Gain Healthcare Experience
To become a more competitive applicant for graduate programs, having experience is a great way to stand out! Not only do experiences make you unique compared to other applicants, but they can also help with:
- Discovering your interests
- Allow you to simulate work in and out of a healthcare setting
- Enable you to help those who need it
- Expose you to connections and mentors and demonstrate commitment
- Can help to confirm or alter your career goals
Do note that many programs prefer quality of experience over quantity of experience. This means moderate-length, meaningful experiences are preferred over lengthy experiences that do not match your career goals. Always check with your specific institution for any possible experience requirements.
Types of Experiences
With healthcare experiences, there are two categories that they usually fall under: Clinical and Non-Clinical.
Clinical experience refers to any hands-on, healthcare-related experience that usually has to do with the clinical/hospital setting. Clinical experiences allow you to get a feel for how it would be as a health professional along with demonstrating interest in the health field.
Non-clinical experience refers to experience that does not directly involve direct patient care. These experiences test and improve characteristics needed as a health professional such as leadership, communication, teamwork, empathy, and commitment to service.
Health Professions Experiential Opportunities