Clinical experience means real, direct contact with patients, close enough that you can see, hear, or speak with them. That is the line admissions committees care about. Volunteering in a hospital or clinic, working as a medical scribe, and roles like EMT, CNA, phlebotomist, or medical assistant all count, because you are in the room while care happens.
What does not count is anything a step removed from the patient. Bench or laboratory research is its own valuable category, and behind-the-scenes jobs like front desk, billing, or scheduling are not clinical. Shadowing matters, but it is counted separately, because you are observing rather than interacting. When you are unsure, ask yourself one question: were you close enough to that patient to have a conversation with them?
Quality matters far more than the label. A year of steady volunteering where you actually talk with patients will always read better than a scattered pile of one-time activities. If you are just starting, free virtual programs and hospital volunteering are the easiest entry points.