breaks or gap year(s). These professions allow individuals to gain hands-on experience in a healthcare setting. To explore additional healthcare jobs that require minimal training, visit the Explore Health Careers website.

• Phlebotomists: Phlebotomists collect blood for donation or for testing so the blood can be analyzed in a clinical laboratory. Phlebotomists work in clinical laboratories, hospitals, community health centers, nursing homes, doctor’s offices, blood donation centers and other health care facilities. To become certified, you must complete 200 training hours and pass the national certification exam. More information: Phlebotomy Certification.
• Medical Assistant: Medical assistants perform routine administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices and clinics of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors and optometrists running smoothly. Many employers prefer to hire Certified Medical Assistants, however some clinical practices hire assistants provide on-the-job training. To become certified, you must complete a formal training program and pass the CMA Certification Exam. To find training program, visit the AAMA website. You can search for certificate-granting programs, which are generally shorter in length. For more information, see the Explore Health Careers website and check out the Medical Assistant Student Resource Guide.
• Nurses Assistant: Nursing assistants help patients perform basic daily tasks. They work under a licensed nurse’s supervision, and since they have extensive daily contact with each patient, they play a key role in the lives of their patients and in keeping the nurse up to date on vital information about the patients’ conditions. To become certified, nursing assistants must complete a state-approved education program. Find programs in the Atlanta area: local CNA programs.
• Health Care Interpreters: Health care interpreters facilitate communication between patients with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and their physicians, nurses, lab technicians and other health care providers. Minimum requirements for the profession vary greatly from state to state. Most healthcare institutions prefer certified interpreters who have completed a training program. There are two national certifications for health care interpreters.
• Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs): EMTs provide first-line medical or emergency care for sick and injured people at the scene, which may be in the person’s home, at an accident site, or other places, and while they are being transported to the hospital for care. All states require EMTs to be licensed. EMTs usually complete a course that takes between 120 and 150 hours to complete, while AEMTs usually complete 400 hours of training. To obtain certification, individuals must complete an accredited Emergency Medical Services-Paramedic education program  and pass the national exam. Education programs typically take less than one year to complete.