Accepted with no clinical volunteering?

[1289]

i've noticed on the MSAR that for most schools the amount of students who had clinical/medical volunteering is typically somewhere between 70-90%, this is obviously the majority, but it still blows my mind that there can be up to 30% of the class that had NO clinical volunteering experience. How is this possible? Just doesn't seem right to me that someone gets in with nothing of that sort..

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[theseeker4]

I suspect many of them are either children of physicians with significant second hand experience of what it's like to be a doctor or students of disadvantaged status and/or rural origin, in which case clinical opportunities would be limited. Of course, I'm sure some are just lucky.

I imagine some percentage of them had clinical experience, but marked it as "employment."

 

[Catalystik]

i've noticed on the MSAR that for most schools the amount of students who had clinical/medical volunteering is typically somewhere between 70-90%, this is obviously the majority, but it still blows my mind that there can be up to 30% of the class that had NO clinical volunteering experience. How is this possible?

I imagine some percentage of them had clinical experience, but marked it as "employment."

Or their clinical experience came through Research, where they worked extensively with patients during their project.

Such applicant showed their altruism in other ways, including nonmedical community service and political activism.

 

[sc4s2cg]

Or they can be switching from a different major to premed.

In my case I have 200 clinical hours under my belt from my nursing clinical rotations, but they are not volunteer hours (is required to graduate). I make up for my lack clinical volunteering by volunteering with non-clinical organizations like my church, soup kitchen, tutoring, etc. I have around 200 hours of that as well.

 

[MDschoolorbust]

On the flipside, if I have extensive clinical volunteering but very few non-clinical volunteering hours, will my clinical make up for it? I have literally about 20 hours of nonclinical but over 300 clinical and close to 100 shadowing.

 

[LizzyM]

Career changers, particularly "employment, military" may not have much opportunity for clinical volunteering. Some are able to do some shadowing and label it "other". Some have clinical employment and choose to do non-clinical volunteering in service to their communities.

 

[RedSox10]

Career changers, particularly "employment, military" may not have much opportunity for clinical volunteering. Some are able to do some shadowing and label it "other". Some have clinical employment and choose to do non-clinical volunteering in service to their communities.

Agreed. I'm a career changer who has lots of volunteer experiences (Peace Corps, etc) and also a good deal of clinical "shadowing", and am currently doing clinical "research"--but its paid.....So, Id be part of the 30% who hasn't technically done clinical "volunteering"...you need to think outside of the box, not everyone knew they wanted to be a doctor day 1 of undergrad, but that doesn't mean their experiences are worthless.

 

[1289]

Agreed. I'm a career changer who has lots of volunteer experiences (Peace Corps, etc) and also a good deal of clinical "shadowing", and am currently doing clinical "research"--but its paid.....So, Id be part of the 30% who hasn't technically done clinical "volunteering"...you need to think outside of the box, not everyone knew they wanted to be a doctor day 1 of undergrad, but that doesn't mean their experiences are worthless.

Yikes I wasn't trying to belittle anyone or question their qualifications, just was curious of the circumstances for those applicants..

 

[LaEsponja]

I don't plan on doing clinical volunteering as a non-trad who is in the military with two children, I've been told by several people that it shouldn't make much of a difference. I do, however, have plans for lots of scientific research and clinical shadowing. Oh- and I'll be volunteering with the school nurse at my daughter's school- not something I truly think will count as "clinical volunteering," lol.