MD Will a gap year experience (after applying) make up for lack of clinical volunteering?

[mashinator]

Hi,

I'm a senior who will be applying in June (hopefully) and so I will be taking a gap year. I currently have a lack of clinical experience. I have shadowed, and interacted with physicians on and off in my non-clinical volunteering, 1000+ hrs, just not in a clinical setting. The open volunteer experiences offered in the hospitals near my university are usually greeters, info desk or something along those lines. I would prefer gaining this experience through a medical scribe/assistant position, which I hope to pursue during my gap year. I was hoping someone could tell me if that would be too little too late?

Thanks!

Edit: I say clinical volunteering in the title but forgot to ask about it. Will paid clinical experience make up for lack of clinical volunteering?

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[Catalystik]

Hi,

I'm a senior who will be applying in June (hopefully) and so I will be taking a gap year. I currently have a lack of clinical experience. I have shadowed, and interacted with physicians on and off in my non-clinical volunteering, 1000+ hrs, just not in a clinical setting. The open volunteer experiences offered in the hospitals near my university are usually greeters, info desk or something along those lines. I would prefer gaining this experience through a medical scribe/assistant position, which I hope to pursue during my gap year. I was hoping someone could tell me if that would be too little too late?

Thanks!

Edit: I say clinical volunteering in the title but forgot to ask about it. Will paid clinical experience make up for lack of clinical volunteering?

You can gain appropriate active clinical experience through volunteering, employment, clinical research, or via classroom requirement. It's all good. But regardless, having some nonmedical community service is a good plan.

Future hours for any activity listed on the Experiences section are not going to be much regarded. We see it happen that those plans never go through for a variety of reasons (folks are "let go", break legs, have parental or personal health issues that prevent involvement, etc). But it is helpful to mention additional hours on Secondaries, during interview conversations, or in update letters (where allowed).

If your local hospitals don't have a position you can take soon that you'd consider meaningful, look into skilled-level nursing homes, hospice, rehab centers, family planning, free, or VA clinics, and even private clinics for a volunteer gig where you can get involved with sick and/or injured people.

 

[mashinator]

You can gain appropriate active clinical experience through volunteering, employment, clinical research, or via classroom requirement. It's all good. But regardless, having some nonmedical community service is a good plan.

Future hours for any activity listed on the Experiences section are not going to be much regarded. We see it happen that those plans never go through for a variety of reasons (folks are "let go", break legs, have parental or personal health issues that prevent involvement, etc). But it is helpful to mention additional hours on Secondaries, during interview conversations, or in update letters (where allowed).

If your local hospitals don't have a position you can take soon that you'd consider meaningful, look into skilled-level nursing homes, hospice, rehab centers, family planning, free, or VA clinics, and even private clinics for a volunteer gig where you can get involved with sick and/or injured people.

Ah, I hadn't processed that the secondaries are completed a little after the primary app - giving me a few more weeks to work on my clinical experience. Is there usually a part of the secondary application that allows students to mention recent additions to their experience? Also, thanks for your suggestions!

 

[Catalystik]

Ah, I hadn't processed that the secondaries are completed a little after the primary app - giving me a few more weeks to work on my clinical experience. Is there usually a part of the secondary application that allows students to mention recent additions to their experience? Also, thanks for your suggestions!

Some Secondary prompts allow for updated activities and others don't. Some don't request essays at all. You have the opportunity to know which is which ahead of time by checking out last year's essay prompts in SDN's School-Specific forum. They are generally mentioned early in each school's thread, and 95% don't change from year to year.

 

[mashinator]

Some Secondary prompts allow for updated activities and others don't. Some don't request essays at all. You have the opportunity to know which is which ahead of time by checking out last year's essay prompts in SDN's School-Specific forum. They are generally mentioned early in each school's thread, and 95% don't change from year to year.

Fantastic! Thank you very much!