I previously worked as a social worker for CPS. I'm wondering if my experience could be used as clinical experience. Because I lived in a rural area and finding workers was difficult, they did not require a Masters or to be a LCSW. Also, due to this we often had to be more hands on since we did not have the money to hire third-party companies to do assessments or drug tests.
Some of my duties included:
Assessing clients/patients (adults and children) with substance abuse and/or mental health issues. When I first received a case we would assess them with various initial assessment tools in order to know if they were to be referred to mental health services and/or substance abuse resources. While we did not make a treatment plan for them, but we had to make sure they were following the plan and providing them with advice and constant "therapy." I say "therapy" because it was not in a clinic but rather depending on the location. It could have been in a rehab facility, their home, our office, etc. I was also responsible for collecting urine or oral samples on a daily basis for multiple clients and sending them to the toxicology lab.
We also dealt with medical records, immunization records, and had to be present at discharge to get discharge instructions for foster parents and understand the terminology.
I have emailed one PA school on what they consider PCE and they wrote back with "As long as you are assessing patients and providing medical or psychological treatment directly to patients in a clinical setting (CPR, administering medication, psychotherapy, physical therapy, etc.), your experience will be accepted. The more hands on treatment you provide, the stronger your experience will be considered."
Another school has listed on their website: “Direct-patient care experience” means that the applicant was an active participant in the care of a patient. This may include performing a service to the body (physical therapy assistant, paramedic, etc.), performing a service to the mind (counseling, health education, etc.), or personally interacting with patients (scribe, etc.) in the medical environment. Direct patient care does not include front office or administrative work. The medical environment refers to the place where medical services are rendered or medical examinations occur.
While I feel like I was providing a service to the mind by interacting with my clients, I am STILL unsure if they would count this as PCE. Does anyone have any experience from going from a social worker to a PA?
