Special Needs Involvement - Help!

[wborders]

I may be working at a local special needs clinic with mentally and physically handicapped individuals. I was curious if PA admission boards will take my work experience here as "clinical experience". I would really love to work with the handicapped in my community, but at the same time I do need work experience for the programs I'm interested in. Would this be something I should/could pursue?

 

Thanks for the opinions!

 

Here is the job...

 

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A Direct Support Professional (DSP) assists individuals with developmental disabilities to lead self-directed lives and contribute to the community. DSP’s assist with activities of daily living , and encourage attitudes and behaviors that enhance community inclusion. A DSP may provide supports to a person with a disability at home, work, school, church, and other community places. A DSP also acts as an advocate for the individual, in communicating their needs, self expression and goals.

[rev ronin]

Will you be responsible for administering medical care to the patients? Doesn't look like it.

 

When it's a patient-involved, non-certified, non-medical care position like this, each school may have a slightly different way of handling it. It's certainly better than retail or sales experience, but nowhere near as good as a nurse, paramedic, or RT.

[marilynpac]

Have to agree with rev, as schools move toward all masters programs they will be looking more for high quality hce that requires certification. Better call the school(s) that you will be apply to and ask if this is considered high quality.

[sakura]

Sorry, wborders, I'm going to agree with the previous responders - I highly doubt this would be considered clinical experience.

 

My previous career was in special education and while I think it may have made me interesting to the school I applied to (I was even asked a question about whether or not I would return to working with kids with special needs as a PA during my interview), it was the actual, hands-on, four years of clinical experience in a hospital that they focused on when looking at clinical experience.

 

I worked in a skilled nursing facility that had a few adults with developmental disabilities and I know of assisted-living facilities for kids with special needs that hire CNAs and such. I think there are probably ways you can still work within this community while still providing medical care - that may be a better bet for your interests. :) Good luck!

[Hemegroup]

Go for it until you can get an ENT or CNA cert ... sounds like a wonderful opportunity! I worked with the disabled for 4 years while also working as an EMT, volunteering for hospice and in the ER, and doing live-in assistance for a woman with MS. Do it all! Life is your classroom.

[marilynpac]

Go for it until you can get an ENT or CNA cert ... sounds like a wonderful opportunity! I worked with the disabled for 4 years while also working as an EMT, volunteering for hospice and in the ER, and doing live-in assistance for a woman with MS. Do it all! Life is your classroom.

 

Very true. Even though at some schools this isn't hce, it still falls into the volunteering catagory and there are schools that consider volunteering as hce...but please call the school(s) first.

[FSU2010]

I currently work at a mental health facility for children/teens with mental and physical disabilities. Most of our clients have social deficits that lead to maladaptive behavior with peers. I work under the direct supervision of two clinical psychologists, several OT's and dozens of nurses. Two of the programs I talked to LOVED my experience because it was something that they had not encountered before in an applicant. They loved my experience dealing with the high stress environment (we are regularly dealing with peer-peer attacks, etc). However, two other programs did not deem this work as sufficient clinical work.

 

It depends on the programs that you are applying to. To be safe, as others have suggested above, try to volunteer or get a CNA/EMT cert. done as well.

 

Good luck!