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Direct patient contact hours


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Hi all

   I currently work as an office medical assistant. The department I work for has Physicians, Nurse Practioners and LPN's. Our providers visit patients at home and assisted living facilities. While our providers are in the field we receive calls from patients, caregivers and hospitals with calls ranging from urgent issue, medication refill, medical equipment or any questions they may have for a provider. When we get such calls we triage the call based on urgency by asking questions, give medical advice as needed, help with medication refill or any other questions. I am able to then send a message off to the provider if needed. 

 

What I would like to know is, will that be considered as direct patient contact hours or should I look for work that is more in person? 

 

I would really appreciate feedback if anyone has heard of such patient contact hours being appropriate for PA school. 

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This would be considered healthcare experience but not patient care experience. I am a PT Aide in an acute care setting and I had a school tell me my direct patient care experience was weak. Mind you I take patient vitals pre and post treatments, ambulate patients on my own, run patients through post operative exercises and conduct specified transfers. It’s really up to the school how strong they consider your pce...but in your case I would look towards something like a medical assistant or a CNA 

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On 7/8/2018 at 10:46 AM, Prepaguy23 said:

This would be considered healthcare experience but not patient care experience. I am a PT Aide in an acute care setting and I had a school tell me my direct patient care experience was weak. Mind you I take patient vitals pre and post treatments, ambulate patients on my own, run patients through post operative exercises and conduct specified transfers. It’s really up to the school how strong they consider your pce...but in your case I would look towards something like a medical assistant or a CNA 

Oh wow. Did they provide feedback with what they considered "strong" direct PCE?

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1 minute ago, Monet said:

Oh wow. Did they provide feedback with what they considered "strong" direct PCE?

Strong PCE is fairly universal. RNs, ER techs, EMTs, PCTs, hospital CNAs, etc. This description from one of the programs I’m applying to summarizes the components of strong PCE well:

“Direct, 'hands-on' patient care, working with acutely sick or injured patients in a hospital or clinical setting.”

Looking at the experience you’ve mentioned above, it is definitely not PCE. I could see some schools accepting this at HCE, but I could also see some not accepting it at all as you don’t work with patients in person. You’re only interacting over the phone, which is quite indirect. 

I would recommend finding a position with more opportunities for hands on experience or experience working with patients directly. 

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