Are one week medical mission trips considered a significant EC?

[Angel252]

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It really sucks to see how everyone just sees them as a bad thing. I have been very active in my church, have been to more than 7 mission trips mostly local, since junior high and now in college. Most of the trips have been around the US or US borders near my town. I believe if you show commitment for more than just one trip it will look good. I did not know I wanted medicine until the end of my freshman year. That is personally what I want to continue doing in the future and have shown proof of interest, plus LoR from Pastor. It all has to do with your time of involvement and being able to express your devotion for the works.

Everyone here is saying it is all done to waste money and add something to your application. I have so many examples of people just volunteering in hospitals or other places because they want to add something to the list. So in your point of view, why should they do it? Most people don't learn anything from there and don't help at all.

Just do what you enjoy and not just to add something to the application and everything will go alright. The way you talk about it will truly show your real motivation to attend the missions.

 

[DokterMom]

My school offers them. One week mission trips to places like South America. I'm already interested in them as they'd be a fun way to use spring break but is that considered significant compared to other ECs?

You said it yourself: " a fun way to use spring break " Everyone knows that's what it it...

 

[baxt1412]

It really sucks to see how everyone just sees them as a bad thing. I have been very active in my church, have been to more than 7 mission trips mostly local, since junior high and now in college. Most of the trips have been around the US or US borders near my town. I believe if you show commitment for more than just one trip it will look good. I did not know I wanted medicine until the end of my freshman year. That is personally what I want to continue doing in the future and have shown proof of interest, plus LoR from Pastor. It all has to do with your time of involvement and being able to express your devotion for the works.

Everyone here is saying it is all done to waste money and add something to your application. I have so many examples of people just volunteering in hospitals or other places because they want to add something to the list. So in your point of view, why should they do it? Most people don't learn anything from there and don't help at all.

Just do what you enjoy and not just to add something to the application and everything will go alright. The way you talk about it will truly show your real motivation to attend the missions.

I'm in the same boat as you. I went on two mission trips to El Salvador and it is one of the most memorable experiences of my life.. sucks that it is, apparently, seen as a spring break vacation... apparently

 

[FutureSurgical]

After reading both sides I am more on Aerus's and Goro's side. It was sort of a medical vacation. Don't get me wrong, we did work hard and got some great experience. But there was a vacation side to it. Do I view it detrimental to one's application? Yes, if you sell it as a life-changing experience when 1. you were there for a week or two and 2. you showed no effort to either do more work in the country or do work in the US similar to what you did in the foreign country. Was it life-changing for me? No. It gave me new perspectives though. Those that made me appreciate what we have here and has seriously made me consider serving in the underserved community when I become a physician.

EDIT: Thank you to both of you. I will be working on the committee again to help raise money for the organization. I won't go again unless if they pay for it all again.

 

[aklark]

My school offers them. One week mission trips to places like South America. I'm already interested in them as they'd be a fun way to use spring break but is that considered significant compared to other ECs?

Listen to the Easterly, Blattman, Munk, and Sachs interviews and see if you still think spending $5,000 of real money to go stand around in a clinic Honduras for a week is the best use of that money:

hthttp://www.econtalk.org/archives/2014/06/william_easterl.html

http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2014/07/chris_blattman.html

http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2014/01/nina_munk_on_po.html

http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2014/03/jeffrey_sachs_o.html

 

[BeancheBlanco]

I think these are useful and positive but if it's only a week, then it's not significant. There's nothing you can do that lasts a week that will be significant to medical schools.

 

[Aerus]

It really sucks to see how everyone just sees them as a bad thing. I have been very active in my church, have been to more than 7 mission trips mostly local, since junior high and now in college. Most of the trips have been around the US or US borders near my town. I believe if you show commitment for more than just one trip it will look good. I did not know I wanted medicine until the end of my freshman year. That is personally what I want to continue doing in the future and have shown proof of interest, plus LoR from Pastor. It all has to do with your time of involvement and being able to express your devotion for the works.

Everyone here is saying it is all done to waste money and add something to your application. I have so many examples of people just volunteering in hospitals or other places because they want to add something to the list. So in your point of view, why should they do it? Most people don't learn anything from there and don't help at all.

Just do what you enjoy and not just to add something to the application and everything will go alright. The way you talk about it will truly show your real motivation to attend the missions.

It really sucks? Why does it suck? That you can't add them to your application and make yourself stand out? If you really did only care about the cause (and I'm not saying you don't), then it shouldn't matter what other people think. Just do it anyways. If it's perceived negatively but you still believe that it's a good cause and don't see any detrimental effects, then do it but don't put it on your application. I certainly don't plan to include my "mission trip" on my med school apps at all.

But to further add, your experiences are a bit different from the average premed's mission trip. Yours are mostly local and are repeated, which is something you can't really say for the majority of medical missions.

 

[Angel252]

It really sucks? Why does it suck? That you can't add them to your application and make yourself stand out? If you really did only care about the cause (and I'm not saying you don't), then it shouldn't matter what other people think. Just do it anyways. If it's perceived negatively but you still believe that it's a good cause and don't see any detrimental effects, then do it but don't put it on your application. I certainly don't plan to include my "mission trip" on my med school apps at all.

But to further add, your experiences are a bit different from the average premed's mission trip. Yours are mostly local and are repeated, which is something you can't really say for the majority of medical missions.

I have already done so lol. Even if the adcom says otherwise I will stand my ground and be my true self. They have been essential to my commitment to serve my community and to continue a career in medicine. If you don't want to add them, then I hope you got what you wanted out of them.

I say it sucks, for the fact that there are still people out there who are doing them for the good of heart. Others are classifying them as being fake because many have just done them to add another check in their profile.

I see your point though.

Edit: Although the missions take a big part, there are many more experiences that have led to me to this decision. The missions are not the only things that make me stand out, but I am sure they will be a factor.

 

[Ravens18]

@LeenoRocks very interesting

 

[Aerus]

I have already done so lol. Even if the adcom says otherwise I will stand my ground and be my true self. They have been essential to my commitment to serve my community and to continue a career in medicine. If you don't want to add them, then I hope you got what you wanted out of them.

I say it sucks, for the fact that there are still people out there who are doing them for the good of heart. Others are classifying them as being fake because many have just done them to add another check in their profile.

I see your point though.

Edit: Although the missions take a big part, there are many more experiences that have led to me to this decision. The missions are not the only things that make me stand out, but I am sure they will be a factor.

Fair enough, although I must add that medical missions will not make you stand out at all. From my own experiences at my undergrad (a premed factory), the vast majority of premeds have done these mission trips or are looking to do one. At this point, it wouldn't be a bad assumption to say that not doing them will make you stand out. You can also tell from this thread that A LOT of people do them. When I first considered medicine as a career, medical missions were the first thing that popped into my mind in terms of "standing out", so it's stand out at all.

 

[LMBLBM]

NOPE. ADCOM knows what they are. I attended one in Mexico. We were scheduled to do 3 hours of helping and 21 hours of partying. I didn't even bother to put it on my application.

However, if you truly helped and enlightened by the experience, by all means include it. I guarantee that 90% of oversee volunteer opportunities are just for narcissistic mental masterbation so that you feel awesome about yourself

 

[Angel252]

NOPE. ADCOM knows what they are. I attended one in Mexico. We were scheduled to do 3 hours of helping and 21 hours of partying. I didn't even bother to put it on my application.

However, if you truly helped and enlightened by the experience, by all means include it. I guarantee that 90% of oversee volunteer opportunities are just for narcissistic mental masterbation so that you feel awesome about yourself

Wow haha that's not a mission trip.

 

[Angel252]

Fair enough, although I must add that medical missions will not make you stand out at all. From my own experiences at my undergrad (a premed factory), the vast majority of premeds have done these mission trips or are looking to do one. At this point, it wouldn't be a bad assumption to say that not doing them will make you stand out. You can also tell from this thread that A LOT of people do them. When I first considered medicine as a career, medical missions were the first thing that popped into my mind in terms of "standing out", so it's stand out at all.

Well I have received interview invites, so I would say that the adcoms believe in my life experiences and my works in the mission trips. I will keep forum updated in case the bring it up in the interview. Which I am sure they will.

 

[Ravens18]

Thanks @Angel252 I would like to know how that goes

 

[Doctor Dream]

I had no idea so many pre-meds went on these mission trips...

There's NO FREAKIN' WAY I'd have enough money to go anywhere outside the US. Just a broke college student

 

[Aerus]

I had no idea so many pre-meds went on these mission trips...

There's NO FREAKIN' WAY I'd have enough money to go anywhere outside the US. Just a broke college student

They're short, easy, sound flashy, and require little commitment, which is the perfect extracurricular for most premeds.

 

[Doctor Dream]

They're short, easy, sound flashy, and require little commitment, which is the perfect extracurricular for most premeds.

I guess, doesn't sound like they're as perfect as everyone thinks they are according to adcoms on here though

 

[Aerus]

I guess, doesn't sound like they're as perfect as everyone thinks they are according to adcoms on here though

When I said perfect, I meant they were perfect for premeds to swarm over, not perfect for medical school admissions.

 

[popopopop]

@LMBLBM

JK bro, but this whole gunner meme got started with this guy doing a trip, so....

 

[Stagg737]

I agree with most that to adcoms, 95-99% of the short trips will not benefit a person's application at all. However, I believe that there are cases where these trips can be very beneficial to the individual, and therefore it can be beneficial to that individual's app. That being said, there are several things any pre-med that goes on one of these trips should understand. The first, and probably most important thing, is that the trip will benefit you far more than it will benefit almost any of your patients. The hands-on experience, feelings of accomplishment, and experiences in another culture that you will get will far outweigh the basic treatment that most of your patient's will receive. Understand that when you go on a short-term trip like this it is for your own benefit and growth, not because you are trying to make a major or long-lasting difference in another society. Second, the actual amount of medical knowledge you gain there is probably a fraction of the amount of knowledge you think you're gaining. The most valuable thing you will learn on this trip will be about the culture of where you go and about yourself, not medicine. The final thing you need to realize is why you are taking the trip. If you're just taking it because you want something for your application or because you just want to travel then you are going for the wrong reason. Go to learn about the culture or to expand your worldview or because you want to see if you want to do more significant international work as a career or because you're rich and you want to blow some money. Do not go on a week-long trip just because you want to make a real difference in the lives of foreign kids and because you think it will set you apart as an applicant.

I went to Central America because I was a Spanish minor, I had done non-medical volunteering there before, and because I plan on getting involved with an organization like DO Care or Doctors Without Borders as a career path. I went into this experience understanding that even though I did want to help my patients there, I knew that the treatment I provided was only a temporary relief for those patients and that most of their problems would not be permanently fixed. The program we went with also emphasized the fact that educating our patients about proper hygiene and preventative care (teaching things like covering the place they go to the bathroom to prevent disease or the fact that drinking things like soda or coffee is not the same thing as drinking water and can cause a myriad of health problems) was far more valuable than any actual treatment we gave our patients. I also happened to be one of the lucky few who was able to treat a patient that was impacted in the long run. Keeping the story short, a partner and I treated a patient who would have had their leg amputated if we did not treat him and give him the necessary antibiotics to stave off an infection. Additionally, the local doctor we were working with met the man several months after our trip and contacted our professor/supervisor on the trip with us to say that he made a full recovery and was able to return to work with no problems. That trip, and specifically that patient, made me realize how much even the smallest amounts of treatment and education can impact a patient. It confirmed for me the idea that I wanted to work internationally and also inspired me to get involved more heavily with educating others as much as possible.

I used that trip as an EC because I got a lot out of it and was honest in my applications about what I got out of it. I was very fortunate with my experience and I feel like most people that go on those trips don't get nearly as much out of them as I did, and even fewer are able to fully comprehend what they actually learned. I believe those trips can absolutely be vital in helping you learn about yourself and what kind of doctor you hope to become. However, I also know that huge percentage of these trips are just a BS way for pre-meds to try and get an EC while on vacation.


Side note: To all those people saying things like this:

So it took you a country to realize that some kids are living in unfortunate situations even back in US. Lol what a joke.

Thinking that going on a one week trip will solve anything for the people in need is so incredibly naive. You will do just as much throwing money out of the window.

It's a shame that it takes people an expensive trip abroad to realize that they can be of service to their own communities.

I grew up in what used to be one of the wealthiest counties in the U.S. When I was younger I was considered almost poor because my family didn't make 6 figures annually. I know a huge number of people that were sheltered from the hardships of life and went to college in places that were basically bubbles where they weren't exposed to reality because their rich parents wanted 'the best' for them. For some of them, they didn't even realize what poverty meant until they went on one of those trips. It didn't affect a lot of them, and most of those people are still entitled brats who look down on those who aren't rich or successful. I also know a few of them whose eyes were opened and got heavily involved with volunteering and charity work when they realized there was poverty in the U.S. If that's what it takes to wake some rich kid up to reality and get them involved back home, then I'd say the trips are absolutely worth it. So maybe it is a shame that people need those trips to see problems at home, but that doesn't change the reality that without that trip some of those people would live in their little bubble forever. In my mind, I'd rather those people join us in reality and try to help others than keep living without ever doing anything to make things better...

 

[RTC19]

I echo the posters who have stated that these trips are seen as more of a "medical vacation" and won't help you much in the application process.

Best of luck to you, OP.

 

[Planes2Doc]

from what's written in this document I get the feeling that AAMC doesn't favor these kinds of EC's
https://www.aamc.org/download/181690/data/guidelinesforstudentsprovidingpatientcare.pdf

Here's the big one that bugs me... This is what AMCAS has to say about it: "Putting acceptance to medical school and residency training programs at risk. Many pre-medical students believe that the more in-depth clinical experience they have, the stronger their applications will be. However, taking on tasks that are beyond your training could make you look unethical, unknowledgeable about the health professions, irresponsible to admission committees, and may diminish or eliminate your chance for acceptance into medical school. Similarly, medical students who perform procedures beyond their training may negatively impact their chances of matching in residency programs."

In my opinion, I don't think any pre-med wakes up in the morning as a sociopath and says to themselves, "Hmm... I feel like I want to go beyond my scope of practice and purposely inflict pain on others!" The pre-med process is definitely a cut-throat process. Generally speaking, pre-meds will rate different ECs based on what you can do. There's usually a reason why they consider hospital ED volunteering to be "inferior" to free clinic volunteering. Hint: It's not because they care about helping out poor people! It's because it's common knowledge that as a pre-med, you'll be able to do more in a free clinic than a hospital ED. So there you have a natural pressure to do as much as possible in order to impress ADCOMs. This is why mission trips might be so attractive to some, because they will think that they can do more than a hospital ED or even free clinic.

But as mentioned in my article that I posted, this is where the double-standard comes in. Almost anything besides actually doing skilled procedures is considered fair-game in a free clinic. If you helped to cut sutures or do what not, I doubt ADCOMs would bat an eye (and people on SDN would consider it a "great" experience). Yet if you did these very same things on an overseas mission trip, you'd be viewed as an immoral bastard. But given the pressure for pre-meds to do the EC arms race in the first place, can you really blame them for trying? I, for one, don't view them as evil sociopaths that should be denied medical school admission, and also have their future residency chances destroyed as well...

Fair enough, although I must add that medical missions will not make you stand out at all. From my own experiences at my undergrad (a premed factory), the vast majority of premeds have done these mission trips or are looking to do one. At this point, it wouldn't be a bad assumption to say that not doing them will make you stand out. You can also tell from this thread that A LOT of people do them. When I first considered medicine as a career, medical missions were the first thing that popped into my mind in terms of "standing out", so it's stand out at all.

I'm in the same boat as you. When I was originally pre-med for a semester, I didn't start local volunteering because I had this fantasy in my head that I would do a mission trip to Brazil, and that it would not only take care of all my volunteer requirements, but also serve as a golden ticket into medical school! Once I actually started using SDN as a non-traditional student years later, I realized that medical mission trips would be a waste. But wait for it... Wait for it... There's a happy ending to this story. Since I started undergrad, I have been to Rio de Janeiro four times. Every single time I had a blast, and you know why? Because I was doing the things I wanted to do! It was an actual vacation, not a faux medical mission trip!