Zero Medical Experience

[ZedsDed]

This will not help OP.
This makes more skin crawl than any other EC.

Just curious, why is that? Premeds at my school are under the impression that it looks AMAZING. The global premed XXXXXX club is actually pretty competitive (on top of ridiculously expensive) to join.

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[NeuResurgens]

Just curious, why is that? Premeds at my school are under the impression that it looks AMAZING. The global premed XXXXXX club is actually pretty competitive (on top of ridiculously expensive) to join.

I think a lot of it has to do with the nature of the experience. One week? Not that impressive. Doing technical procedures you're not actually trained to do (placing NG tubes, IVs, etc.) is actually very detrimental, and I think Adcoms have become accustomed to identifying these experiences in their applicants at a lot of places. This indicates exploitation of underserved populations for the somewhat selfish purpose of looking like a good applicant. In addition, many college students look at these more as a vacation opportunity than as a way for them to serve their fellow human beings.

I think these look like more positive experiences if you are officially trained to do what you do, spend a more committed amount of time there, and are able to demonstrate that you diligently did what you said you went to do - served the local peoples (as opposed to just visiting tourist sites, taking pictures and hanging out with a couple of doctors). I think it also means more if you learned the local language, or can otherwise demonstrate a particular connection you have to that locale as justification for you traveling to do service in lieu of helping the people in your own community. I believe an interview question or two usually help to distinguish the latter from the former. A lot of premeds have taken it as fact that all you need to do is go to another country and do some stuff to look impressive, but it's become more common and is thus more recognizable if the experience was a shallow display of privilege instead of an actual attempt to serve.

These represent my own interpretation of this issue, so the faculty on this forum can probably give better insight. This is what I've gathered after talking with counselors/faculty.

 

[gyngyn]

Just curious, why is that? Premeds at my school are under the impression that it looks AMAZING. The global premed XXXXXX club is actually pretty competitive (on top of ridiculously expensive) to join.

Displacing or delaying the development of sustainable medical care is not beneficent.
Pre-med missionary work is designed to benefit the "missionary."

 

[Glandzburg]

...or can otherwise demonstrate a particular connection you have to that locale as justification for you traveling to do service in lieu of helping the people in your own community.

This is a key point. There are so many underserved areas in the US that could use volunteers. If you are going to be practicing in the US, why not demonstrate your passion for serving local populations?

If you must go on one of those voluntourism trips, at least don't make it sound like your motives were entirely altruistic.

 

[NeuResurgens]

This is a key point. There are so many underserved areas in the US that could use volunteers. If you are going to be practicing in the US, why not demonstrate your passion for serving local populations?

If you must go on one of those voluntourism trips, at least don't make it sound like your motives were entirely altruistic.

As a younger premed, I was under the impression I needed to do something like this in order to be competitive. It changed my outlook completely when I read a post that talked about how unproductive it is to go to other countries to do work when you could be helping a lot of people in your own backyard. All the money you spend just to get yourself overseas could do a heck of a lot for people in your community.

 

[Axes]

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[Spinach Dip]

I don't know... I know these business/ finance people and the ego there is unbelievable. I have no trouble believing that some cocky HYP business kid would think he can smarm his way into medical school with some halfway decent numbers, and get all butthurt and defensive if told otherwise.

QFT.

/thread

 

[Goro]

We have a bank of questions to ask. Unless you're a sociopath, I don't think that you can be that glib and weasel out of this one.

But now you've convinced me that it's worth some random cold calling hospital volunteer offices.

We can also call advisors. No sweat for me; I can do this while I'm eating lunch and browsing SDN.

I think my wily old Admissions dean can put an admin on this as well. Or dip into my school's TA money and get a hungry med student to do some detective work for us. They, unlike you, take professionalism very seriously.

Yes of course, but there has to be something to spot. No one is going to raise an eyebrow at an average number of volunteering hours and 100% run of the mill medical ECs, especially when coupled with my numbers. And even if they did, what, they're going to call a hospital's general line and wade through seven layers of "press this button for X" just to ask about some random kid? Or call a school club's president and verify? Of course not saying that I would stretch to that extent, but let's be real

 

[Howlin_Radio]

bump. OP, of all careers medicine is one of the most important to get some experience before hand. You don't want to show up 3rd year and find out needles are unsightly or you can't handle blood in large volumes . This is why EMT, in my opinion, is the best clinical experience you can get per time investment. Although, as a CNA you will see plenty to know if your stomach can handle it.

Also, if you put down some kind of clinical experience, the adcoms will question you about it. Lets say you don't have training as an EMT, but you say that you worked one year as a volunteer EMT. Interview day comes along and you are asked about five questions regarding EMS. Chances are, if you never worked as an EMT, you might not be able to answer any of them without sounding dumb.

Kind of like those pictures you see on the internet - "what people think I do, what my parents think I do, what my friends think I do, what I really do." Except the docs will know what "you really do" but you won't. Haha.

EX -
Doc: Tell us about your hardest patient experience, and what you did to resolve the situation?

You: Well I...blah..blah..accidentally rattles off an ALS skill without knowing it.

Doc: isn't that an ALS skill?

You: (your face looks incredibly dumb at this point), ugh... I'm not exactly sure what you are saying?

**extreme awkwardness..you don't get in + you look stupid + you have to take a gap year anyways**

or forbid you say you shocked a flat line..or something else you saw on some medical t.v show