Anything I can do to improve my application for next cycle?

[biggerb832]

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[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums. I am setting aside the MCAT prep; you know what to do.

Obviously, pay attention to the TMDSAS process going on, and get informed with how it works. You should listen in on the TMDSAS resources and podcasts, and network with the schools where you will apply.

You have checked off all the boxes, but I'm missing a sense of your purpose as a physician, except that you have avoided primary care experiences. Finish your EMT training and get going with experience. You are going a lot with underserved patients (a plus), but I need a better sense of how you see yourself impacting them in the community (aside from volunteer karate coach) and a clinical setting. What community do you wish to champion as a physician? The answer will help schools measure if you fit their mission.

 

[biggerb832]

Hi!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I thought IM (nephrology) shadowing would count as getting primary care experience. If that doesn't count, any advice on what I should do or if I need to do anything?

Who told you this?

About my sense of purpose for going into medicine, I'm not entirely sure what you are asking here, like are you asking for my reason for going into medicine or do you mean something else?

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The rest of the response is helpful. As a Texas resident, that should help.

 

[AJS59]

Hi!

First about the avoiding primary care experience, I thought IM (nephrology) shadowing would count as getting primary care experience. If that doesn't count, any advice on what I should do or if I need to do anything?

About my sense of purpose for going into medicine, I'm not entirely sure what you are asking here, like are you asking for my reason for going into medicine or do you mean something else?

About the EMT training, I had failed that course (not on transcript) due to a family member's death which caused me to not be able to study for the final. Due to that, those training shifts are my only EMT experience. I also should mention that this was nearly 2 years ago.

For the impacting communities, I'm gonna start off with my non clinicals and then my clinicals. For my nonclinical volunteering, I believe I impacted the Hispanic community by providing immediate support to those who were hungry and economically disadvantaged. On top of that, I was able to create a sense of belonging for them by making the environment more welcoming by providing emotional support, connecting with the people and trying to understand their needs. For my clinical volunteering, I have also been providing emotional support and I think my biggest contribution is that I'm hearing people out and soothing them. A lot of the folks who come don't really come that often to the hospital and oftentimes come for something moderate to serious. Its natural for them to be scared and I help keep things upbeat and make them laugh and smile. It makes them feel that there is someone who cares about them especially when I am most of their times their first contact after front desk people, who are amazing folks but they have to be efficient in order to get to everyone in line, and I believe that eases their anxiety.

The community I hope to champion are the underserved. I believe my ECs point to that and it is because when I was growing up, I grew up quite poor, my parents earned pretty good money but a lot of that money went towards paying off debt and for the medical treatment of my grandfather. Due to that, I didn't even have a bed to sleep on when I was growing up lol. Thankfully, my grandfather got better and I am solidly middle to upper middle class but I know I am quite lucky and that there are many other folks who are economically disadvantaged like I used to be. I hope to champion them.

When you're looking for primary care experience that typically means general family, internal med, or pediatrics in an outpatient setting.

Sense of purpose typically refers to your "why" medicine. What patient populations do you wish to champion and care for, practice environment, issues within medicine, etc. If it's Hispanic communities, you'll need to make that clear in your primary and secondaries and apply to schools that serve large hispanic populations (schools in FL, TX would come to mind here)

 

[biggerb832]

@AJS59 @Mr.Smile12 .

 

[Mr.Smile12]

@AJS59 @Mr.Smile12 My health professions advisor said that since Nephrology is a subspecialty of IM, I had primary care experience since IM is primary care. Is that really not case?

Uh... no. It is a specialty. You also said so.

Claude says,
Nephrology is typically not considered part of primary care.

Nephrology is a medical specialty that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the kidney. It's a subspecialty of internal medicine.

Primary care, on the other hand, is the first point of contact in the healthcare system. It usually includes:

1. Family medicine
2. General internal medicine
3. Pediatrics

Primary care physicians provide comprehensive care and may refer patients to specialists like nephrologists when needed. While primary care doctors manage some kidney-related issues, more complex cases are typically referred to nephrologists.

 

[biggerb832]

Uh... no. It is a specialty.

Yeah you're right. I was kinda just hoping that I could count it as since its been difficult to find a PCP who allows me to shadow them. I have mainly found specialists like the Nephrologist and Plastic Surgeon. I will try my best to find a PCP over winter break but in the event that I can't find someone, that won't break my application right? Again, I will try my best but I'm trying to cover all possibilities.

Also kind of random but how come you use Claude over ChatGPT or Perplexity or Gemini?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Also kind of random but how come you use Claude over ChatGPT or Perplexity or Gemini?

No particular reason for the free versions. I tend to like the Claude output more. Depends on my mood.

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I was wondering why you couldn't follow-up with your EMT training since you would be "closer" to general emergency care, which is a primary point of care that I'm sure would be different in pace than nephrology. But obviously I'll accept the explanation if it's been that long and you'd likely have to re-train to get certified. You should be able to find something given that you have been volunteering in a hospital.

 

[biggerb832]

Alright, hopefully I do! Appreciate the help you provided me!