a few questions about my ECs and what to/what not to include on my app

[premedbarista]

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Hi! I have a couple questions about if certain activities of mine might hurt me if I include them on my application.
Since you kinda need to have context w/ the rest of my app, i'll just include everything I'm considering writing as an activity on there. questions are underlined to show what specifically I'm asking for help with.

• research - 1400 hrs, one 3rd author pub
  • nonclinical but cancer/medicine related
• hospital volunteering - 50 hrs
  • incredibly boring. I quit because I just wasn't getting any actual clinical experience and it felt like wasting time.
  • Should I leave this out of my application bc short time period and not very meaningful?
• homeless shelter - 1000 hrs
  • i'm the director now so shows leadership too
• Spanish lessons to a group of 3 med students and helped with another med span class there - 20 hrs
  • A part of my medical Spanish class for my Spanish minor. I am SO BAD at Spanish though and don't want them to try to talk to me in Spanish during an interview bc it would be embarrassing and bad for my app lol.
  • I learned a lot, but should I leave this out bc it was such a short time and i'm not confident in Spanish?
• behavior technician job - 150 hours - nonclinical, did behavior therapy for kids w/ autism
• barista at chain coffee shop - 700 hours
• EMT class - 180 hours
  • Wasn't affiliated with any actual schools so didn't get a grade or any credits, but it did take a lot of time out of my semester and otherwise it looks like I didn't do much that year. Earned the certification but never ended up working as an EMT because I realized I can't drive an ambulance and got my dream job at the children's hospital around that time.
  • Should I include this on my app, and if so, what category is it?
• medical scribe in an ED - 40 hours
  • Quit bc I got my CNA job that paid way more and wasn't a 2 hour bus commute.
  • Thought I would mention it because it was very similar to shadowing the doctors I scribed for but again it's such a short time that I don't know, should I put this on there?
• CNA at children's hospital job - 1200+ hours
  • most meaningful, 1200 hours as of now and will be doing this full-time during my gap year
• shadowing - 66 hrs
  • surgery 10hrs, neurology 20 hours, week long program at children's hospital with a few specialties for 36 hours
  • Do I need more shadowing? Would it look bad to do more shadowing right now before I apply in May?
  • had a LOT of difficulty finding anyone willing to let me shadow so i'm not even sure if I could find more before I apply.

Thank you so much for your help 🙂

 

[LunaOri]

Activities with 50 hours or less aren’t really worth listing unless they had a significant impact on you. Maybe your ED scribing could be counted as shadowing?

 

[Goro]

]
[*]research - 1400 hrs, one 3rd author pub

• nonclinical but cancer/medicine related
  
• homeless shelter - 1000 hrs
  • i'm the director now so shows leadership too
  [
• behavior technician job - 150 hours - nonclinical, did behavior therapy for kids w/ autism
• barista at chain coffee shop - 700 hours
• EMT class - 180 hours
  
  ]
• CNA at children's hospital job - 1200+ hours
  • 
    [
  • shadowing - 66 hrs
    • surgery 10hrs, neurology 20 hours, week long program at children's hospital with a few specialties for 36 hours
    • Do I need more shadowing? Would it look bad to do more shadowing right now before I apply in May?
      
      
      No need to do any more shadowing. The above list is fine

 

[LizzyM]

1. research - 1400 hrs, one 3rd author pub
nonclinical but cancer/medicine related

Fine, include it.
2, hospital volunteering - 50 hrs
incredibly boring. I quit because I just wasn't getting any actual clinical experience and it felt like wasting time.
Should I leave this out of my application bc short time period and not very meaningful?

You could exclude it but you have less than 15 items so you could leave it in.

3. homeless shelter - 1000 hrs
i'm the director now so shows leadership too

Include it for sure.

4. Spanish lessons to a group of 3 med students and helped with another med span class there - 20 hrs
A part of my medical Spanish class for my Spanish minor. I am SO BAD at Spanish though and don't want them to try to talk to me in Spanish during an interview bc it would be embarrassing and bad for my app lol.
I learned a lot, but should I leave this out bc it was such a short time and i'm not confident in Spanish?

Drop it.


5. behavior technician job - 150 hours - nonclinical, did behavior therapy for kids w/ autism

I'd say always include paying jobs, it shows that you have been doing things other than school and that you've been responsible to an employer.

6. barista at chain coffee shop - 700 hours

same as #5.

7. EMT class - 180 hours
Wasn't affiliated with any actual schools so didn't get a grade or any credits, but it did take a lot of time out of my semester and otherwise it looks like I didn't do much that year. Earned the certification but never ended up working as an EMT because I realized I can't drive an ambulance and got my dream job at the children's hospital around that time.


Should I include this on my app, and if so, what category is it?

Not really worth listing if you never used the skills as an EMT.

8. medical scribe in an ED - 40 hours
Quit bc I got my CNA job that paid way more and wasn't a 2 hour bus commute.
Thought I would mention it because it was very similar to shadowing the doctors I scribed for but again it's such a short time that I don't know, should I put this on there?

I'd exclude it as it was so little time and it looks bad to have only worked the equivalent of 1 week full-time.

9l. CNA at children's hospital job - 1200+ hours
most meaningful, 1200 hours as of now and will be doing this full-time during my gap year
Beautiful. Certainly should be included as clinical employment.

10. shadowing - 66 hrs
surgery 10hrs, neurology 20 hours, week long program at children's hospital with a few specialties for 36 hours
Do I need more shadowing? Would it look bad to do more shadowing right now before I apply in May?
had a LOT of difficulty finding anyone willing to let me shadow so i'm not even sure if I could find more before I apply.

You have enough shadowing. Nicely done!