Am I going about this the right way?

[Riboflavin]

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Hey guys!

New to this site, stumbled upon it, and I am glad to know something like this in on the internet. I guess a good way for me to start off it to introduce a question that has been bothering me lately.

I'm a freshman in college, majoring in biology and chemistry and a minor in psychology. I love school, and I loved my classes in high school so this isn't a worry about how I will make it school wise. Basically, I never planned on being a doctor until about a month before I got accepted to college. My decision for it came from my sister, and my two (out of the five) brothers. My sister is a Type 1 diabetic going on 10+ years, she isn't doing very well and only seems to get worse and worse. My mother had remarried and I have 3 half brothers, well, the oldest was fine no problems at all. Now, the middle brother he was born alright but at around 25-26 months he started getting really sick: high fever, abscesses on his face and arms, throwing up, etc. Well after a few visits to some University Hospitals we found out, so far, he has Neutropenia and right now he is having tests run to determine is a growth near his ribs in a tumor. As for my brother who was just recently born, he was premature about a 1 1/2 months and is showing signs like the middle one. I know, I know sad story but it adds to my reason for realizing I wanted to be doctor. I always thought I would just get a job and help them out that way, but a friend of mine who is going into medicine (which I never thought I could do, manly because I didn't think I was that smart) got me interested in some classes he was taking. I was already doing my own research on this stuff, and I have been aware of diabetes since I was 11; didn't start actually reading up on it until high school though. I guess my point is to me, I know why I want to be a doctor. I have always loved the company of friends and other people, my friend have always told me a a genuinely nice person, and I loved working with people. I have had some many high school jobs that have entailed to talking or helping people, so I have great communication skills. I love studying medicine, I've even started studying for the MCAT, also I borrow my friends books from the upper-level classes they have taken and read them. Now, onto my point, like I said I know why I want to be a doctor it just feels right; however, I always hear/read about people saying shadow a doctor, work in a hospital setting, etc. and so far I haven't. I might...I've been trying to, its just no one is hiring for the like orderly or transporter, so I don't know what all I can do. I am scared that when application time comes and I have no clinical experience in college, or at least had a job in hospital it will affect my chances. I got the school part down, but as far as everything else (for some reason I feel there is a lot more) I have no clue how to go about it. I think I might be over-thinking all of this, but I am pretty worried about not becoming a doctor because all I got going is the pre-reqs. This is probably just me venting, or maybe I just want a hand on the shoulder, but really I read about all the extra stuff people have done and so far I have none of it yet. Anyways, I thought I would just make my first one count, did I present a question in there? haha

 

[Bollywood Junkie]

I think your motivations and determination are quite clear. Let that shine through on your application, but yes, you will need to show exposure to the healthcare field and some service work. Try asking your local hospital/clinic/shelter etc. about opportunities to volunteer. Ask these places about shadowing opportunities, or just call up some doctors/their nurses and ask about it. People are always willing to help in these situations.

 

[Riboflavin]

I think your motivations and determination are quite clear. Let that shine through on your application, but yes, you will need to show exposure to the healthcare field and some service work. Try asking your local hospital/clinic/shelter etc. about opportunities to volunteer. Ask these places about shadowing opportunities, or just call up some doctors/their nurses and ask about it. People are always willing to help in these situations.

See, I was never sure how to go about that. I thought I would get a "uhm" and strange look if I asked some doctor if I could follow him around. I plan on volunteering at one the hospitals close to me which is actually a Top 5% nationwide, so I guess that should be good. Will the volunteering be enough? I've called about jobs and they're always not hiring, right now they're taking nothing but nurses. I just want to make sure I have good ECs for my app. I'd punch myself if that was a reason I didn't get in! By the way, thank you for the response.

 

[CielloStelatto]

Yes, shadowing a physician or volunteering in a hospital or clinic are great things to do. Many medical schools see it as almost a prerequisite for entry. They want to make sure you don't change your mind after exposure to medicine. For the most part, only some exposure is necessary. There is no real need to spend 100+ hours shadowing, unless it is something you really want to do. If you application is otherwise good, just a day or a few days of shadowing will be fine, especially if you get the MD to write you a quick letter of recommendation.

That said, you are still a freshman, so don't worry about it yet. Schools generally don't care when you get your experience, just that you get it. Don't worry if it doesn't happen till one of the summers before you apply.

 

[Riboflavin]

Yes, shadowing a physician or volunteering in a hospital or clinic are great things to do. Many medical schools see it as almost a prerequisite for entry. They want to make sure you don't change your mind after exposure to medicine. For the most part, only some exposure is necessary. There is no real need to spend 100+ hours shadowing, unless it is something you really want to do. If you application is otherwise good, just a day or a few days of shadowing will be fine, especially if you get the MD to write you a quick letter of recommendation.

That said, you are still a freshman, so don't worry about it yet. Schools generally don't care when you get your experience, just that you get it. Don't worry if it doesn't happen till one of the summers before you apply.

Thanks. You'd think the countless times I've spent in the ICU while my sister is in DKA, or with my brother getting tests would be adequate exposure, haha. I've grown quite accustomed to a hospital setting, not saying I don't need the exposure like you suggested. I've probably done 100+ hours of being inside a hospital, of course it wasn't actual volunteering I was with them, but I get what you're saying.

 

[Bollywood Junkie]

just a day or a few days of shadowing will be fine, especially if you get the MD to write you a quick letter of recommendation.

did you mean few days per week? I think you should have enough time put in to show that you care about what you are getting into and that you have gained a meaningful "understanding" of what being a physician entails (I know...pre-meds can never "truly" know...). If you are in school, I would say once or twice a week for a couple hours each time is good for say, a month or two, etc. Same thing goes with volunteering. Just try to show a commitment to it and you'll be fine. In the end, you will end up learning a great deal, maybe realize you like a certain specialty, and I am positive that whoever you are shadowing will write you a stellar recommendation.

And yea, just ask them. The most they can say is no (won't happen).

 

[CielloStelatto]

For volunteering, I would definitely say you need more than a month if its just a weekly thing. Volunteering for like a week doesn't really show commitment. I spent a summer in a hospital, and that was good for me.
As far as shadowing goes, I met anyone who says it is a necessity to rack up shadowing hours. I've talked to previous adcom members and it seems like the shadowing is to make sure you get your feet into the door of a hospital or clinic, and can adequately say that this is the right decision for you. I remember one specifically saying that if you get a physician, etc, to write a rec for you, that says a lot because doctors are good at telling if someone else would be a good doctor or not.
For shadowing, I only spent about 22 hours in an ISCU, 8 hours in a recovery room, and about 24 in an emergency department, and most of these settings were done in 7-8 hour shifts, right along with the physician who was working. It gives a good perspective to see everything that happens in a day, instead of just a 2 hour stint.
Also, for reference, it may be useful to know that I'm applying MD/PhD, which places more emphasis on research than straight MD schools, and maybe that is skewing my perception of clinical exposure. In any case, good luck to you!