Will these hours of ECs be good enough for the next cycle?

[SilentAnon_404]

I'm almost at the end of my undergrad journey (will end as a 4th year + 1 extra quarter, so will graduate December), and I'm looking to apply for the next cycle. I have not taken the MCAT yet, but plan to do so next year around May.

I will be finishing most likely on a 3.60 cGPA and ~3.5 sGPA (very strong upwards trends, all A's my senior year, bad GPA freshmen year). Major is biochemistry.

For my ECs, my highlight is my lab experience, which I will have ~1500 hours and likely a publication at the end of the year (plus 3 poster presentations and 1 talk).

I started clinical experience with the hospice start of this year. I am projected to have 320 hours of volunteer clinical experience by March 2024. Is this going to be enough?

Additionally, I also have started shadowing a cardiologist (electrophysiology) a week ago. I plan on having around 50 hours of shadowing, as I've heard any more with the same doctor isn't worth it. I had a lot of trouble being able to finally get a doctor to shadow, so I don't think I can easily get the opportunity to shadow another one. Will this be sufficient?

For leadership, I have 120 hours of Ochem group tutoring at UCD, where I manage a table at the library and helped students during my shift. I also have 20 hours of mentoring other first-gen and SES disadvantaged students, and I can do more if I want.

For general volunteering experience, I have 30 hours so far. How much do I need here?


Thanks.

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[karaya]

Rule of thumb is 150 hours of nonclincal volunteering with the underserved. I don't know what your 30 hours entail but I'd recommend getting at least 120 more. Preferably with homeless / impoverished / disenfranchised groups.

 

[LizzyM]

Fifty hours with a electrophysiologist might be too much. Ask the cardiologist to introduce you to a family medicine physician or general internist. Do at least 8 hours with that type of primary care provider in an outpatient setting. If neither of those experiences includes an inpatient setting, it wouldn't hurt to get some shadowing in such a setting unless you've been employed in that type of setting.

 

[SilentAnon_404]

Rule of thumb is 150 hours of nonclincal volunteering with the undeserved. I don't know what your 30 hours entail but I'd recommend getting at least 120 more. Preferably with homeless / impoverished / disenfranchised groups.

I have 30 hours volunteering at the Hospice (non-clinical). Basically, I have helped set up hospice events, such as camps for children whose parents passed away and memorial events for families of those whose loved ones passed away.

How can I get volunteer experience with those groups you mentioned? As in, who do I have to reach out to?
Thanks.

 

[SilentAnon_404]

Fifty hours with a electrophysiologist might be too much. Ask the cardiologist to introduce you to a family medicine physician or general internist. Do at least 8 hours with that type of primary care provider in an outpatient setting. If neither of those experiences includes an inpatient setting, it wouldn't hurt to get some shadowing in such a setting unless you've been employed in that type of setting.

Thanks for the advice. How much total shadowing experience should I have then? I said 50 hours based on what I have read on reddit, but I have done 9 hours with the cardiologist and he said there isn't really much more for me to see, but I'm welcome to continue going.

 

[LizzyM]

I like to see at least 50 and anything more than 100 seems excessive (just don't stand there shadowing, do something!).

Nine hours with the cardiologist is a good start but given the narrow focus of the work, you may have maxed out at 9 hours. Ask him to refer you to people he knows in primary care (they send him referrals) and go from there perhaps getting a referral to other specialists such as neurology and/or the surgical subspecialties such as ENT (ear, nose &throat).

 

[Goro]

For general volunteering experience, I have 30 hours so far. How much do I need here?


Thanks.

Other hours look good. I have a high regard for those who volunteer in hospice.

I recommend > 150 hrs service to others less fortunate than yourself.

 

[gyngyn]

How much total shadowing experience should I have then?

40 hours in primary care is good.

 

[karaya]

How can I get volunteer experience with those groups you mentioned? As in, who do I have to reach out to?
Thanks.

You can reach out to a local homeless shelter or food bank. These orgs run on volunteers and usually have a website set up for onboarding.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Food distribution
Shelter volunteer
Job, tax planning or assistance
Transportation services
Housing rehabilitation

These are example service orientation activities. You must have 150 hours to avoid getting screened out at most medical schools.

They also help demonstrate mission fit.

Mission Fit: Key to Your Success - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

 

[SilentAnon_404]

Food distribution
Shelter volunteer
Job, tax planning or assistance
Transportation services
Housing rehabilitation

These are example service orientation activities. You must have 150 hours to avoid getting screened out at most medical schools.

They also help demonstrate mission fit.

Mission Fit: Key to Your Success - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

Thanks, but wow, I did not know they screened out based on volunteer hours too?

 

[candbgirl]

Thanks, but wow, I did not know they screened out based on volunteer hours too?

Everything is taken into account during screening.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Thanks, but wow, I did not know they screened out based on volunteer hours too?

I generally don't think that anything is a hard and fast screen, but 30 would be very low. Almost certainly low enough to kill your app.

It's also important that such experience be "service oriented" as noted above--I see a lot of students listing things like "giving free music lessons" as volunteering, but that's not getting you out of your comfort zone.

 

[uaena123]

Other hours look good. I have a high regard for those who volunteer in hospice.

I recommend > 150 hrs service to others less fortunate than yourself.

Sorry to go a little off topic.
Just for clarification, some people say the 150 hours volunteering for the underserved should be nonclinical. How does clinical volunteering for the underserved fit into this category? Say I had 250 clinical hours working with the underserved, should I get another 150 hours nonclinical on top of that to be safe?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Sorry to go a little off topic.
Just for clarification, some people say the 150 hours volunteering for the underserved should be nonclinical. How does clinical volunteering for the underserved fit into this category? Say I had 250 clinical hours working with the underserved, should I get another 150 hours nonclinical on top of that to be safe?

I recommend decoupling the activity (volunteering or clinical) from the beneficiaries (underserved, marginalized). In terms of non-clinical experience, you need 150 hours to avoid getting screened out at most schools. Clinical experience is broken down as shadowing (50-100 is enough, at least 25-50 in primary care) versus health care experience (150 minimum) in my book.

Being/working with underserved/marginalized communities falls under cultural competency (shows an appreciation and respect for multiple dimensions of diversity) and/or social skills (awareness of others’ needs, goals, feelings, and the ways that social and behavioral cues affect peoples’ interactions and behaviors) to me. Different competencies. I am not aware of having an hours threshold on these competencies as they are implied in mission, but I can stand corrected.

 

[uaena123]

I recommend decoupling the activity (volunteering or clinical) from the beneficiaries (underserved, marginalized). In terms of non-clinical experience, you need 150 hours to avoid getting screened out at most schools. Clinical experience is broken down as shadowing (50-100 is enough, at least 25-50 in primary care) versus health care experience (150 minimum) in my book.

Being/working with underserved/marginalized communities falls under cultural competency (shows an appreciation and respect for multiple dimensions of diversity) and/or social skills (awareness of others’ needs, goals, feelings, and the ways that social and behavioral cues affect peoples’ interactions and behaviors) to me. Different competencies. I am not aware of having an hours threshold on these competencies as they are implied in mission, but I can stand corrected.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[LizzyM]

Here's how it goes:
Do you know what doctors do? show us with 50 hours of shadowing
Do you have any clinical experience: show us with at least 150 hours of volunteer service or employment with patients
Do you care about people who are vulnerable (poor, unhoused disabled, refugee, etc): show us with at least 150 hours that aren't accounted for with the first 2 experiences.

In other words, double dipping with clinical services to the vulnerable is going to be counted as clinical. You need some non-clinical volunteering, too.

 

[SCOOPEER]

Here's how it goes:
Do you know what doctors do? show us with 50 hours of shadowing
Do you have any clinical experience: show us with at least 150 hours of volunteer service or employment with patients
Do you care about people who are vulnerable (poor, unhoused disabled, refugee, etc): show us with at least 150 hours that aren't accounted for with the first 2 experiences.

In other words, double dipping with clinical services to the vulnerable is going to be counted as clinical. You need some non-clinical volunteering, too.

Does paid work (in a refugee shelter for example) also get considered? Thanks!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Does paid work (in a refugee shelter for example) also get considered? Thanks!

How many hours and what did you do? I had written "shelter volunteer" but it's okay to be paid.

 

[LizzyM]

Does paid work (in a refugee shelter for example) also get considered? Thanks!

That might be better classified as "paid employment" and shows a greater level of responsibility and accountability and the clientele would be taken into account. Depending on your circumstances, you might get away with fewer hours of non-clinical volunteer work (e.g. military volunteers are paid but certainly get a bump in terms of "service".) CityYear is a bit of a gray zone but I believe that the subsistence wages paid causes adcoms to consider that volunteer, too.

 

[SCOOPEER]

How many hours and what did you do? I had written "shelter volunteer" but it's okay to be paid.

It's a full time gig and I essentially manage a few medical respite centers for migrants in the NYC area. Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

It's a full time gig and I essentially manage a few medical respite centers for migrants in the NYC area. Any thoughts? Thanks!

While it could be paid employment, I trust screeners can see what you are doing.