What should I do with my gap years

[Loonj]

I have applied to medical schools once but did not get in.

PAST (2017):

My stats when I applied were: 507 MCAT score, 3.73 GPA (This was my GPA at the end of my junior year of undergrad, I now brought it up to a 3.88), and about 70 hours of clinical volunteering. I had many other non-clinical experiences however I am assuming I did not get any interviews due to my lack of clinical experience. I also have no research experience outside of laboratory work done for my undergrad courses.

PRESENT (2018):

I have worked as a patient observer for about 6 months which totals to about 200 hours of clinical work. I have also volunteered and have a total of 140 hours of clinical volunteering. I am now deciding how to spend the next two years before I reapply for medical schools. Aside from possibly retaking the MCAT, I do not know what would be most beneficial to my applications.

OPTIONS:

I have been accepted to a masters program at Boston University, a 1-year Biomedical Research Technologies Master's program. I have also applied to their Master's Program in Medical Sciences and am waiting to hear back from the admissions. Either of these programs would take me one year year to complete and would prepare me for further education. HOWEVER, one of the cons is paying almost 60k for extra schooling that may or may not be worth it considering my GPA.

Another option I have is being a medical scribe. This job option pays very little (a little above minimum wage) however I think it would be good way to get more clinical exposure. ( I would plan to use these hours as shadowing a doctor? I've heard mixed things but would it be okay for me to use my hours as a scribe as technically shadowing a doctor because that is essentially what I would be doing?)

Third option (it is still developing) is to potentially be a clinical research associate. The job role for this entails a lot of data entry and management, with no patient interactions. Essentially, it would be more of an office job. I have heard that many people who work as clinical research associates get promoted to clinical research coordinators after a year of employment, which would be an ideal job since I would finally be able to get some research experience.

OVERALL: I have absolutely no idea what to do and if I should do a master's program. Currently, my best plan is to do either of the master's programs, while working as a medical scribe part time, racking up those shadowing hours. And after the one year when I am done with my master's program, hopefully get a job as a researcher, get some research experience for one more year and then apply to medical schools?

Also, a secondary question: Is it possible to get into medical schools without any research experience? And if so, what schools should I look to apply to? I am only doing research in order to get into medical schools, as I was told that was a major factor I didn't get any interviews the first time I applied.


I know that was a lot of information but I hope someone can give good feedback because I really do not know what is the best thing for me to do with my gap years.

Thank You!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[sss1219]

You do not need an SMP (BU MAMS), your gpa is fine. Similarly with the biotech MS, this is something that you should pursue if you are interested in it; it won’t affect your app that much.

If there is anything you need to improve, it is your mcat and ECs. You would want 100-150 hours of clinical and nonclinical colunteering each before applying. Research is helpful, especially for research powerhouse schools, but not necessary.

 

[MedicineN'Jazz]

MCAT and GPA are fine for the mid and lower tiers. EC could improve though. Do Fulbright, Howard Hughs or Americorps for a year and you should be golden for all the mission heavy schools (i.e. Tulane, Indiana, Geisinger, Central Mich, Wayne, MCW, Virginia Commonwealth, Albany, SUNY Downstate, Upstate, etc)

 

[Loonj]

MCAT and GPA are fine for the mid and lower tiers. EC could improve though. Do Fulbright, Howard Hughs or Americorps for a year and you should be golden for all the mission heavy schools (i.e. Tulane, Indiana, Geisinger, Central Mich, Wayne, MCW, Virginia Commonwealth, Albany, SUNY Downstate, Upstate, etc)

Hi sorry, what exactly is Fulbright, Howard Hughs and Americorps? Are they to add volunteer experiences? And so what should I do in regards for employment? I just graduated with a bachelors degree, and if I am not enrolled in graduate school I will have to start paying back my student loans. Is it smarter to just be a clinical research associate, which will probably pay better I am assuming than scribing? Or should I stick to scribing and just work overtime as much as I can to offset the terrible pay since working as a scribe would probably be more beneficial in terms of my med school application?

 

[MedicineN'Jazz]

Ask the moderators, but I’m pretty sure you can defer your loans if you’re doing Americorps or Peace Corps (2 Years) full time. Those two are essentially full time volunteering opportunities, anywhere in the country (including Hawaii and Puerto Rico). It looks really great, because it shows that you’re serious about serving the disadvantaged and underserved.

Howard Hughs and Fulbright are international research experiences, that take you all over: Tanzania, Ghana, India, etc. I have no idea if you can defer with these, but it would make sense. You should probably call your undergrad financial aid office to make sure.

As for scribing, it looks really good. But it’s super, super hard to get. The pay is ass and you get treated like ass, but the experience is golden. Me, personally, i thought it was overrated. So, i became an EMT instead and it was regarded just as favorably. It all depends on your personality: do you mind sitting all day, or getting involved in the action?

 

[Loonj]

Ask the moderators, but I’m pretty sure you can defer your loans if you’re doing Americorps or Peace Corps (2 Years) full time. Those two are essentially full time volunteering opportunities, anywhere in the country (including Hawaii and Puerto Rico). It looks really great, because it shows that you’re serious about serving the disadvantaged and underserved.

Howard Hughs and Fulbright are international research experiences, that take you all over: Tanzania, Ghana, India, etc. I have no idea if you can defer with these, but it would make sense. You should probably call your undergrad financial aid office to make sure.

As for scribing, it looks really good. But it’s super, super hard to get. The pay is ass and you get treated like ass, but the experience is golden. Me, personally, i thought it was overrated. So, i became an EMT instead and it was regarded just as favorably. It all depends on your personality: do you mind sitting all day, or getting involved in the action?

Ohh okay I see, no one ever told me about those international research experiences I would have done them earlier if I had known. Also, I just want to make sure we are talking about the same thing when we say "scribing"... its a medical scribe correct? Where you just fill medical charts and take notes of patient interviews? I just want to make sure because it was very easy for me to get a position, I don't know if it's just being in Boston that makes it easier? But I was able to find a position through scribeamerica fairly easily.

Thank you for your input, it is greatly appreciated and I will definitely look into those options.

 

[MedicineN'Jazz]

Oh wow. I was in the NY/NJ area, so I’m guessing it’s a bit more saturated than Boston. That’s great that you got the job, you’ll get some great clinical experiences. Most likely, Americorps and the international research gigs will be out the picture though

 

[ssdent18]

Consider an AmeriCorps program! I am finishing up my service year now - if you have any questions feel free to message me

 

[futureDocDD]

You don't need much research experience for your state schools (what's your state of residence?). Did you apply to your state schools in last cycle? Top schools are research-heavy. Did you get any interview last cycle?

 

[DoctorDragon22]

Get that MCAT up an do like 100 hours each of clinical and non-clinical volunteering. You should be more than fine after that. Did you get any interviews?

 

[Loonj]

You don't need much research experience for your state schools (what's your state of residence?). Did you apply to your state schools in last cycle? Top schools are research-heavy. Did you get any interview last cycle?

I live in mass I did apply to my state school but did not get an interview. I didn't get any interviews sadly

 

[Loonj]

Get that MCAT up an do like 100 hours each of clinical and non-clinical volunteering. You should be more than fine after that. Did you get any interviews?

should I do an additional 100 hours of clinical volunteering? Or should I total 100 hours for clinical volunteering and add an additional 100 hours of nonclinical volunteering? I was thinking about mentoring high school students at a public school, do you think that would be a good idea? Also, I did not get any interviews when I applied last cycle. Thank You

 

[MedicineN'Jazz]

should I do an additional 100 hours of clinical volunteering? Or should I total 100 hours for clinical volunteering and add an additional 100 hours of nonclinical volunteering? I was thinking about mentoring high school students at a public school, do you think that would be a good idea? Also, I did not get any interviews when I applied last cycle. Thank You

With the exception of shadowing (for practicality’s sake), the closer you can get your volunteering hours to 1,000 the better. 100-200 shadowing hours (with primary care physicians being in the mix), 300-500 clinical volunteer hours, and 500+ non-clinical volunteer hours is what I feel every applicant should shoot for. But, this implies that you plan to take a gap year to build your hours

 

[DoctorDragon22]

You should just make sure you have a good balance of both clinical and non-clinical hours. As long as you have over 150ish + hours you should be fine. Volunteering and shadowing are the most important things for you as an applicant. It is a misconception that you need a ton of research experience.

 

[shinny]

One longitudinal clinical volunteering experience and one longitudinal non-clinical volunteering experience should suffice (don't focus too much on # of hours).

Beyond that, one significant longitudinal clinical experience with patient contact is extremely helpful. You mentioned you lacked this- for this reason alone I suggest you take the scribing position. I don't believe being a hospital volunteer is sufficient clinical experience for someone entering medical school, but that's just my opinion.

If you're very interested in research/academia/competitive specialties, then you might benefit from an MCAT retake + a clinical/bench research position for 1-2 years in one of the Harvard hospitals or similar. I think you should be able to land directly into a CRC position if you spin your application well. The research experience would help with taking the MCAT. If money is a factor, these positions probably pay better than scribing.

I would forget about Fulbright, Americorps etc, especially as a means of resume-padding. If you hadn't heard of these that probably means you aren't a good fit for them. Much safer/easier to do what I described above. Also 100% forget about the master's program, complete waste of time and money for you (except for biotech if you're very interested).

pre-post edit: I just read that you're only doing research for the sake of getting into schools. In that case, I recommend either taking up the scribing position or pursuing a clinical research gig (ideally with patient contact). People who don't like lab sometimes end up loving clinical research. It's a different, more leisurely (office) setting and in many ways easier to have a successful experience. Either of these plus an MCAT retake of 512+ (average of UMass) would put you in a very good position.

 

[IndieKush]

I had a 507 and 3.7, but with much stronger EC's (1000+ clinical hours via scribe/emt/health clinics, 1000+ research hours, and various non-clinical/clinical volunteer experiences). I ended up getting only 1 MD interview which turned into a waitlist, but multiple DO acceptances including my top choice which I will be happily attending.

So my advice would be - if you're happy with DO spend the next year doing something clinically, such as scribe/EMT, with other volunteer experiences on the side, relax, make some $$$, and apply next cycle without retaking the MCAT. If you want MD, do the same thing but focus most of your energy on retaking the MCAT b/c a 507 will not cut it. You'll need a 512+ as the previous poster mentioned. So perhaps pursue some part-time positions as you study. For both routes, do not waste your time and money pursuing a MS/SMP because your GPA is fine.

 

[PrincetonReviewPreMed]

I have applied to medical schools once but did not get in.

PAST (2017):

My stats when I applied were: 507 MCAT score, 3.73 GPA (This was my GPA at the end of my junior year of undergrad, I now brought it up to a 3.88), and about 70 hours of clinical volunteering. I had many other non-clinical experiences however I am assuming I did not get any interviews due to my lack of clinical experience. I also have no research experience outside of laboratory work done for my undergrad courses.

PRESENT (2018):

I have worked as a patient observer for about 6 months which totals to about 200 hours of clinical work. I have also volunteered and have a total of 140 hours of clinical volunteering. I am now deciding how to spend the next two years before I reapply for medical schools. Aside from possibly retaking the MCAT, I do not know what would be most beneficial to my applications.

OPTIONS:

I have been accepted to a masters program at Boston University, a 1-year Biomedical Research Technologies Master's program. I have also applied to their Master's Program in Medical Sciences and am waiting to hear back from the admissions. Either of these programs would take me one year year to complete and would prepare me for further education. HOWEVER, one of the cons is paying almost 60k for extra schooling that may or may not be worth it considering my GPA.

Another option I have is being a medical scribe. This job option pays very little (a little above minimum wage) however I think it would be good way to get more clinical exposure. ( I would plan to use these hours as shadowing a doctor? I've heard mixed things but would it be okay for me to use my hours as a scribe as technically shadowing a doctor because that is essentially what I would be doing?)

Third option (it is still developing) is to potentially be a clinical research associate. The job role for this entails a lot of data entry and management, with no patient interactions. Essentially, it would be more of an office job. I have heard that many people who work as clinical research associates get promoted to clinical research coordinators after a year of employment, which would be an ideal job since I would finally be able to get some research experience.

OVERALL: I have absolutely no idea what to do and if I should do a master's program. Currently, my best plan is to do either of the master's programs, while working as a medical scribe part time, racking up those shadowing hours. And after the one year when I am done with my master's program, hopefully get a job as a researcher, get some research experience for one more year and then apply to medical schools?

Also, a secondary question: Is it possible to get into medical schools without any research experience? And if so, what schools should I look to apply to? I am only doing research in order to get into medical schools, as I was told that was a major factor I didn't get any interviews the first time I applied.


I know that was a lot of information but I hope someone can give good feedback because I really do not know what is the best thing for me to do with my gap years.

Thank You!!

Hi!

I completely agree with some of the other members here who suggest that you should do whatever you want with your gap year(s). I had a strong GPA and MCAT coming out of college, and I wanted to try out a different career entirely before going back to school. I actually worked as a software developer in a non-health field for two years because my undergrad degree was in computer science. It paid well, which gave me time to discover new hobbies and do some traveling before getting back into another rigorous school routine. I found this to be refreshing and the two years flew by!

When I went to apply for med schools and MD/PhD programs in particular, I did not find that the two years in a non-related industry hurt me at all. I got interviews at every school in my home state (Texas) and a lot of schools out of state as well. During no single interview was the software thing brought up in a negative way whatsoever.

The summer I was applying, my health advisor put me in touch with some nearby ER doctors that I shadowed once per week after my day job for a few months. This was more than enough healthcare experience to make the case that I had investigated the medical field and that I knew it was for me.

Your GPA and MCAT scores are good, so really do whatever makes you happy. You can absolutely get into medical school without research. Nearly 1/3 of my med school class had no research experience at the time they were admitted. There's plenty of time later in med school to get that experience for competitive residencies.

I hope that helps!

David
======================
David Savage, MD, PhD