Which of my following options is best as a pre-med.

[fastfingers]

I'm an incoming freshman premed. I'm looking to do something productive this summer. Which of the following is most productive with my goal of attending medschool in mind.

If theres more suggestions, please note them.

I have way too much time over the summer, I might as well do something so I won't get bored.

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[LifetimeDoc]

Things I would suggest...

• Enjoy life this summer before you burn out.
• Don't party so hard while in school that you get bad grades.
• Do something that interests you and find out what's important in life.
• Volunteer at a hospital and see if the medical field is something you like.

 

[TheRealMD]

Enjoy your last bit of freedom before you become a slave to the system.

Or get in touch with your local hospital/doctor's office and gather some info.

 

[armybound]

I would probably start with the surgeon. You can do volunteering and research during the school year, and direct experience helps you make sure this is what you want to get yourself in to.

 

[hanky1982]

I would get involved in research

 

[DocBR]

I would get involved in research

I disagree. The OP is a incoming freshman - who has no educational skills that would prove useful in research. He/she would probably be confused or bored. Furthermore, its not likely that he/she would receive authorship or notation in any research project.

Go with the hospital volunteering.

 

[fastfingers]

I job shadowed last summers for like 4 weeks, once a week. Should I job shadow the same person for a long period of time? Or should I job shadow different people to get different perspectives.

also, as an observer, is it normal that I feel like I'm not engaged and that theres not many questions I could ask the surgeon? Last time I did it, I just followed him around for 8 hours and watched what he did.

 

[fastfingers]

What type of volunteering is considered clinical experience. I've done a lot of volunteering before, but mostly its just escorting patients out of the building or working at the gift shop or filing papers. Is clinical experience where I have to interact with sick patients in the hospital?

DocBR: I do know I won't find any good research positions, but would researching now allow me to find a better position when I get to JHU?

 

[armybound]

unfortunately the work you did in high school isn't going to be useful on your applications, so you should get more. I think getting a variety of experience from several specialties is a good thing, it really lets the admissions committees know you've explored a lot of sides of medicine.

it's normal to feel like your presence is pointless, especially in surgery. new people can't just show up and get into a sterile field. a good surgeon might tell you/show you what it is they're doing and why. it might be a good idea to ask what procedure the person is going in for and why, how they plan on approaching it, and what their post-operative care will be. you can ask them what the doctor's responsibilities are, such as paperwork and what not. and it's always worth asking the doctor how they like doing what they're doing, what made them decide to go into their specialty, etc.

 

[armybound]

What type of volunteering is considered clinical experience. I've done a lot of volunteering before, but mostly its just escorting patients out of the building or working at the gift shop or filing papers. Is clinical experience where I have to interact with sick patients in the hospital?

DocBR: I do know I won't find any good research positions, but would researching now allow me to find a better position when I get to JHU?

they say around here "If you're close enough to smell the patient, it's clinical experience."

but again, you're going to need more experience now that you're out of high school.

also don't overextend yourself, I've heard JHU is extremely difficult for pre-meds and grades are often low due to it being extremely competitive.

 

[LizzyM]

Volunteer at the hospital. Save research for next summer or the summer after that. Shadowing is over-rated. Only do it if you question whether medicine is the right career for you.

A writing course isn't necessary at this time and if you later decide to blow it off it could wreck your gpa & bite you in the ass.

Do take some time to cultivate some interests outside of medicine/academics. Find something that you can do "for fun" and spend some time on that this summer.

 

[DocBR]

I job shadowed last summers for like 4 weeks, once a week. Should I job shadow the same person for a long period of time? Or should I job shadow different people to get different perspectives.

also, as an observer, is it normal that I feel like I'm not engaged and that theres not many questions I could ask the surgeon? Last time I did it, I just followed him around for 8 hours and watched what he did.

When I shadowed a surgeon it was a similar experience. He was very focused, and did not want to be distracted during procedures. I also shadowed a non-surgical physician. The non-surgical doc was very educational and informative, it also gave me some insight on the less glamorous aspects of medicine. I did 1 week 9-5, M-F.

DocBR: I do know I won't find any good research positions, but would researching now allow me to find a better position when I get to JHU?

Best way to find research is to do well in your college courses, put in face time with the professors, and make sure they know you by name. Even if you do not do research for these specific professors, they can vouch for you with other researchers.

The fact of the matter is, at any university there are PLENTY of research opportunities because most grad students would love to have you help with their projects. The nice thing about this is, if you find a grad student who will trust you with their work, and is involved in a lot of work, you get published very quickly and can move up quickly. I began doing this with a grad student and within a single semester I was published twice, had an opportunity to present work at a national conference, and was offered a paid position as a student researcher by the graduate adviser.

 

[TheRealMD]

What type of volunteering is considered clinical experience. I've done a lot of volunteering before, but mostly its just escorting patients out of the building or working at the gift shop or filing papers. Is clinical experience where I have to interact with sick patients in the hospital?

DocBR: I do know I won't find any good research positions, but would researching now allow me to find a better position when I get to JHU?

To quote LizzyM, "If you can smell patients, then it's a clinical experience"

 

[fastfingers]

hmm. thanks for all the advice.

As for volunteering, I could either volunteer at a local small hospital where I would just escort patients out of the building and into their vehicle, or I could volunteer at Oregon Health Science University (the local med school).

http://www.ohsu.edu/volserv/areas.shtml
Which one of these job is best for me?



Yeah, I have heard that JHU is exhausting, which is mainly why I'm getting a headstart. I'm hoping to do more during the summer when theres more pressure or stress so that I could do less when I get to JHU.

 

[armybound]

dang, I'd do the Animal Assisted Therapy Program, I like animals

by the way, LizzyM is an admissions committee member at a medical school, listen to her advice above the rest of us schmucks

 

[lander20]

I just graduated from JHU with my BA in Public Health studies alongside with my sister (BS in Molecular and Cellular Biology.) I agree with LifetimeDoc's recommendations.

When you arrive in Baltimore, JHU pre-professional advising provides an extensive list of physicians participating in their 'medical tutorial program'(shadowing). In terms of research, it is fairly easy to find research positions at JHU, even without prior research experience.

As a side note, your first semester at JHU will be pass/fail, just make sure you are on the passing side of the equation. Many freshman end up with failing grades on their record.

Good luck

 

[LifetimeDoc]

dang, I'd do the Animal Assisted Therapy Program, I like animals

by the way, LizzyM is an admissions committee member at a medical school, listen to her advice above the rest of us schmucks

Speak for yourself!

 

[armybound]

Speak for yourself!

well I didn't want to be the only schmuck

 

[LizzyM]

hmm. thanks for all the advice.

As for volunteering, I could either volunteer at a local small hospital where I would just escort patients out of the building and into their vehicle, or I could volunteer at Oregon Health Science University (the local med school).

http://www.ohsu.edu/volserv/areas.shtml
Which one of these job is best for me?



Yeah, I have heard that JHU is exhausting, which is mainly why I'm getting a headstart. I'm hoping to do more during the summer when theres more pressure or stress so that I could do less when I get to JHU.

You are the best judge of what is best for you but some of these look like excellent experiences. The Emergency/Triage one looks like it would be an opportunity to interact with patients in a fast-paced environment, and the Emergency research gives you the opportunity to practive data gathering skills as does the neurology survey assistance job. The No One Dies Alone (NODA) program sounds like it would provide a very intense experience... care of the dying is very important and will give you an interesting perspective on patients and the limits of medicine.

 

[fastfingers]

hmm, would the Emergency research be more clinical experience, research experience or both.

 

[orrghead16]

I disagree. The OP is a incoming freshman - who has no educational skills that would prove useful in research. He/she would probably be confused or bored. Furthermore, its not likely that he/she would receive authorship or notation in any research project.

Go with the hospital volunteering.

I got my first publication after doing research during my HS Jr. and Sr. summers. I think getting a head start on research really has an advantage. My projects are now much farther than my peers because I had such a head start.

I have learned more in my lab than I have through all the pre-med classes I have taken thus far. High school 'education skills' did not limit me in the lab. It should be a learning experience. However, as always you need to find the right lab.

Your last summer before college is one of the best. If sitting in a lab sounds boring as hell, don't. Likewise for shadowing.

Do some volunteer work, have some fun.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

hmm, would the Emergency research be more clinical experience, research experience or both.

Well, it's definitely research experience, and if the patients are smelly, then it's both!

 

[fastfingers]

Another question, do medical schools ask for volunteer records? Should I make sure I have a detailed log of what I've done or should I just remember the general jist of it.

 

[armybound]

Another question, do medical schools ask for volunteer records? Should I make sure I have a detailed log of what I've done or should I just remember the general jist of it.

They don't ask for logs or anything.

It doesn't matter enough and people could fake them anyway.

 

[fastfingers]

so do you think theres a difference between volunteering at a huge hospital like OHSU and volunteering at a small local hospital? Would med school think the huge hospital draws more credibility?

 

[armybound]

so do you think theres a difference between volunteering at a huge hospital like OHSU and volunteering at a small local hospital? Would med school think the huge hospital draws more credibility?

it's not so much the quality of the center/unit as what you learn from the experience.

 

[Lorind123]

I actually go to Johns Hopkins. There are many fabulous research and shadowing positions available down at the med school where doctors are happy to have students work with them. Since you are going to be going to Hopkins why not start a connection early and work with a doctor that you could continue with for the next 4 years.

 

[fastfingers]

when you say work with a doctor, do you mean shadowing or interning?

 

[hb2998]

I got to learn the inner workings of the hospital just by pushing patients from an ICU to another, taking patients to the morgue, delivering samples to labs, etc. Do the grunt work first (or at the same time as the volunteer), then do some shadowing.

 

[fastfingers]

well I've done A LOT of grunt work and shadowing already my HS years. Now that I have to start a fresh slate, I'm trying to find ways to "pad my resume" again.

 

[blargh]

work at a fast food restaurant, make some new friends, maybe take some summer school classes, and hang out!!!

 

[mynamewastaken]

Don't do anything! chill out you'll be glad you relaxed a lil before this all starts...

 

[MadridChic]

I would say enjoy your last summer, but if you absolutely feel you must do something I would shadow or volunteer because having prior experience doesn't make much difference in terms of undergradute research at Hopkins. I was a biology major and the professors were always happy to have undergrads helping out in their labs. I had no prior experience and I never had trouble getting research positions. However ,volunteering can be more difficult if you want to do it in the undergrad campus neighborhood (like at Union Memorial hospial across the street). There are literally volunteer waiting lists at the hospitals and community clinics because there are lots of pre-meds trying to get that same experience. So again, I would chill out because the first two years at Hopkins are gonna be pretty intense, but I would pick clinical experience over research based on my own experience there (which was very positive by the way, despite working like a slave during the freshman and sophomore years.

 

[SunshineNYC]

Do whatever you'd want to do. You can't do everything because it looks good on paper... it also looks good to see that someone has real passions and isn't just going through the motions and following a script. I honestly don't know what would "look" best. I'm sure they all look fine to an adcom and that they'll see thousands of applications with similar activities. What distinguishes you though?

 

[fastfingers]

One question, I've heard different answers in this from what I read, but does traveling time count towards volunteering time also? OHSU is around a 30 min drive, so that means its 1 hour of traveling. Some ppl have said the 1 hour is still volunteer, but some said otherwise. What would you think?

 

[fastfingers]

Well, I asked JHU pre-professional advising and I was told the Extracurricular I do this summer would not count towards med school application because my undergrad year hasn't started yet. With this in mind, should I do research instead so that I have experience, making it easier to land a good job at hopkins?

 

[uhohspaghettio]

yes, research is the best!

 

[CTtarheel]

you're wasting your time with research as you don't know enough of anything to really be helpful to a prof. They could train you, but that would take all summer and they won't bother to do that if you're just going to be leaving. At my UG school you really couldn't find research opportunities until JR year (but no worries i promise that still give you PLENTY of time to do significant stuff, I published 1 paper and have 1 more on the way!).

Volunteer work is a good idea, but again, i think you'll have tons of time to do that in college, make sure you get inside a hospital at some point but you could wait until the end of FR year to start pounding away at that.

So, shadowing a surgeon I think would be the best idea, because it's not too time consuming (come in when you feel like it) and would give you something to consider whether or not you want to continue pursuing medicine.

But as the others said, HAVE FUN THIS SUMMER AND FRESHMAN YEAR. All your time will slowly go away, and you could do absolutely nothing extracurricular freshman year and still have plenty of time to put together a good enough resume to go wherever you want.

 

[fastfingers]

thx for the replies. Does the summer before my freshman year of undergrad even count towards my med school application? i called an advisor and he said no, but many have told me yes.

 

[TheRealMD]

If you continue it over a long period of time, it definitely counts (into the school year or over many summers). It gets a bit shady if it's just your pre-freshman summer but it really depends on if it's a one time thing or not.

 

[J1515]

thx for the replies. Does the summer before my freshman year of undergrad even count towards my med school application? i called an advisor and he said no, but many have told me yes.

Man, you need to chill. This is the last summer you'll have to relax. If you WANT to do volunteering of some kind, then do it. If you WANT to do research of some kind, then do it. I understand it's the pre-med mentality that you want to get ahead of everyone else at your school but you can't spend the next 4 years asking people "Will medical schools like this or would they rather that?" Do what you enjoy, fulfill the prereqs, and don't make a huge deal out of everything.