{"id":16912,"date":"2025-06-25T16:02:30","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T20:02:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/prehealth\/?page_id=16912"},"modified":"2025-09-04T12:48:46","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T16:48:46","slug":"direct-patient-care-clinical-experience","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/prehealth\/direct-patient-care-clinical-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Direct Patient Care\/Clinical Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

Know what it’s like to care for others.<\/h1><\/div><\/div>
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Apply site-wide<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n

Clinical experience includes both shadowing<\/strong> and direct patient care<\/strong> (DPC) and both are key to preparing for a healthcare career and strengthening your application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no perfect time to start, but many students begin exploring during their first year and start gaining hands-on experience the summer after. <\/p>\n\n\n

Pre-Health Tip:<\/h1>\n\n

As you participate in work, volunteer, or activity experiences, take time to reflect on them as you go. These reflections will be valuable when it\u2019s time to apply to your health professional program. We recommend using tools like Mappd<\/a> or Handshake<\/a> to track your experiences and document your insights along the way.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n

Over time, aim to collect both types of experience.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Also, build strong relationships with providers and supervisors\u2014they may become valuable letter writers later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shadowing <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shadowing refers to observing a healthcare provider in their daily work. This is a perfect first step to explore the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n