Best Possible Ways to Better Extra circulars for Med School

[JibsGuy52]

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What are some things you guys are doing to better increase your chances of getting into medical school?
For example, medical trips, types of volunteering, etc etc

 

[IslandStyle808]

The best type of EC is the one that 1) you like and 2) you have a long track record with. This shows the individual side of you and should put you in a niche.

There are some schools that do like the clinical ECs such as volunteering at a hospital. However, there are many schools would be just as satisfied with volunteering at your local homeless shelter and shadowing a doctor (so you understand their role in healthcare). The main thing is to do what you like and for a long time.

 

[Stlblues17]

Agree with @IslandStyle808. An old man once told me "[it's] better to only be good at a few things, than ****ty at a lot of them." Basically avoid loading up on 'cookie cutter' ECs, and do a couple really meaningful ones.

Basically do what you like and do a lot of it, clinical, volunteer, etc

 

[Goro]

Teaching moment: medical missions are viewed as "medical tourism".

Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics. Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities.

Service need not be "unique". If you can alleviate suffering in your community through service to the poor, homeless, illiterate, fatherless, etc, you are meeting an otherwise unmet need and learning more about the lives of the people (or types of people) who will someday be your patients.

Examples include: Habitat for Humanity, Humane Society, crisis hotlines, soup kitchen, food pantry, homeless or women’s shelter, after-school tutoring for students or coaching a sport in a poor school district, teaching ESL to adults at a community center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, or Meals on Wheels.

What are some things you guys are doing to better increase your chances of getting into medical school?
For example, medical trips, types of volunteering, etc etc

 

[PlaqueBuster]

I will have to respectfully disagree with medical missions as being medical tourism. It depends on your effort and dedication. I was an officer at my school's global medical brigade chapter and I spent a lot of time preparing and fundraising for the trip starting a year in advance. During the actual trip which was only 1 week there was a lot I learned from observing US and foreign physicians as well as triaging and interacting with patients in a different language. It allowed me to understand the differences in healthcare and policy in different countries and how people perceive doctors. I agree that you won't gain much from it if you only go there for a week or two. Goro pretty much listed other good acitivities. Make sure you are intersted in them and dedicate ample amount of time to them. Don't do it to check it off the list

 

[MightBeACylon439]

I have a lot of military medical experience as well as shadowing with physicians and volunteering with the special olympics. However,

I will have to respectfully disagree with medical missions as being medical tourism. It depends on your effort and dedication. I was an officer at my school's global medical brigade chapter and I spent a lot of time preparing and fundraising for the trip starting a year in advance. During the actual trip which was only 1 week there was a lot I learned from observing US and foreign physicians as well as triaging and interacting with patients in a different language. It allowed me to understand the differences in healthcare and policy in different countries and how people perceive doctors. I agree that you won't gain much from it if you only go there for a week or two. Goro pretty much listed other good acitivities. Make sure you are intersted in them and dedicate ample amount of time to them. Don't do it to check it off the list

I remember at a joint military exercise (Army and Air Force) a Lieutenant Colonel with 43 years of military service (18 of them Marines enlisted) gave a instructions as to the propper way to talk into a radio (walkie talkie for those non-military folk) because some of the Air Force Medical weren't so good at it. After his tutorial an Airman with six years spoke up and said "no sir, actually I find this to be the best way!" Demonstrating the worst way to talk into a radio, in fact, the demonstration was given mostly for the benefit of him because listening to him on the radio was so awful.

This airman with little experience attempting to argue with a Colonel who definitively know's what he's talking about and is trying to help everyone else reminds me of you trying to argue a point from a med school faculty member trying to tell applicants how points in their application is seen.

Long story short, I'd listen to Goro on this one.

 

[JeBrAs]

Do things that you enjoy doing and have an genuine interest in participating in. Think how awkward will it be at your medical school interviews if you can't elaborate on what you enjoyed or what you got out of your experiences? Adcoms can pick on that up pretty quickly as they are experts at interviewing. Also it makes writing a good personal statement a lot easier if you have good experiences that meant a lot to you and your journey to becoming a doctor. Try to think beyond these ECs as "beefing up" your medical school resume and think of them as an investment in yourself.

 

[Promethean]

There is a big difference between fully trained physicians taking their residents on a medical mission trip and a pre-med going on a voluntourism adventure. In the first case, the personnel on the mission actually have the requisite skills to meet the needs of the patients, while in the second, an untrained (potential) recruit goes on a sight-seeing adventure to gawk at misfortune so they will have a trite story for their personal statement. If you don't have specialized skills to offer, whatever manual labor you can provide to those who do could probably have been done by someone already on the ground at the destination. And your desire to gain experience is likely to put you in the way of people who are there for reasons unrelated to putting a shine on their CV. If you could have done more good by donating your roundtrip airfare to the cause, then you are a tourist, not a volunteer.

 

[technolize]

For the medical missions issue, I really think it depends on your dedication. I worked 5 years with an org and did 3 trips abroad. My work expanded the program abroad and I helped start a local healthfair. I was part of a $50k grant recipient to detect and expand education of HepB locally and abroad. It took up half my application (PS and activities). I would agree its medical tourism if you just went on the trip and nothing more.

I am attending my top choice this fall. I know n=1 but if it was truely unconditionally viewed as tourism, my application would be bare.

 

[IslandStyle808]

For the medical missions issue, I really think it depends on your dedication. I worked 5 years with an org and did 3 trips abroad. My work expanded the program abroad and I helped start a local healthfair. I was part of a $50k grant recipient to detect and expand education of HepB locally and abroad. It took up half my application (PS and activities). I would agree its medical tourism if you just went on the trip and nothing more.

I am attending my top choice this fall. I know n=1 but if it was truely unconditionally viewed as tourism, my application would be bare.

No, in this case you can list it because of the fact your have a 5 year track record with your org. Plus you have done things to try and expand the program. This is far more comprehensive than a week long medical mission. As mention in my first post, do what you like and do it for a long time. You met both those points.

 

[IncuriousGeorge]

I will have to respectfully disagree with medical missions as being medical tourism. It depends on your effort and dedication. I was an officer at my school's global medical brigade chapter and I spent a lot of time preparing and fundraising for the trip starting a year in advance. During the actual trip which was only 1 week there was a lot I learned from observing US and foreign physicians as well as triaging and interacting with patients in a different language. It allowed me to understand the differences in healthcare and policy in different countries and how people perceive doctors. I agree that you won't gain much from it if you only go there for a week or two. Goro pretty much listed other good acitivities. Make sure you are intersted in them and dedicate ample amount of time to them. Don't do it to check it off the list

All I know is that we can't even help people in need of medicine within 30 mins of our homes (I'm no better).

 

[PlaqueBuster]

I have a lot of military medical experience as well as shadowing with physicians and volunteering with the special olympics. However,


I remember at a joint military exercise (Army and Air Force) a Lieutenant Colonel with 43 years of military service (18 of them Marines enlisted) gave a instructions as to the propper way to talk into a radio (walkie talkie for those non-military folk) because some of the Air Force Medical weren't so good at it. After his tutorial an Airman with six years spoke up and said "no sir, actually I find this to be the best way!" Demonstrating the worst way to talk into a radio, in fact, the demonstration was given mostly for the benefit of him because listening to him on the radio was so awful.

This airman with little experience attempting to argue with a Colonel who definitively know's what he's talking about and is trying to help everyone else reminds me of you trying to argue a point from a med school faculty member trying to tell applicants how points in their application is seen.

Long story short, I'd listen to Goro on this one.

Every single interviewer talked about my medical mission activity and I believed it to be significant. It shaped what types of medicine I may be interested in and the population I would like to work with in the future. Goro gives great advice and continues to but this was my experience with medical missions. I was just stating my opinion as many others do on this forum. OP can either take it or leave it.

And not all faculty share the same views as Goro (unless you think thats how med school faculty are), so sometimes you have to broaden your perspective into realizing that when you apply to schools around the country, you will find those that may find value in medical missions. But what do I know.

 

[PlaqueBuster]

All I know is that we can't even help people in need of medicine within 30 mins of our homes (I'm no better).

Go see the conditions that people in foreign countries live in and compare it to those of people suffering at "home". It may be the same or it may be not be. Only you can evaluate that from what you observe.

 

[PlaqueBuster]

http://www.studentdoctor.net/2014/1...-enrich-your-studies-as-a-pre-health-student/

 

[deleted407021]

I have a good bit of experience with a free clinic, OP. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[IncuriousGeorge]

Go see the conditions that people in foreign countries live in and compare it to those of people suffering at "home". It may be the same or it may be not be. Only you can evaluate that from what you observe.

Dude, I know. I've been to one.