How should I beef up my ECs?

[PiliPala]

Hello! I've spent the past several years planning on getting an MSN and eventually becoming a certified nurse-midwife, but now I'm feeling called to medical school instead.

I'm a 35-year-old stay-at-home mom to four children (10 and under), and my husband is active duty military. He'll be retiring in several years, so the tentative plan now is that he'll stay home with our children while I go to medical school.

I've been doing a lot of research on getting accepted to medical schools, and I know that my biggest issue is my lack of ECs. I have a BA in French with a minor in biology, and I graduated with a 3.76 GPA with a science GPA in the 3.6 range (which I hope will increase after I finish my chemistry and physics pre-reqs).

As a stay-at-home mom and military spouse, it has been very difficult to find time for any ECs. My experiences so far include:

-4.5 years as a military linguist (graduated at the top of my class at the Defense Language Institute in a Cat 4 language)

-3 semesters of midwifery school plus a year apprenticing with a certified professional midwife

-Volunteering as a birth doula for military families

-Volunteering as a craft coordinator for a mother's group

-Time spent volunteering at my children's school

As soon as my youngest child weans (in the next several months), I am hoping to start volunteering at our local hospital, and I'd like to begin shadowing doctors as well.

I would love some advice on where to focus my energies during the next two years as I finish my pre-reqs and prepare for the MCAT. Thank you for any help!

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[thatwouldbeanarchy]

First of all, it actually sounds like you have some really interesting EC's! (But I may be biased because I'm also a birth doula. )

Just my .02 but I would focus on clinical exposure, specifically things that get you contact with patients and providers. The provider contact part is relatively easily obtained through shadowing. The patient contact part you can get creative with. You could volunteer at a nursing home/private practice/free clinic/reproductive health clinic/hospice/hospital, etc. In general, adcoms want to see that you know what you're getting yourself into, that you actually enjoy being around sick people all day, and that you've at least tried to get a sense of what the job of being a doctor entails. I think this will be especially true for you because you have a background in midwifery. I'm not saying that this will hurt you, just that you should make sure you have a nuanced answer for why you want to be a doctor and not a midwife and that you're able to show your understanding of how the scopes of practice differ between these two fields.

And make sure to give yourself plenty of time for dedicated MCAT prep! Do not underestimate that exam!

 

[Goro]

Some types of volunteer activities are more appealing than others. Volunteering in a nice suburban hospital is all very well and good and all, but doesn't show that you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty in the same way that working with the developmentally disabled (or homeless, the dying, or Alzheimers or mentally ill or elderly or ESL or domestic, rural impoverished) does. The uncomfortable situations are the ones that really demonstrate your altruism and get you 'brownie points'. Plus, they frankly teach you more -- they develop your compassion and humanity in ways comfortable situations can't.


Service need not be "unique". If you can alleviate suffering in your community through service to the poor, homeless, illiterate, fatherless, etc, you are meeting an otherwise unmet need and learning more about the lives of the people (or types of people) who will someday be your patients. Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities. The key thing is service to others less fortunate than you. And get off campus and out of your comfort zone!

Examples include: Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Humane Society, crisis hotlines, soup kitchen, food pantry, homeless or women’s shelter, after-school tutoring for students or coaching a sport in a poor school district, teaching ESL to adults at a community center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, or Meals on Wheels.

 

[PiliPala]

Thank you for your replies!

I've been planning on volunteering with an organization calling the Flying Samaritans who do medical clinics in underserved areas of Mexico. That's one of the reasons why I have to wean my youngest first! I'm not sure how many missions I'll be able to do over the next year or two though, so I'll have to look for local opportunities as well.

Another question: a relative of mine is a nurse practitioner who works in a very unique setting. She provides prenatal and postpartum care to underserved woman (mostly undocumented immigrants). Would it be pointless to shadow her because she is not a doctor? She is the main care provider to these women who only see a doctor when giving birth, unless they risk out.

Lastly, how would I go about finding a doctor to shadow? We don't live in any one area long enough to make strong connections, and I'm not sure it'd go over well to ask a doctor who doesn't know me. I do have connections to out-of-state doctors, but my shadowing time with them would be short because I'd be leaving my family to do it.

Thank you all again for your help!

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Thank you for your replies!

I've been planning on volunteering with an organization calling the Flying Samaritans who do medical clinics in underserved areas of Mexico. That's one of the reasons why I have to wean my youngest first! I'm not sure how many missions I'll be able to do over the next year or two though, so I'll have to look for local opportunities as well.

Another question: a relative of mine is a nurse practitioner who works in a very unique setting. She provides prenatal and postpartum care to underserved woman (mostly undocumented immigrants). Would it be pointless to shadow her because she is not a doctor? She is the main care provider to these women who only see a doctor when giving birth, unless they risk out.

Lastly, how would I go about finding a doctor to shadow? We don't live in any one area long enough to make strong connections, and I'm not sure it'd go over well to ask a doctor who doesn't know me. I do have connections to out-of-state doctors, but my shadowing time with them would be short because I'd be leaving my family to do it.

Thank you all again for your help!

You can absolutely ask doctors who don't know you. You just explain what you want and why. Lots of them are open to it. Just don't give up if the first couple say no.

 

[PiliPala]

You can absolutely ask doctors who don't know you. You just explain what you want and why. Lots of them are open to it. Just don't give up if the first couple say no.

That is good to know! Thank you.

 

[QueenAudrey]

I'm a...stay-at-home mom...and my husband is active duty military. He'll be retiring in several years, so the tentative plan now is that he'll stay home with our children while I go to medical school.

As soon as my youngest child weans (in the next several months), I am hoping to start volunteering

ME TOO! ME TOO!
Let's be friends

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

Another question: a relative of mine is a nurse practitioner who works in a very unique setting. She provides prenatal and postpartum care to underserved woman (mostly undocumented immigrants). Would it be pointless to shadow her because she is not a doctor? She is the main care provider to these women who only see a doctor when giving birth, unless they risk out.

It might be interesting to shadow her for your own knowledge/enjoyment but I don't think that shadowing an NP will add anything to your medical school application. Adcoms will want to see that you've spent time with doctors.

Lastly, how would I go about finding a doctor to shadow? We don't live in any one area long enough to make strong connections, and I'm not sure it'd go over well to ask a doctor who doesn't know me. I do have connections to out-of-state doctors, but my shadowing time with them would be short because I'd be leaving my family to do it.

Totally understandable given your situation. I would say try to think of any connections you might have however remote. (One strategy might be to ask your own doctor, if you have one? Do you know any military physicians who might be able to hook you up?) If you have to go the ask someone you don't know route, just be prepared to get some no's. Be persistent and don't give up. Doctors are sometimes hesitant to let people they don't know shadow for liability/privacy reasons. If you find that you're really not having much luck, you might have to suck it up and travel. I would hope that given your family circumstances (and the fact that you're a nontrad) medical schools will be somewhat understanding if you have fewer shadowing hours than the typical applicant.