Hi guys, I'm an upcoming junior with a good GPA & studying for MCATs to take in August. I have done a bunch of extracurriculars- wrote a column for the school paper, neuroscience research, tutoring elementary kids, and a job where I designed programs for college kids to learn outside of the classroom. I feel that I have done a lot in the past year or so in terms of these activities, but I am worried that my lack of hospital experience may hold me back. I volunteered a lot in high school, but honestly, i feel as if I got nothing out of it and was a waste of time. I am planning on shadowing a doctor in the Spring 2005 and volunteering next summer, but is that not enough? Will this hurt my on my application? Pleaes let me know what I should do. I'd like to apply to one of the top tier med schools. Thanks!
Hospital Volunteering-how necessary is it?
- Thread starter ablumoon
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ablumoon said:
Hey Blue,
I don't think it's essential for all candidates, but I do think that admissions committees are looking for evidence of commitment to the study and/or practice of medicine. If you sell yourself as wanting a career in academic medicine, then they'll want to see that you've had some significant involvement in research. However, if your personal statement and secondaries point towards an interest in clinical practice, admissions folk are going to want to know where that is coming from. If you don't have any real clinical exposure, they may raise an eyebrow, and they'll certainly ask you about it at any interviews you get.
I think med schools try to understand a candidate's motivation for studying medicine, especially for traditional candidates. Your best move is to be clear with yourself what it is you want to go into medicine for, and then make sure that your extracurriculars and the rest of your application materials backs that up.
Hope that helps.
Lefty
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When you volunteered in high school was it in a hospital? Admissions commitees like to see hospital volunteer experience because it shows that you have exposure to medicine and know what you are getting yourself into. Volunteering in a hospital is not absolutely necessary if you have other experiences such as shadowing a doctor. But keep in mind that the ammount of time you spend shadowing must be significant and that some sort of volunteering is probably a good idea. Hope this helps.
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It totally depends on the school. OHSU, for example, not only loves hospital experience, but HATES you if you don't have tons. I wasn't interviewed there (OR resident), despite my gpa being their avg, and MCAT well above their avg. When I called to ask why, they said not enough hospital exprience. I volunteered for six months and worked another six months in healthcare.
I was accepted to NYMC, who thought my experience was just fine.
I was accepted to NYMC, who thought my experience was just fine.
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Are you allowed to put high school stuff on your AMCAS?
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I don't see why not, but if you're a non-trad (i.e. out of college already), I'd think twice about it. It might look like you're trying to pad your EC list if you reach waaaay back to high school for experiences. Then again, if you did something really impressive or life-altering in high school, then you should definitely include it.Pinkertinkle said:
It's a judgment call.
hi guys,
yes i did volunteer at the hospital in high school--for at least 100 hours. I just didn't find it stimulating, but when I shadowed doctors in high school, it was awesome (motivated me to go premed). Dankev- that's a LOT of clinical experience that you had. I'm worried now, but I hope it helps if I put my high school experience on my app.
What kinds of wards or hospitals do you guys recommend for a more lively and fun experience at the hospital? i just dont want to be filing stuff all day, i feel i can do so much more with my time.
yes i did volunteer at the hospital in high school--for at least 100 hours. I just didn't find it stimulating, but when I shadowed doctors in high school, it was awesome (motivated me to go premed). Dankev- that's a LOT of clinical experience that you had. I'm worried now, but I hope it helps if I put my high school experience on my app.
What kinds of wards or hospitals do you guys recommend for a more lively and fun experience at the hospital? i just dont want to be filing stuff all day, i feel i can do so much more with my time.
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Try to find a doctor who will let you shadow. You will learn a lot more and have a better time doing that than general volunteering. My volunteering was in the ER at a level 1 trauma center, but I was BORED! There was nothing interesting for me to do, and the docs were all too busy to talk to me.
Like I said before, it really depends on the school. Some schools, like OHSU, just want you to spend lots and lots of time in hospitals and clinics. With many others, it isn't as important.
Like I said before, it really depends on the school. Some schools, like OHSU, just want you to spend lots and lots of time in hospitals and clinics. With many others, it isn't as important.
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To me your experience looks fine . . . more is always better but between the research an education activities you have done you are definitely well rounded. A lot of times schools come up with excuses why they do not let an applicant in. I have a friend with a 3.8 GPA, a 30 MCAT, 8 years search and rescue volunteering experience, 4 years Fire Dept EMS volunteering experience (as an EMT-Basic), shadowed an MD for well over 200 hours, cancer lab research, and was a tutor and a tutor supervisor for students who are impoverished, have a learning disability, or are 1st generation college students who did not get in. The schools had the audacity to tell him that it was his "lack of experience" for the reason he did not get in (which I found funny since another student got into 3 of the schools he applied to with nothing more than 100 hours shadowing an MD). In the end it is really a crapshoot, but your experiences to date should help you get in. Don't worry . . . just apply to a broad range of schools and put your best foot forward.
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Same here...lots of hospital/nursing home volunteering in high school, but it was all pretty boring stuff. I'm finding shadowing to be much more interesting, and I'm still getting a lot of patient contact, while at the same time learning a LOT about science/research, medicine, social interactions, etc. that you don't necessarily get by volunteering in a pediatric ward, say...But still a lot of people tell me that I NEED volunteering in a hospital. Is shadowing + non-medical comm. service ok, or do I really need medical comm. service?
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Lefty McFish said:
Hello! I guess some people don't understand what POST SECONDARY means! ADCOMS don't care about high school stuff.
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ih8biochem said:
Okay, I stand corrected. Don't be hatin'...
(But ablumoon: if you singlehandedly vaccinated a tribe of aboriginies in Papua New Guinea as a Junior in high school, include it anyway. Just don't tell ih8biochem...they're a real stickler for rules)
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I'm "shadowing" the residents, resident physicians, and attending physicians at a hospital. I hate to use that term, because what I do is much more than seeing what a typical day is for a physician, to what it is like to actually be a physician. I do about 6 hours of shadowing, 5 days a week, for 5 weeks. 
I'm sorry, it just makes me feel good when I talk about this opportunity of mine.
What's really great is that I'm already looking down at the medical students doing their clerkships.
The more I learn, the more confident I get, I guess.
I'm sorry, it just makes me feel good when I talk about this opportunity of mine.What's really great is that I'm already looking down at the medical students doing their clerkships.
The more I learn, the more confident I get, I guess.
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Lefty McFish said:
I think it's hilarious when people talk about going to third-world countries (like Nigeria) and "volunteering" to help the peoples there. Talk about super-uber-application-whoring! 
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DO NOT include stuff that you did in high school!!!!! You can write about that kind of stuff in your PS, but it SHOULD NOT be included on you 15 ECs. They want to see what you have been doing after high school. Don't mean to be "hatin'", but ECs are POST-SECONDARY as previous poster stated.
ablumoon said:
I had a great volunteer experience at hospitals in high school and also post college. Ablumoon, you should research volunteer programs at various hospitals in your area. Find strong volunteer programs, which allow a lot of interaction with patients. Since you have lots of experience working with children, why don't you volunteer at a pediatric ward. Bring a smile to the children's faces there. I don't see how you could ever find that type of work boring.
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patzan said:
That's what I did. I had some very significant volunteer experiences during my last year of HS and I discussed them in my PS. Since they influenced me to pursue medicine, I thought they were important.
One question...
I shadowed doctors and a child psychologist to fulfill a course requirement. Is that something I list as an activity? Would it count as "clinical experience"?
Thanks
Nina
