Freaking out, What are my chances with no extra curric?

[irishfan89]

Hello all,

I am writing because I am concerned and very frustrated. I worked hard throughout my undergrad and have 3.9 accumulative and 4.0 in my Bio major. I haven't taken the MCAT yet but I think that a low to mid 30's score is well within my range.
I knew that I wanted to take a year off before medical school, and my fiance and I both wanted to just relax a bit before applying to graduate level, as we just had our first child.
What I am freaking out about is the fact that every school I looked at lists extra curriculum as a huge part of acceptance. I have been on my own since I was 16. I worked full/part time through college and the only extra curic I have is a year abroad. Even now, I am unable to volunteer as I am still taking classes and working, and we cannot afford daycare.
I tried for about 6 months to get a job related to the healthcare industry, or anything remotely related to my degree but I could not find anything (anything that could keep us afloat financially. I cannot take a research job that pays 7.50 an hour without benefits). I haven't yet started to apply (taking mcat end of summer) but my plan is go through a program to become a surgical tech. I am doing this to not have to pay my crushing loans immediately, and most importantly to get a degree in something that I know I will be able to find a job in, and it actually interests me.
Would you think this would be enough to be taken seriously? Any advice? The more I read about "how to get into med school" the more frustrated I become since every forum just says "volunteer!" I gave up my social life in college to actually do well, and there just wasn't enough time to volunteer. I did do a little coaching and training, but that was because I enjoyed it. The volunteer positions at my local hospitals have nothing to do with medicine, and the ones that do require to much of a time investment that I just can't do.
sorry for the long post, but what do you guys think about the surgical tech program? I figure it looks good and gives me a fall back so that If I don't get in the first or second try I am not struggling financially.
Thanks!

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[Mountaineer12]

I'm not an expert, but I would suggest stressing the extreme amount of financial dependence you've had on yourself in your personal statement. If you sound convincing it may excuse some lack of ECs.

You really should try to get in some volunteering and shadowing though even of it's just an hour or two a week. The admissions committee will want to know that you've experienced the medical field and know what you're getting into. I think the surgical tech job will help a lot with this, but still, volunteering in some form is necessary. Probably not what you wanted to hear maybe someone who knows better has some better news.

 

[yellowfish]

Even if it's just for a few hours a week, I'd say you definitely need some exposure to the medical field whether it's through a paid position or through volunteering in order to convince medical schools that you know what you're getting yourself into. If you don't even have that time to spare, how do you plan on studying for the MCAT? Just a thought. What I'm implying is that if you have time to score in the 30s on the MCAT, you have time to get in some clinical hours as well.
Adcoms will likely be willing to be more lenient if you describe your situation well (be careful not to sound like you're making excuses, though) - however, no adcom will completely excuse you from having any clinical exposure.

 

[irishfan89]

I have my weekly hours planned out...school then mcat for a couple hours then work..then baby.
I am looking to volunteer a little bit, but I cannot spare a lot of time. Wouldn't volunteering now just look like I am doing it just to to look good?
I want to get into the medical field. I have been applying to hospital jobs for ages, but I have no experience. Surgical Techs prep patients for surgery and are in the OR for surgeries assisting the surgical staff so I figured that is as good as gets experience wise.
What volunteer positions are available to you guys if you don't mind me asking. At the three hospitals I talked to, they were mostly clerical.
I don't have a problem volunteering. Now that I am not a full time student and employee I want to see what I am getting myself into, but the frustrating part is that I cannot find anything related to the medicine (volunteer wise) and also having the worthlessness of my bio degree being rubbed in face every time I apply for an entry level position at a hospital.
Anybody have any positive experience getting in with the ONLY volunteer work being the year (s) before applying?
Thanks again for the responses.

 

[yellowfish]

If you're able to get experience as a surgical tech, volunteering isn't as big of an issue. I wasn't suggesting that you have to do volunteering, only that you have to get some sort of clinical experience whether it is through a paid or volunteer opportunity. If that's your plan, and you can get significant hours as a surgical tech by the time you apply, then that sounds good to me.

BUT, if you have spare time, you can always try to volunteer in non-hospital medically-related settings. Public health organizations, hospice care, and small clinics could be somewhere to start.

 

[DanGee777]

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[Mountaineer12]

The MSAR lists percent of students with clinical and non-clinical volunteering who got in each school. Maybe looking for schools with a lower percentage would be a good way to pick schools. Just a thought.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

Don't mean to be a douche, but the advice thus far kinda sucks. You have a number of problems ahead of your. The good news is that working is an EC even if it isn't clinical, it has a lot of benefits.

Now the bad news. You don't have any clinical experience so how is an adcom going to know what you are getting into? Sure you can handle everything academically, but being a good student is different than being a doctor. You have no volunteering which shows service to others. And to an adcom, not being able to find time to do 2 hours per week shows a lack of trying. The biggest problem that you have though is the fact that you work enough to NOT doing anything EC wise. To an adcom, this will be a red flag. How are you going to be able to be a parent and go to med school? You can't work in med school. You have to put yourself in the adcom's shoes. If you were responsible, would you recommend this person. No. As you look right now, you can't handle med school.

Surgical tech- in my area they are two year programs and aren't hiring. It would be ten times better and easier to go get your CNA. Look for weird schedules and take a year off to get everything.

So why am I qualified to give you advice? The entire year before my app, I worked one job (driving a semi) for 50 hours per week, a part time job as a patient transporter on the weekends at 20 hours per week. I took 21 credits of class in the fall semester and 20 credits in the spring including 2 lab classes both semesters. I am also a father of 3 kids who (at the time) were all under 5 years old. I still managed to volunteer 2 hours a week on average (usually done by doing 4-6 hour blocks every few weeks) and shadow regularly. In addition to all of this, my interviews forced me to explain almost exactly how I planned to pay for my life while in school and I had to explain if I thought I could handle med school.

Honestly, you should use this summer to get your CNA license and take a gap year to build your ECs.

 

[irishfan89]

Frky- One of the reasons I wanted to take some time off is so our daughter can get a little older. She is too young for school, but she will start school in a about a year while my fiance will then be finished with school and making decent money to support us. I haven't even begun to apply, which gives us some time to save up and by the time I enter she will be at preschool.
I don't understand the logic that because I didn't have time to volunteer in undergrad shows a lack of trying. But what is done is done.
I don't want to do the CNA route. I looked into it and the programs around here are about as long as the surgical tech, and I would much rather be in an operating room than do what a CNA does (my cousin is one and she hates it so that colored my opinion of CNA).
I guess once everything slows down and we have a set schedule I will have to start looking for volunteer positions.
Is a gap year (s) filled with say 2-5 hours a week of shadowing, volunteering sufficient? What should be my goal EC wise?
In the initial post, I was concerned that it is too far gone for me since I didn't do any EC during undergrad. It looks like I still have some time to get this. I guess If I don't get in the first time, I can continue to volunteer and then maybe be a strong candidate for round two.
thanks guys!

 

[FrkyBgStok]

I know you don't want the CNA, but it is arguably the best clinical experience for untrained people, it pays, it is easy to get certified, and it is a means to an end. But it isnt me so good luck. How many hours will you be working, what job, and how many classes? I mean when things settle down.

 

[irishfan89]

Well the surgical tech is a year start to finish including internship (only some credits transfer even though I have two undergrad degrees I am still forced to take speech, typing, and another bs class). The CNA programs around me are 2 years, and surgical tech's tend to make $10,000 more per year. I have to take anatomy and phys 1 and 2 with labs this summer (even though I have 3 comparable classes) for the program and I am scouring the city and outlying areas for ANY hospital job. I figure summer should look like: 14 credit hours, 2-4 hrs a day MCAT, hopefully at least 20 hr per week hospital job, and then 5 hours or more EC.
During the surgical tech program it will be the same just more work.
I recently quite my day job to be a stay at home dad since my fiance makes double what I made, but I do have my business (sort of) that makes decent money. I do a lot of odd jobs in addition ie tutoring, MMA training, weight training, roofing, etc.
Am I wrong to think that working for a full year getting direct patient contact and assisting in surgeries is enough? I would like to shadow a physician but the other volunteer positions I have seen are a waste of time.

 

[Mountaineer12]

The volunteering position is likely to be a waste, but you have to do it. Why not take a few more years off to build ECs and save money? Time off won't hurt if you do relevant things.

 

[irishfan89]

Some good advice so far thanks everyone.
So what am I looking at hour wise? What is a good goal to shoot for?
I think I am gonna start trying to shadow some MDs and some PAs and such. Any more advice specifically what type of volunteer work and how many hours I should shoot for (just got off phone with a hospital and they did not seem to understand that I wanted to volunteer to get closer to the medicine).
thanks again guys

 

[tenndoc]

zero... need to have some clinical ecs

 

[irishfan89]

Clinical EC's such as? I figure surgical tech or STNA more than takes care of clinical experience.

 

[irishfan89]

@FRKY sorry you said CNA... I thought you were talking about something else (called STNA here). I looked into a couple months back but they were all booked but I called yesterday and they have an opening for next month, so I am gonna do that! Depending on the money i might just do that or I might still do the surgical tech. So sorry I was so dismissive of "CNA" I though it was a two year nursing degree!

 

[FrkyBgStok]

no problem. when you said 2 years I thought wtf? it is 1 month here. No problem. I am not saying do the CNA necessarily, but when you think that you won't start the surgical tech until aug. and then a year, you won't get clinical for another year, whereas in my area (des moines) there are cna classes starting every 2 months or so, so probably more often in a bigger city. then you could start way awesome clinical experience in just a couple months. plus places are always hiring CNAs as they need them everywhere, so you are more likely to get a weekend job, or a night job, or a PRN job, basically tons of options to find a schedule that works for you, whereas surgical techs are at the mercy of the OR and the bulk is done during class time. good luck.

 

[irishfan89]

Yea exactly. But in my area classes are booked up for months in advance. the only reason I was able to get a seat (not 100% yet) is because I know someone who is a teacher there. Its crazy at the local community college (I was gonna get a RN because hey why not they make amazing money and I had a lot of the classes and I wanted something to fall back on and not my absolutely useless bio degree) there is a 3 year waiting list!
So what do you think STNA to surgical tech (if i still wanna do that) to shadowing? Is this enough?

 

[Mountaineer12]

You still need to work in some volunteering. It may not necessarily have to be clinical volunteering with you trying to get into a medical job (though there's a whole section on the application for clinical volunteering so it can't hurt), but you will need some volunteering. I think 100 hours is usually the goal.

Besides that I think you're app will look good!

 

[drshark]

Try and do a ton of shadowing hours, and volunteer at places like a homeless shelter or with children at a school for 4 hour a week, it will add up! Apply and become a scribe, they make more than minimum wage? Just a few things I could think of