Anyone new to the medical field and feel lost?

[agent]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi all. I'm a 25 year old sophomore in college with a family. I work full time and go to school at night.

I am a biology major and should be attending Roosevelt U in Chicago soon.

The thing is I have no medical/research experience at all and I feel a bit intimidated.

I read a lot of people's diaries and posts here and sdn and most people have some type of experience.

Is there anyone out there who is new to the road to med school who really has no experience yet?

 

[BushBaby]

I have no experience either. You shouldn't be concerned about that. If you have it, good. If you don't, good.

I have friends who got into medical school(s) and they had no research experience. You might want to rack up a few volunteer hours though....

 

[samenewme]

I'm 39 and no real medical experience. I'm a librarian, and my only remotely medical experience was helping care for my invalid aunt in high school and the all-night hospital vigils associated with aging parents. (My father had two major surgeries in the last few years and we had family members with him around the clock because the anesthetic made him so wonky.)

I'm just starting my pre-reqs this semester and have an appointment with the campus pre-med advisor next week. I'm planning to ask her about leads for appropriate volunteer work and shadowing experience. If she's helpful, grand! If she's not, I'll start networking on my own.

Yes, I feel a little intimidated, especially on old premeds where there's a fair selection of EMTs, nurses, and scientists. But there are quite a few liberal arts types, as well. It'll work out.

 

[Mutterkuchen]

The easiest way to not feel intimitated is to go volunteer somewhere. You just have to take the initiative and get going. I was in a similar boat as you last year (without the kids, though) and I now have one acceptance. I just had to knock on a few doors, and I got some great experiences.

 

[agent]

During a free summer, I plan to try to volunteer a few nights a week probably at a local hospital.

 

[Izlude_Tingel]

Hi,

I can only speak only from my own experiences. When I applied I had no medical experience at all and very minimal vol exp as well. I did end up getting into three schools last year. Honestly, you have a family and have to work. Adcoms will see this, but if you can get some type of exp, it does help. Although I had very minimal exp, it did hinder me. Although it is better to have medical exp, don't think it will preclude you from medical school if you have none. Good-Luck.

 

[IlianaSedai]

Originally posted by agent
The thing is I have no medical/research experience at all and I feel a bit intimidated. Is there anyone out there who is new to the road to med school who really has no experience yet?

Agent, that's no problem at all! Especially as you're at sophomore standing and have lots of time to go. You don't actually need research experience, and I would say don't kill yourself trying to get it unless you actually want to do research. Just pick something out, go to your college career office or pre-med office and look up resources. Consider these:

CLINICAL? Get hooked up with a physician and follow him/her around for a day, more days if you get along. Or get hooked up with a physician mentor. It'll be much more interesting and enlightening than volunteering in the hospital as a candy striper. 😉

When my sis wanted to "check out the medical field," she called up my uncle the orthopedic surgeon and asked to follow him around for a day. He let her watch a couple of surgeries.

RESEARCH? You're a bio major, just poke around in your college and ask your professors what they're doing, or look in your career office again.

Really, just do what you're interested in, not just for the application process but really to test out the waters and see what you like. Treat it as a learning experience and get some perspective from it. And you really don't have to start big and get some sort of research grant, internship, whatever-- just start small with whatever is available in your area. This includes one-day match-ups for career investigation, casual things and not just long-term things like grants or internships.

 

[agent]

Great advice. When I get to my new school, I'll just go ahead and start doing those things. Thanks I feel better 😉

*warm blanket*

 

[kaos]

hey, I have experience and I'M intimidated! 🙁

 

[Jessica37]

Agent,
My best advice for you is to do what you can, but also be sure to remember your family. Adcoms will recognize that you have other responsibilities and can't devote your life completely to being a gunner pre-med student. Try volunteering a few hours here and there at a local hospital. Your professors may need some help around the lab, which will give you an introductory experience. Keep your grades up and your head high 🙂 You can do it Good luck!

 

[Sweet Tea]

welcome back, agent. where ya been?

 

[agent]

Originally posted by Sweet Tea
welcome back, agent. where ya been?

I was a bit depressed about the possibility of this dream never reaching fruition, but now I think I've found a good school to complete my degree at so I'm back and things are looking up.

 

[IlianaSedai]

Oh, I forgot something. Don't know if you're interested in this at all, but "research" doesn't just cover molecular biology. You can also do "community health" or sociological research.

When I was an undergrad, I did "research" in a domestic violence study at the local hospital. It involved scheduling a couple of afternoons in the emergency department, taking a bunch of survey forms and questioning each female patient about to be discharged: "Were you asked by anyone in the emergency department about domestic violence?" etc

The sum total of what I got from this project was just two afternoons in the emergency department, some practice talking to people in hospital setting. It was interesting to do (I know it doesn't sound that way when I describe it, but it really did throw me into the ER for an enlightening couple of days) and as a result of investing just a couple of afternoons during the semester (and catching up with the research team in a few meetings) I had "research experience" to include on my resume thereafter. 😀 It also made me realize that you see all sorts in the hospital setting, and the domestic violence connection taught me to realize that a lot of social factors, not just molecular stuff, comes into play in medicine.

So you really do not need to kill yourself spending lots and lots of time on testing the waters and getting "experience"-- just two days will give you plenty to talk about.

 

[Bonds756]

Originally posted by kaos
hey, I have experience and I'M intimidated! 🙁

It's true. Once you get to med school it becomes a different kind of intimidation. Just keep you head up and try to gain experience in an aspect of medicine that you find interesting and can manage with time.