Advice for what I should do over the Summer?

[ambulon]

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First I want to say hi, since I've been lurking on these boards but I just registered, so hello!

I hate to make my first post about asking for help, but it's pretty late in the game, and I'm still not sure what to do with my summer. I'm a junior applying to medical school this year, but my app could use some work, so I want to use my time this summer to get some experience to add onto it. I'll also be retaking the MCATs in July.

I've got a good amount of research under my belt, so I don't necessarily need more of that. On the other hand, I'm really lacking on medical-related extracurriculars (mostly because I had a lot of hospital volunteer experience in HS, my father is a doctor, and my mother is a nurse, so I didn't feel the need to explore the medical field that extensively in college.) I haven't recently shadowed a doctor or done any medicine-related work or volunteering for any long period of time.

In any case, my options are:

• Search for clinical research opportunities
• Volunteer at a hospital (not sure how much experience I'll get here since the place I had in mind doesn't need a ton of help)
• Be an EMT observer
• Work in my father's office (looks wonky on a resume, but I've found it's great for improving my patient skills)
• Shadow doctors (I've got some family friends I could shadow, but they're mostly offering short-term deals)
• A combination of those options

I'm equally interested in all of those, so it's hard to make a decision. Anyone willing to lend some advice?

I also live in the NYC area, so if anyone knows anything I could do around there, let me know!

 

[Eppur Si Muove]

I would say the most important are volunteering and clinical experience outside of your father's practice.

 

[tdubst]

The following are some of the hospitals offer great clinical volunteering/clinical research: Mount Sinai, NYP (several campuses including Cornell and Columbia), MSK, Manhattan VA... The VA ER department is always looking for people. Like yourself, I am equally interested in many aspects of medicine. I chose to split my time between clinical volunteering, clinical research, and part time job. It allowed me to experience different fields, different hospital systems, and different perspectives.