Patient Exposure

Patient exposure experiences are an additional way to help you gain insights into the practice of medicine, and will give you hands-on experience to help reinforce your understanding and commitment to becoming a physician. Patient exposure may also be referred to as patient interaction or clinical experiences. These experiences are defined as direct interaction with patients, and active involvement in their care, in a health-care related environment. It is important for medical school applicants to be comfortable working with, and around people who are ill, injured, or diseased.

Patient exposure is not shadowing. Shadowing is a passive activity where the student learns from watching and observing the physician. Patient exposure is also not caring for friends or family members. Neither is it housekeeping or staffing an information desk, even if that activity occurs in a hospital.

Not all medical schools specifically require patient exposure experiences (the University of Utah School of Medicine does), but all medical schools absolutely view patient exposure experiences as a very important part of the premedical student’s preparation for medical school. We encourage our BYU premed students to get at least 100 hours of patient exposure experience(s).

Some students acquire health-care credentials in order to engage in patient exposure experiences. These could include EMT, CNA, medical assistant, phlebotomist, surgical tech, etc. certifications. To explore formal or credentialed forms of gaining patient experience, click here. Acquiring one of these credentials will require both time and money. The benefit may be that the student may be able to secure part-time employment to acquire the patient exposure experiences. However, a healthcare credential is not required, and most students will obtain patient exposure experiences through volunteer opportunities. A list of agencies in Utah County and Salt Lake for volunteer patient exposure activities is included below. Of course, similar types of agencies/facilities may also be accessed in your home community to acquire patient exposure experiences.