Healthcare program directors and medical professionals agree that on-site clinical training is an invaluable part of students’ educational experience. There are many job readiness benefits to be gained by perfecting your real-world skills outside of the classroom.
Bring Classroom Learning to Real Life Situations
In clinical training settings, students get the opportunity to hone competencies by applying the targeted scientific methods studied in the classroom. Success relies on a wide range of exposure to equipment, scenarios, and patient populations. Working alongside a health professional, you can apply learned concepts in a patient-centered environment.
Clinical programs develop partnerships with medical facility affiliates to offer experiential learning environments. Your healthcare education should provide a comprehensive selection and assortment of medical facilities to work with, so that you can choose to study in a medical center that will prepare you for a real-world career.
The setting should provide clinical curriculum that is directly related to your specific field of study. Look for programs where the clinical experience will improve your performance ability. Be sure that on-site trainers and mentors who will be assigned to work with you have the expertise you need and can dedicate the necessary time to make the experience worthwhile and beneficial.
Essential Soft Skills Obtained in Clinical Training
Somewhat-overlook benefits of clinical training are the soft 
skills you will develop interacting with supervisors, peers, and patients. Although less tangible, these skills are no less important to a healthcare professional’s success.
Working and learning in partnership with colleagues and other professionals in a clinical setting will teach the importance of teamwork. A collaborative, problem-solving approach to patient care ensures that decisions are well thought out. Members of a multi-disciplinary medical team have unique specialties, and teamwork brings out the best in everyone.
Successful teamwork is based on solid communication skills. Clinical experience will teach students the urgency of sharing timely, accurate, and easy-to-understand information. The importance of good communication is unmistakable: imagine the risk to patient outcomes if a healthcare professional miscommunicates with his or her team members.
These soft skills will provide you with the confidence to do your job well, and they will prepare you for potential leadership roles throughout your career. As a professional-in-training, you’ll find that spending time with experienced colleagues will help you develop a positive, well-rounded work ethic.
The Role of Technology in Clinical Healthcare Education
Technology is critical for successful work in any healthcare field. Developing technical skills takes time, and they do improve with experience. However, students shouldn’t expect to get the technical proficiency they need exclusively from using medical equipment in the classroom. To prepare you for the real world, clinical curriculum should partner you with experts who can help you master medical equipment techniques in a patient setting.
The correct use of medical equipment should not be the only technology focus of clinical training, although it is arguably the most important. As you learn the equipment that’s used to administer patient care in your field, take advantage of the opportunity to also become comfortable using information systems that track workflows, inventory, and patient information.
Electronic medical records (EMR) and electronic health records (EHR) are used by many practices to track and maintain patient treatments. Learning this holistic approach to patient records will encourage you to embrace technology capabilities, and to use the information available for data-driven decisions that enhance patient care.
Learn to Provide an Exceptional Patient Experience
As an exceptional health care professional, your engagement and communication skills should be extended to patients and their families. Imagine the mindset of your patient when you’re working with them. Depending on your role, he or she could either be in a dire situation or having routine tests. Either way, it’s not a pleasant situation for most people, and your interaction with them can mean more than you realize. During clinical work, students have the opportunity to learn compassion and understanding, which will ultimately lead you to provide quality professional services for the best possible overall patient experience.