Anyone with great EC's?

[KyMDHopeful]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I'd love to see some of the wonderful thing's you guys have accomplished. Everyone always refers to "Only if you have amazing EC's" so I'd like to see what some people consider these. Let's see what all you guys have done!

 

[PremedGunner]

v

 

[VeeTeeHokies]

I'd love to see some of the wonderful thing's you guys have accomplished. Everyone always refers to "Only if you have amazing EC's" so I'd like to see what some people consider these. Let's see what all you guys have done!

I invented dice.

 

[judasreznor]

I think what people mean is lots of volunteer hours, shadowing, leadership experiences, direct patient contact, research, published papers, mission trips, etc. If one had a great amount of several of these, it seems that they would be in great shape.

Unfortunately, very few of us (being pre-meds/med students with no adcom experience) really know what is going on with regard to this process.

My EC's:

Several years and thousands of hours of healthcare experience. I have done tutoring, shadowing and volunteered (less than others). I have been in a leadership position in an on-campus organization. Hopefully all of this helps me out.

 

[DbDan]

I've always wondered what "incredible ECs" are as well. There are some on the pre-allo board with 3-5 publications, thousands of hours of research, tons of shadowing, etc.

I'd say that artimacia's ECs are pretty impressive: http://www.mdapplicants.com/profile.php?id=10539

My ECs:
20hrs/wk of work through 3 years in a supervisor position on campus
Helped found Powerlifting team at school
Several positions held in my fraternity
100+ Volunteer hours (non-clinical)
15hrs/wk at a dr's office as a medical assistant (600+hrs)
30hrs/wk in a hospital as an epilepsy tech (1500+hrs)
1yr microbio research which helped in the data analysis leading to this as well as hopeful publications of my part of the data.
Church small group leader
Bunch of conferences attended, none presented at though
Few other tiny things here and there

 

[DO1987]

I've got:

1 year tutoring lower level Bio/Chem 20 hrs/week
Worked full time waiting tables in undergrad-40 hrs/week
200 Hours (6 months) ER Volunteering
Habitat for Humanity Volunteer-One Summer
Opened worship at church with prayer for entire congregation-4 years
Camp Counselor Church Camp-One Summer
Hospice Fundraiser Founder-Raised $20,000 in one night--attended by 200 people.
Sat on Hospice Fundraiser Board
Currently full time ER clerk in VA Hospital
Shadowing-ER/IM/DMD/OMFS

 

[avion321]

5 years clinical experience working at a hospital
leadership roles as an college club secretary and then vice president
volunteer work for area catholic schools and platelet donations
2nd degree black belt
private pilots license

 

[traitorman]

my job involves following a physician for 12.5 hours 🙂

 

[wolverinepwns]

-Africa medical mission (got malaria actually)
-six years of working in a hospital with direct patient care, so thousands of hours of shadowing and clinical experience
-bench research
-full time job through our undergrad
-bench research
-president and vp of frat, and other clubs
-there are tons more but those should highlight the main ones!

 

[DbDan]

Wolverine, what frat were you in? What year did you graduate?

 

[wolverinepwns]

Wolverine, what frat were you in? What year did you graduate?

I'm 2009! I'm in PhiDE! what year were you?

 

[DbDan]

I'm 2009! I'm in PhiDE! what year were you?

Graduated March 2009 👍 Wasn't in the med fraternity though, just social haha I am a Pike

 

[wolverinepwns]

yeah the Med frat! dude I had no idea we were same year grad, and that you were a Pike! CRAZY! if we go to the same COM, that would be legit!!!

 

[Corpsman Up]

*6yrs as a navy corpsman ("medic" for those of you not military savvy)
*2 tours of combat as a corpsman with a marine corps infantry platoon
*Navy and Marine Corps commendation medal for "life saving actions" while under fire
* 2006 United Services Organization meritorious service award, given to only a select few member of the armed forces, presented by the executive joint chiefs of staff in washington d.c. (google has several articles about me/this),for my actions while involved in a mass casualty situation
*purple heart for wounds received in action
* section leader (8 people under me) of an emergency department in naples,italy (military hospital), where I was also in charge of all medical training for non-nurses/docs
*EMT
*taught an EMT refesher course in italy
*currently doing research as an undergrad
*no volunteer experience yet, but working on it

 

[DbDan]

*6yrs as a navy corpsman ("medic" for those of you not military savvy)
*2 tours of combat as a corpsman with a marine corps infantry platoon
*Navy and Marine Corps commendation medal for "life saving actions" while under fire
* 2006 United Services Organization meritorious service award, given to only a select few member of the armed forces, presented by the executive joint chiefs of staff in washington d.c. (google has several articles about me/this),for my actions while involved in a mass casualty situation
*purple heart for wounds received in action
* section leader (8 people under me) of an emergency department in naples,italy (military hospital), where I was also in charge of all medical training for non-nurses/docs
*EMT
*taught an EMT refesher course in italy
*currently doing research as an undergrad
*no volunteer experience yet, but working on it

Thanks for your service to the country. I'm fairly certain you will have little problem matriculating provided you do decently in school. Your life experience speaks for itself. I'd say regardless of your lack of volunteer experience your ECs blow anyone in this thread's out of the water

 

[Corpsman Up]

Thanks for your service to the country. I'm fairly certain you will have little problem matriculating provided you do decently in school. Your life experience speaks for itself. I'd say regardless of your lack of volunteer experience your ECs blow anyone in this thread's out of the water

Thank you for the kind words. I'm hoping that if I can just have a gpa and mcat that will make an adcom LOOK at my application, I will have a pretty decent chance

 

[Corpsman Up]

Thanks for your service to the country. I'm fairly certain you will have little problem matriculating provided you do decently in school. Your life experience speaks for itself. I'd say regardless of your lack of volunteer experience your ECs blow anyone in this thread's out of the water

Just checked out your MDapps profile and I really like that you are keeping a runny tally of how much everything costs, its very eye opening! Good luck on your interviews

 

[kleos atanatos]

yeah the Med frat! dude I had no idea we were same year grad, and that you were a Pike! CRAZY! if we go to the same COM, that would be legit!!!

Add me to the same school/same year/frat group. Sigma Nu.


I feel like ECs are pretty average.

3 years in Anesthesia Dept/Simulation Center
- conducted clinical research for cardiac surgery in OR
- tested med students on basic life support skills using patient simulator
- wrote research article on current trends in simulation for medical education
- intubated cadavers/ventilated simulators

Fraternity Officer/Current Alumni Advisor

1/2 year Physical Therapy Volunteer at VA

US Open Ball Boy 2 years

Jeep Enthusiast- built 2 Jeeps into monsters for trails

current job: 20-30 hrs a week- Surgery Scheduler

 

[kleos atanatos]

*6yrs as a navy corpsman ("medic" for those of you not military savvy)
*2 tours of combat as a corpsman with a marine corps infantry platoon
*Navy and Marine Corps commendation medal for "life saving actions" while under fire
* 2006 United Services Organization meritorious service award, given to only a select few member of the armed forces, presented by the executive joint chiefs of staff in washington d.c. (google has several articles about me/this),for my actions while involved in a mass casualty situation
*purple heart for wounds received in action
* section leader (8 people under me) of an emergency department in naples,italy (military hospital), where I was also in charge of all medical training for non-nurses/docs
*EMT
*taught an EMT refesher course in italy
*currently doing research as an undergrad
*no volunteer experience yet, but working on it

Are you going to apply to USUHS? I read "On Call In Hell" last year, which led me to applying there. I interviewed, but I just got a bad impression of the school. My interviewer didn't even show up, I waited an hour outside an empty room, and then they brought me to a random professor who was annoyed for doing the interview. He cut me off at every second and would be like "I see you played football" when really it said I played tennis. He had the worst people skills ever. The admissions committee later wrote that this professor's review led to my rejection. Pretty bad luck. Oh well. Life continues.

 

[DbDan]

Are you going to apply to USUHS? I read "On Call In Hell" last year, which led me to applying there. I interviewed, but I just got a bad impression of the school. My interviewer didn't even show up, I waited an hour outside an empty room, and then they brought me to a random professor who was annoyed for doing the interview. He cut me off at every second and would be like "I see you played football" when really it said I played tennis. He had the worst people skills ever. The admissions committee later wrote that this professor's review led to my rejection. Pretty bad luck. Oh well. Life continues.

Interviewed there last year? I applied this year, interesting story. I'll have to see what happens if I get the interview.

So are you applying again this year or where are you starting in fall?

 

[kleos atanatos]

Interviewed there last year? I applied this year, interesting story. I'll have to see what happens if I get the interview.

So are you applying again this year or where are you starting in fall?

Yea I applied last year. This year I'm just applying to osteopathic schools. Got a 3.6(3.3sci)/29Q. Other than the USU interview, my only success was getting secondaries at UCSF, UCLA, UCI, and UCD. I'm pretty stoked on the D.O. route though.

 

[Daedra22]

I was a lab technician in a marine biology facility for 3 years. I don't think there are many other people in my class who can say that they have personally wrestled octopusses...

Not by choice.

 

[DbDan]

Yea I applied last year. This year I'm just applying to osteopathic schools. Got a 3.6(3.3sci)/29Q. Other than the USU interview, my only success was getting secondaries at UCSF, UCLA, UCI, and UCD. I'm pretty stoked on the D.O. route though.

👍 At least you got those secondaries. Still impressive, I never got a UC secondary either application cycle. What was your major btw? So many UCLA kids in here. I may have met you if you were in sig nu... crazy haha

 

[kleos atanatos]

👍 At least you got those secondaries. Still impressive, I never got a UC secondary either application cycle. What was your major btw? So many UCLA kids in here. I may have met you if you were in sig nu... crazy haha

It was Classics...totally random I know. Ya there are a ton of us. A kid in your year from Pike is one of my best friends from home. Clue: he was president.

 

[DbDan]

It was Classics...totally random I know. Ya there are a ton of us. A kid in your year from Pike is one of my best friends from home. Clue: he was president.

I actually stuck around for a 5th year so I'd assume you were referring to the one from livermore? not SF right?

 

[Infinity6]

I actually stuck around for a 5th year

whew... five years. I did four in my sorority and I was just exhausted haha so that's pretty commendable

 

[Corpsman Up]

Are you going to apply to USUHS? I read "On Call In Hell" last year, which led me to applying there. I interviewed, but I just got a bad impression of the school. My interviewer didn't even show up, I waited an hour outside an empty room, and then they brought me to a random professor who was annoyed for doing the interview. He cut me off at every second and would be like "I see you played football" when really it said I played tennis. He had the worst people skills ever. The admissions committee later wrote that this professor's review led to my rejection. Pretty bad luck. Oh well. Life continues.

I havent decided whether I will be applying to USUHS or not. Ive looked into it, but it just seems like HSPS would be a better option. If i became a military doc, I would be able to retire before the age of 50..which is very appealing

 

[DbDan]

whew... five years. I did four in my sorority and I was just exhausted haha so that's pretty commendable

I did four calendar years in the fraternity, 4 and 2 quarters in school.

 

[DrHoosier]

Graduated March 2009 👍 Wasn't in the med fraternity though, just social haha I am a Pike

Always nice to see a fellow Pike 👍

 

[pmc2025]

*6yrs as a navy corpsman ("medic" for those of you not military savvy)
*2 tours of combat as a corpsman with a marine corps infantry platoon
*Navy and Marine Corps commendation medal for "life saving actions" while under fire
* 2006 United Services Organization meritorious service award, given to only a select few member of the armed forces, presented by the executive joint chiefs of staff in washington d.c. (google has several articles about me/this),for my actions while involved in a mass casualty situation
*purple heart for wounds received in action
* section leader (8 people under me) of an emergency department in naples,italy (military hospital), where I was also in charge of all medical training for non-nurses/docs
*EMT
*taught an EMT refesher course in italy
*currently doing research as an undergrad
*no volunteer experience yet, but working on it

E-way are not orthy-way! e-way are not orthy-way!
Legit dude (or SIR), you'll kick ass and take names with AdComs. I once met an allo AdCom who stated that with military experience like yours MCAT numbers and GPA can be almost entirely overlooked to get you into their school. Depending on your PS and LORs (I can't believe I'm saying this) you're probably a shoe-in to med school.

My (comparatively paltry) ECs:

-Volunteer EMT (one of the busiest stations in MD)
--2009 Presidential Inauguration Medical Support Team EMT
-Trained ER tech
-2 years research (both clinical and bench for the same PI in the same lab)
-Intern: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (1 semester)
-University Disaster Response Committee: Middle TN Flood Relief Coordinator
-Shadowed (Neurosurgeon, ER Doc, Plastic Surgeon, Orthopedic Surgeon, Pathologist)
-1st Tenor: Acapella group & leadership positions within group
-Orientation Leader
-Study Abroad work: HIV/AIDS Clinic, South Africa

 

[Corpsman Up]

E-way are not orthy-way! e-way are not orthy-way!
Legit dude (or SIR), you'll kick ass and take names with AdComs. I once met an allo AdCom who stated that with military experience like yours MCAT numbers and GPA can be almost entirely overlooked to get you into their school. Depending on your PS and LORs (I can't believe I'm saying this) you're probably a shoe-in to med school.

My (comparatively paltry) ECs:

-Volunteer EMT (one of the busiest stations in MD)
--2009 Presidential Inauguration Medical Support Team EMT
-Trained ER tech
-2 years research (both clinical and bench for the same PI in the same lab)
-Intern: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (1 semester)
-University Disaster Response Committee: Middle TN Flood Relief Coordinator
-Shadowed (Neurosurgeon, ER Doc, Plastic Surgeon, Orthopedic Surgeon, Pathologist)
-1st Tenor: Acapella group & leadership positions within group
-Orientation Leader
-Study Abroad work: HIV/AIDS Clinic, South Africa

Wow, what school was this adcom person from? I'll make sure to apply there....

I think youre EC's look good. They are much more well rounded than mine. Im hoping by the time I apply I can diversify my ec's a bit

 

[bryce]

Wow, what school was this adcom person from? I'll make sure to apply there....

I think youre EC's look good. They are much more well rounded than mine. Im hoping by the time I apply I can diversify my ec's a bit

I'd like to know that too...

EC'S:
Varsity Football Athlete
Worked at a Combat Medic (Army), Lab Tech., nurses' asst., Underpriv. High School Tutor, TA Undergrad. A&P & Bio., Research Biophysics [IL-6], Phlebotomist, did Prosection for medical student cadavers.

Nominated as NCO of the year 2007

1 Combat Tour in Iraq
Graduated @ Top of my OCS class 2009
Current Army Officer [National Guard as of now]
Opening up my own Crossfit Gym
Wright State University Strongest Man Winner 2008
Intermediate Proficiency in several Languages
Grew up all over the World [My Pops IS James Bond]
Extremely Handsome🙂

I'd like to say thank you to those of you serving/who have/who will our country and even now with these trying times for us all, now is when we prove to ourselves what we are made of first and foremost, and then we proceed to lead via our action. Good game.

 

[Total180]

Just have to say you guys have some really amazing experiences!!! It is really encouraging that not everyone applying are the mindless science zombies 🙂 I would much rather have a doctor with some of these amazing EC's than someone who knew they wanted to be a doctor since they were in the womb, but didn't really do much to reinforce it. I don't think mine can compare, but they are kind've on the more different end maybe?

-1 year RA (had a girl fall out of her bed and split her forehead open, which is one of the main experiences that made me want to be a doctor
-A million different theatre related activities (singing in cabarets to stage managing shows for piccolo spoleto, to musicals)
-taught theatre to a 6th grade bilingual (that wasn't so bilingual....mostly monolingual...in Spanish. This with only 4 years of high school Spanish under my belt, needless to say we did a lot of movement techniques) students in the Bronx NY when the funding for the Arts was completely taken away.
-taught a combined theatre/poetry/dance class to 2nd graders in Yonkers, NY
*all of these were before I decided I wanted to be a doctor, but really had an impact on the population that I want to work with.
-Spanish tutor, as well as taught a college level Spanish 201 conversation class at my University
-Spanish interpreter at 2 different free clinics
-Did an internship at a public hospital in Argentina which really opened my eyes to how much we really have (in terms of healthcare) in the US. Even though they really do have universal healthcare...the public hospitals are really lacking in terms of quality...Not quality of doctors, because they were actually quite good, but just quality of the facilities. I couldn't believe how dark it was in the hospital I was working at. It was like a dungeon...plus there were ceilings caving in and mold eating through the floors in places. It was really an eye opening experience.
-Normal children's hospital volunteering
-Normal shadowing
-About a year of methamphetamine research
I don't know if I am forgetting something, but those are the big ones. Obviously I want to work in a hispanic/underserved area. I am hoping some of these more interesting/needed extracurriculars will help to overshadow my less than stellar MCAT. We shall see 🙂 Good luck to everyone!!

 

[FutureCTDoc]

Research, which I'm coauthor on and will publish later in chemistry
Co-PI on a university grant in the life sciences
Plan to publish literature review this fall
Plan to publish article this spring
Viewed over 150 surgical cases
Over 200 hours shadowing
Work with the homeless on the streets of Miami
Attorney on Mock Trial
Treasurer for Hillel

 

[pfaction]

I always wanted to know, how can you guys get clinical experience? Wherever I go to volunteer at hospitals, no one lets me do clinical stuff. I always do crappy work. I also have to get to work on community service volunteering like nursing homes and shelters.

 

[FutureCTDoc]

Also investment banking internship this winter

 

[aesposito]

-About a year of methamphetamine research

I had several years of alcohol and pot research in my younger days. Researched the **** out of it...


Oh.... wait... that's not what you meant..... *blush*

A

 

[Total180]

I always wanted to know, how can you guys get clinical experience? Wherever I go to volunteer at hospitals, no one lets me do clinical stuff. I always do crappy work. I also have to get to work on community service volunteering like nursing homes and shelters.

Even if you are just transporting patients around is still considered "clinical experience". LizzyM says clinical experience is anything where you are close enough to smell the patients. It isn't just doing straight medically related things. It seems like a crappy job, but it is still a chance to interact with patients, so really make the most of it. If you have a special skill, like you speak another language, you could also get shadowing/clinical experience for things like translating. Obviously they aren't going to let you do anything you need a certification/degree for (anything really medical) but anything you do in a hospital gives you more of an idea of how medicine truly is, and if this is really the job you want to devote the rest of your life to. If you want to be able to do more medically related things you could go through an EMT or nurses assistant course or something like that, but it costs money, and it is really only worth it if you use it....don't just do it so that you can say you are EMT certified. Have fun!

 

[ScottMontgomery]

-Currently about 700hrs volunteering at a local ER.
-Have worked 55hrs a week while completing my undergrad work.
-Working on my pilots license (aircraft)
-Working on my Captains license (marine vessel)
-Became an ASE master Certified auto technician (more studying and testing)
-Get to Shadow/volunteer as a surgical aid (Stand in the OR and pretty much do things asked by the circulating nurse, non-invasive)
-Attend bi-weekly Orthopedic and General surgeries to watch, and have actually been quizzed by my buddy who is an Ortho surgeon, whew! Netters concise guide to Ortho anatomy paid off!!

-volunteer to operate some poker runs on the water that support charitable causes.
-Participate in at least 1 poker run a year with my offshore boat that is a 100% donation to Camp Quality for kids!! Get to take them for a ride, its one amazing environment...

Not sure how much if this will be considered, but I will be listing all of it! Got to have a life in there somewhere!

 

[bryce]

...

 

[Element]

NREMT-B for the past 9 years.
+/- 8 hours a week on a local volunteer squad
Several experiences of incident commander
Fishing boat captain for 1 year (had to keep the family business alive)
1000+ volunteer hours in the OR
ER/Trauma tech for the past 3 years
Working F/T nights School F/T days to support myself
Code/Rapid Response Team ~1 year
part of a team dedicated to raising funds of "NotForSale" a 501c3 human trafficking org.

 

[ScottMontgomery]

Dude, the biggest bad ass I know is a guy named Scott Montgomery... I've seen the man take on 8 guys, beat them like it was nothing, a couple of hours later went out and ran 6 miles in 37 mins. and then come back and cook dinner for his wife and two daughters... Don't know what part of that was the most impressive.

With your impressive stats, and my God Father's [see above] status, I've just concluded what I will name my very first born... Male or not.👍

I am not sure if your trying to be a smart ass or not, or if you actually have reference to someone with the same name.

But if your trying to be a smartass then grow up. My stats are no more important or better than everyone elses. We all have our things, we all do our own. This is what this thread is about, is to talk about your ECs.

 

[bryce]

I am not sure if your trying to be a smart ass or not, or if you actually have reference to someone with the same name.

But if your trying to be a smartass then grow up. My stats are no more important or better than everyone elses. We all have our things, we all do our own. This is what this thread is about, is to talk about your ECs.

Scott relax. I was stating the truth about the dude that I know and I was giving you props. Don't be that guy. Also, don't be that guy that doesn't read. There were no 'smart-ass' connotations. The gentleman that I know is the most amazing gentleman that I've ever come into contact with. Former Delta Operator and real modern day Jason Bourne. Helped prepare me for Ranger school and OCS. I am sorry if you felt threatened or made fun of. I will delete the post if that makes you feel better.
Once again, congrats on your accomplishments.

 

[ScottMontgomery]

Scott relax. I was stating the truth about the dude that I know and I was giving you props. Don't be that guy. Also, don't be that guy that doesn't read. There were no 'smart-ass' connotations. The gentleman that I know is the most amazing gentleman that I've ever come into contact with. Former Delta Operator and real modern day Jason Bourne. Helped prepare me for Ranger school and OCS. I am sorry if you felt threatened or made fun of. I will delete the post if that makes you feel better.
Once again, congrats on your accomplishments.

No, I was unclear thats why I asked.. but I also replied to the other side as well, so I didnt need to battle back and forth, there are a lot of people that troll the boards and love to come up with things like what you said, but mean it in the complete opposite of what you did.

My bad for calling you out, just wanted to be clear... Props to that other dude for having the same name and outstanding accomplishments/achievements... Believe it or not, a cousin of mine is a SEAL, and I spent 2 1/2 years training to go to the Navy with a buddy of mine and a pair of SEAL challenge contracts, we were gonna head to BUD/s and attempt SEAL, but he moved away, and I got lazy... still kicking myself in the ass for it... I need to accomplish something in this life...

 

[bryce]

No, I was unclear thats why I asked.. but I also replied to the other side as well, so I didnt need to battle back and forth, there are a lot of people that troll the boards and love to come up with things like what you said, but mean it in the complete opposite of what you did.

My bad for calling you out, just wanted to be clear... Props to that other dude for having the same name and outstanding accomplishments/achievements... Believe it or not, a cousin of mine is a SEAL, and I spent 2 1/2 years training to go to the Navy with a buddy of mine and a pair of SEAL challenge contracts, we were gonna head to BUD/s and attempt SEAL, but he moved away, and I got lazy... still kicking myself in the ass for it... I need to accomplish something in this life...

What's your cousins name? We work together frequently, Seals & Rangers. Seals are great dudes, at least the ones that I've worked with. Last team I was with were determined to teach my ass how to swim... I sink. It's pretty embarrassing. But I have fun with it.
If you'd be interested in going to OCS &/or Ranger school PM me and I'll be more than happy to give you a call. Currently I am in Dayton, OH so with you being in Mich. we could meet up sometime if that works well with you.
Good luck bro.

 

[pfaction]

So then I turn on to, how do I shadow a doctor or get into the OR/ER? The hospitals I go to won't let me do it even though I have a professional license from NYS (pharmacy). I have to re-ask for volunteering in the ER and I actually got hired in a hospital, so would it count if I shadow in the ER at my job?

 

[wickl087]

Even if you are just transporting patients around is still considered "clinical experience". LizzyM says clinical experience is anything where you are close enough to smell the patients. It isn't just doing straight medically related things. It seems like a crappy job, but it is still a chance to interact with patients, so really make the most of it. If you have a special skill, like you speak another language, you could also get shadowing/clinical experience for things like translating. Obviously they aren't going to let you do anything you need a certification/degree for (anything really medical) but anything you do in a hospital gives you more of an idea of how medicine truly is, and if this is really the job you want to devote the rest of your life to. If you want to be able to do more medically related things you could go through an EMT or nurses assistant course or something like that, but it costs money, and it is really only worth it if you use it....don't just do it so that you can say you are EMT certified. Have fun!

While I respect LizzyM's advice, I think that should be taken with a grain of salt. I volunteer at a hospital and I go around to patient rooms to keep them company, but I don't see it as clinical (unless someone thinks that conversing, handing out magazines, and fetching drinks is clinical). I have encountered some pretty smelly patients this summer and all it took was a walk by their room. So I guess some visitor could claim they had a clinical experience by walking by that patients' room? Haha probably not.

I'm hoping my ECs will shed some light on my passion:

-summer volunteering in a hospital for 6 years - just 4 hours a week totaling around 150 hrs. Helping in infusion therapy, pharmacy, radiology, birthing center, day surgery, and currently visiting patients.
-30 hrs (1 semester: medical Spanish course) volunteering in a Hispanic clinic - helping native Spanish speakers with insurance so they could get car seats after attending a car seat class.
-3 weeks study abroad in Mexico
-3 months study abroad in Spain (TRAVEL if you can!!😍)
-10 hrs/week for 6 months working in a med school simulation center
- 3 months working in nutrition services in a hospital

I guess the list isn't that impressive, but I've learned a lot from it all.

 

[ScottMontgomery]

So then I turn on to, how do I shadow a doctor or get into the OR/ER? The hospitals I go to won't let me do it even though I have a professional license from NYS (pharmacy). I have to re-ask for volunteering in the ER and I actually got hired in a hospital, so would it count if I shadow in the ER at my job?

Possibly, but you cannot count volunteering and shadowing at the same time. Shadowing helps only yourself, where as volunteering helps others. If you get what I mean.

The best way to shadow is do your research on a physician of interest, or field of interest then nail down that perfect physician for you. Then approach them, and ask them, tell them what you have in mind, what your future goals are, most will have no problem letting you follow them around, as long as your not more trouble than your worth to them. Ask questions, but wait until the appropriate time to do so, don't swamp your physician.

You can shadow with residents too, as I have done this, but it is in your interest to shadow with attendings for certain fields. I tend to shadow with Sr. Residents for surgeries, after getting approval from their attending. I do this because the attendings are in and out of the OR so frequently, where as the Sr residents are doing a majority of the surgeries.

If you want to shadow an ER doc, find out when they are done for the night, and grab them just before they head home, I would try not to bug them during their shift, even if they dont look busy, more than likely they are. Just my opinions! Good luck to you!

 

[DOwnage]

Possibly, but you cannot count volunteering and shadowing at the same time. Shadowing helps only yourself, where as volunteering helps others. If you get what I mean.

I understand what you're saying here, but I have a hard time understanding some of the volunteering vs shadowing stuff.

I learn SO MUCH from shadowing, and it really makes me feel as if I know what I'm going to be doing someday. There is zero doubt in my mind as to this being my preferred career and if the point of shadowing was to bring that issue to my attention, it has pretty much been answered.

However, when I volunteer, yes I'm helping others, but I don't get to do much. I've been told to go to community health clinics and whatnot, but that's just not available to me. There is 1 nearby that isn't even for uninsured, it's for underinsured, and they only let you do clerical work. Everything at the hospital is basically clerical work or bringing water and blankets to a patient's room. I can also tell you that I learn practically nothing while I'm there. I make observations regarding everything I see, but I'm so sheltered from the actual operations that it's depressing.

People always say how it's about the quality over quantity of hours. If it's really about quality, it seems like the only thing you need to be able to do is eloquently describe everything you did and learned about while you shadowed/volunteered. With that being the case, I could volunteer for approx. 3 hours in 1 department of the hospital and be done volunteering for my entire pre-med app because anything beyond that is identical to the preceding hours. However, if you asked me to describe shadowing, I would need way more than 30 hours. There's just so much to see every day.

It seems to be that it's all about quality for shadowing in particular, but for volunteering, it's more about quantity. I don't know if that's just a reflection of the average pre-med population justifying their apps because shadowing is so much harder to get compared to volunteering. Of course pre-meds won't emphasize the importance of shadowing if they can't readily get 100+ hours, while volunteering is touted since you can practically sign up anywhere.

It makes me question whether you need to volunteer in a hospital at all. Why not volunteer for another cause and donate your time to something that isn't lame? The only reason I don't want to make that huge leap is because of the ambiguous nature of the medical school app process. Volunteering isn't even explicitly required, so they won't tell you if 1 type of volunteering is better than another.

 

[DJack]

Well, I've got some pretty cool things.

Resident Assistant- 2 years
Admissions office worker/tour guide- 2.5 years
Biology lab TA- this coming year---- (yes I have three jobs on campus)
Resident Assistant selection committee member
Pre-Med Club Co-Founder
Marketing assistant for photographs meaning:
I was on 4 billboards for the school
I was in our school's brochure
I am the school's mascot (yes, the dude with the big head on running around like an idiot)
Varsity Men's Golf team- 1 year
Campus ministries student leader- 2.5 years
Honors Program
Inter-Residence Hall Council Vice-President- 2 years
Intermural flag football

Some awards and other cool stuff:
Won the school's "leader on the horizon" award (nominated my freshman year, won it my sophomore year), given to one underclassmen which best exemplifies leadership- got me on the cover of my local paper 🙂
Spent a week on the US/Mexico border working with Mexican children
2-year volunteer at local hospital
Shadowed the director of vascular disease and surgery and professor of clinical surgery at the Ohio State U. Medical center (saw three surgeries up close!)
Shadowed local Immunologist, local Optometrist (thought about it for a time), and Internist.

I feel very lucky to have gotten some great opportunities! It certainly helps!