Building a Medical Resume

[Dreaming big]

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Hey, my first post ever, and am interested for more information. I am a current senior in HS and was wondering about building a resume for residency and beyond.

I do not want to hear that bull that-
a-I am too young to know what I want to do
b-Nothing I do now will help

I am not committing to any specific field, I just want to build the best possible resume for the future. What are some things I could do to build a resume that will have an impact? I have:
Shadowed
Volunteered
Dabbled in research

I want to know what other things one can do so that 12 to 15 years down the road when a residency director or fellowship director sees my resume will say, "looks like you've covered all the bases" or "Wow, you've done a lot". I want to know these thigns.

 

[broken tibula]

I do not want to hear that bull that-
a-I am too young to know what I want to do
b-Nothing I do now will help

Well... Er.

That narrows it down significantly.

Maybe you could start looking at the different opportunities available at the college you plan on attending? Check for school programs and see if there are any jobs/research opportunities the local hospitals and/or animal clinics.

 

[lhtran07]

What you do in high school will help you when applying to college. What you do in college will help you when applying to med school. What you do in med school will help when you apply to a residency program.

Its not that they add up, but rather they're stepping stones. Med schools will not care what you did in hs (unless you continue with it throughout college). And residency programs will not care what you did in college. Your cv/resume will have to be updated with the most pertinent extracurriculars/honors. They're not gonna want to see a list of your accomplishments in highschool when you apply to med school.

With that said, try to get as much exposure to the medical field as possible. But don't just let that main focus dictate all your extracurricular activities. Admissions/program directors like to see that you're a well-rounded individual. So participate in activities that you're truly interested in...and that in itself allows you to stand out. Majority of pre-meds will be in the premed club, so that has very little weight to it. But if you're passionate about rock climbing (for example), start that club at your school, plan trips for the club, and be active about it. It also gives you something to talk about during interviews that'll make you memorable.

 

[Dreaming big]

Well, I've seen many doctors resumes wich list what they did since end of high school, like volunteering at such and such place and doing research at such and such place. What are big reserach centers where one can work? or where other things one can do to build a resume

 

[Thrombomodulin]

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[Thrombomodulin]

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[MilkmanAl]

I do not want to hear that bull that-
a-I am too young to know what I want to do
b-Nothing I do now will help

Sorry, those are both true, like it or not. Nothing you do now will have any impact on your med school application unless you continue doing it into college, and it certainly won't affect your residency chances no matter what. Forget about resume padding.

What you should currently be focusing on is figuring out beyond any doubt what you want to do. Volunteerism is damn near useless for that goal, so get a job. Once you've graduated high school and are 18, you'll qualify for technician jobs - that is, pharmacy tech, ER tech, lab tech, etc. Get one of those positions and stick with it long enough to get intimately familiar with its requirements. If you like it, stick around. If not, try something else. The only useful practical experience you'll get will come from working a job or shadowing. When it comes time to apply to medical school or whatever you choose to do, you'll be glad you had the experience, one way or another.

 

[kasoy]

Just make sure to get a 30+ on ACT get into a good collage and shadow some docters because in all likelihood you will not be a docter

 

[KempDrumsalot]

Just make sure to get a 30+ on ACT get into a good college and shadow some doctors because in all likelihood you will not be a doctor

Generally, if someone misspells that many words in a post, I don't trust what they are saying. You don't need to get a 30+ on the ACT. Will it help with scholarships for college? Sure. Is it necessary to get into a good college and become a doctor? No.

 

[Dreaming big]

Crap, forgot to mention something. I have gotten into a BS/MD program, so that takes care of getting into med school part.

And if I come off as arrogant or offensive, sorry thats not what I am trying to convey. I had read many posts, and I wanted to get answers.

Finally, all of the doctors I have talked to say that jobs in hospitals and stuff DO matter, and the residency (nuero) director said he looks over all the stuff in the resume.

I got a 34 on my ACT, 2190 on my SAT

 

[MilkmanAl]

I have gotten into a BS/MD program, so that takes care of getting into med school part.

Sort of. Most of those programs require you to maintain a certain rather high GPA to stay in them, and many require you to get a minimum MCAT score. You certainly have it much easier than most people, but you're not a lock.

jobs in hospitals and stuff DO matter

They do, but not if you do them only during high school.

the residency (nuero) director said he looks over all the stuff in the resume

How many people do you think put anything that occurred during high school on a CV? With a few exceptions, your experience before college won't matter to anyone but you once you start college.

 

[Dreaming big]

My Gpa min is a 3.4, and no MCAT.

And as to the 2nd part, I was actually talking about stuff in college, not high school. High school is almost done, so I was thinking about the future

 

[Maygyver]

Alright, I', sure you have heard this, but what you do in high school can't be used for med school apps(which doesn't matter anyway since you are already saved a spot), residency etc. However, what you can do, is start to build relationships with the people you have shadowed, etc. This will give you the opportunity to keep in touch with them over the years and perhaps return and maybe learn some more about their profession. So the main point is that you can begin to network.

 

[NatiBio]

Now, I understand that nothing you do in high school will affect med school, but could I get some advice for what NOT to do while in college (aside from the obvious illegals and failing classes)? Perhaps some commonly made mistakes?

 

[MilkmanAl]

Don't join a whole bunch of different organizations just to have them on your resume. Pick a few activities, and stick with them for long periods of time. If applicable, try to get some sort of leadership role in said activities. Committing to a few extracurriculars looks much better than scribbling down a bunch of junk that you did for 6 months. Try to participate in a wide variety of extracurriculars, but make absolutely sure that you get a lot of clinical experience in. Like I said earlier, I strongly recommend getting a job doing some kind of health care related work. It's excellent experience to have and to put on a resume.

Also, don't blow off the blow-off classes. They're easy A's. Make sure you rock them.

 

[Az1698]

GPA is very important. Concentrate on that and do diversified ec's

 

[Dreaming big]

Wouldn't a residency director, whilst looking over a persons resume, not that he worked at prestigious research center or as a emt?

What are some prestigious research centers in NY

 

[MilkmanAl]

The EMT thing won't matter a bit to a residency director. You'll be just like the other 50% of people who did it to pad their resumes (for med school admission, mind you), and everyone learns the same techniques and more during med school anyway. Research at a "prestigious reserch center" probably won't get you more than a "Oh, I see you did some research" unless you get some nice publications out of it. For undergrad, research at your school is more than fine. Any school in New York is going to have quite a lot of research clout.

At the moment, you need to remember the classic saying, "You're only as good as the last place you've been." That is, you need to focus on getting into med school rather than your residency. There isn't much you can do to improve your chances at a residency now anyway. Research and EMT work will be great for your med school application, so go with those if you're interested in them.

 

[CScull]

Just make sure to get a 30+ on ACT get into a good collage and shadow some docters because in all likelihood you will not be a docter

I really don't like being rude to new people, so I'm going to resist just this once...

 

[broken tibula]

I really don't like being rude to new people, so I'm going to resist just this once...

Lol. I thought the same thing.

 

[CScull]

Lol. I thought the same thing.

I was soo close too, but then I thought that it might be too mean to scare them off so soon... Caesar might wack me over the head or somethin.

 

[45408]

Wouldn't a residency director, whilst looking over a persons resume, not that he worked at prestigious research center or as a emt?

What are some prestigious research centers in NY

Sure, as long as you have lots of publications, and not just that you cleaned out the glassware in somebody's lab. You'd be golden if you get some stuff in Science or Nature, or if that fails, maybe a few publications in the NEJM, preferably first or second author. I'd say that Cornell and Columbia both have good research facilities.

Unless you're applying for Emergency Medicine, nobody cares that you were an EMT before med school. Even for EM, they won't really put much (if any) weight on that.

 

[Dreaming big]

So I am going to take it as research being very important? How many publications do most med students have when going into a field? I have 1 and a 4th author, and one soon as a 3rd author. Will those help? Does it have to be reasearch in medicine or can it be in regulars sciences and history.

 

[WashMe]

Hey, my first post ever, and am interested for more information. I am a current senior in HS and was wondering about building a resume for residency and beyond.

I do not want to hear that bull that-
a-I am too young to know what I want to do
b-Nothing I do now will help


Based on that infomation, you should skip my post. Also, you should realize that it will be years before you will apply for residency/fellowship positions.

Here we go...

Anything you do in high school and college will have no bearing in residency or fellowship. What this means is that nothing you will do now will help you get a coveted residency slot.

What you do in medical school will matter very much.

Perhaps you should focus your interests on the present. You know, college. That is the first step. Determine what your interests are, and pursue them. Medical school adcoms want individuals who are well-rounded, not a cookie cutter premed. Pursue something that will make you stand out. GPA and MCAT are extremely important as well, moreso than any research or extracurriculars.

And yes, you probably are too young to know specifically what you want to do with regard to your career. Get over it.

The most common educational focus at my university is undeclared (60% of incoming freshman-statistic provided by my advisor).

Also, your post appeared somewhat condescending. You should focus on performing well in college and receiving an acceptance to medical school first instead of asking for advice about residency and beyond, assuming you even make it that far.

Completely wrong. You need great ECs, don't kid yourself. That's why I haven't gotten in anywhere this year.

 

[45408]

Completely wrong. You need great ECs, don't kid yourself. That's why I haven't gotten in anywhere this year.

Read it again. Thrombo said grades/MCAT are more important than ECs, which is definitely true.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Hey, my first post ever, and am interested for more information. I am a current senior in HS and was wondering about building a resume for residency and beyond.

I do not want to hear that bull that-
a-I am too young to know what I want to do
b-Nothing I do now will help

I am not committing to any specific field, I just want to build the best possible resume for the future. What are some things I could do to build a resume that will have an impact? I have:
Shadowed
Volunteered
Dabbled in research

I want to know what other things one can do so that 12 to 15 years down the road when a residency director or fellowship director sees my resume will say, "looks like you've covered all the bases" or "Wow, you've done a lot". I want to know these thigns.

-My cousin knew he wanted to be an engineer and is halfway through college, doing Mech. Engineering. I'd say the majority of college freshman don't know what they want to do, it usually helps if you do though. Gives you a leg up. I agree.

-This, however, is totally correct. NOTHING YOU DO IN HIGH SCHOOL MATTERS. PERIOD. Especially not for med school, med schools don't give a rats behind what you did in high school.

-So has every other college applicant, minus the research and possibly shadowing. I highly doubt you did any research worth mentioning. All I got was an honorable mention. These three things that you mentioned look good for college and are necessary to do IN COLLEGE, FOR MED SCHOOL. Residency programs could care less about what you did in college.

-Residency programs care about what you did in medical school. Even if you want to go into Derm (One of, if not THE most competitive residencies), a director could CARE LESS about what you did in college.


High School--->Matters in college admissions, once in college, high school doesn't matter.

College--->Matters in medical school admissions, once in Med School, college doesn't matter.

Medical School--->Matters a great deal. I assume once you get matched into your residency medical school is kind of forgotten, unless you were to do another residency.

Med School Matters the most, and honestly, no one cares what you did before you went to MS. Chill out, and enjoy college.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

Well, I've seen many doctors resumes wich list what they did since end of high school, like volunteering at such and such place and doing research at such and such place.

You're in high school, and you've seen "many" doctors' resumes? BS.

Finally, all of the doctors I have talked to say that jobs in hospitals and stuff DO matter, and the residency (nuero) director said he looks over all the stuff in the resume.

Of course a residency director thoroughly looks through the resumes of people that he's considering. But those applicants aren't dumb enough to list "on the Who's Who list of American High School students" under awards/achievements.

I completely rewrote my CV in med school - the only things it lists about me (pre-med school) were the full time research position I held for a year after college and the college that I went to/degree I earned.

 

[Terpskins99]

-This, however, is totally correct. NOTHING YOU DO IN HIGH SCHOOL MATTERS. PERIOD. Especially not for med school, med schools don't give a rats behind what you did in high school.

Oh, I don't know. If you cured cancer in high school, I bet that would still matter for med school apps. Theres still time left for you, jef. Get working.

ps- what's that nifty NC PA merit badge for?

 

[xnfs93hy]

Oh, I don't know. If you cured cancer in high school, I bet that would still matter for med school apps. Theres still time left for you, jef. Get working.

ps- what's that nifty NC PA merit badge for?

-Haha

-What? (highlighted)

-I wanted to join the group.

 

[Terpskins99]

-Haha

-What? (highlighted)

Cure cancer while you're still in high school. Do that and I guarantee you'll get into a high paying medical specialty. I'm talking millions o dollahs a year salary. You'll be swimming in the Benjamins, baby. 🙄👍

 

[WashMe]

Read it again. Thrombo said grades/MCAT are more important than ECs, which is definitely true.

I disagree that grades/MCAT are more important. They only get you interviews, not acceptances. ECs and other stuff get acceptances.

 

[Dreaming big]

You're in high school, and you've seen "many" doctors' resumes? BS.

Why can't I have seen many doctors' resumes?

1- parents are doctors
2 - uncles are doctors
3- many family friend doctors
4- done research at hospital for 4 years with numerous doctors
5- shadowed a total of 6 doctors
6- volunteered under a good deal of doctors
7- worked at numerous clinics and CME conferences


SO if you don't know what your talking about, shut up ok?

 

[Dreaming big]

-

-This, however, is totally correct. NOTHING YOU DO IN HIGH SCHOOL MATTERS. PERIOD. Especially not for med school, med schools don't give a rats behind what you did in high school.

I highly doubt you did any research worth mentioning.

First off, if you read, I said I am ASKING FOR WHAT TO DO IN COLLEGE, NOT IN HIGH SCHOOL.

2ND- As to the research bit, I have two publications, one as a 3rd author, 1 as a 4th author, and 4 or so honorable mention.


Also- I HAVE GOTTEN INTO A BS/MD PROGRAM - I DO NOT NEED TO TAKE THE MCATS TO GET INTO MED SCHOOL, JUST GET A 3.4 GPA. So I am not trying to get into med school with this stuff. I just want to help set myself apart from others when residency time comes along.

 

[Depakote]

Let's keep the language in this thread civil, please.

 

[Thrombomodulin]

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[WashMe]

Grades and MCAT scores can get you an interview. It is up to you to emphasize your best qualities to the interviewer. I don't care if you have have 5000 volunteer, 4 years of research, and spent your summers in Africa vaccinating children. That alone will not guarantee an acceptance.

Well I sure wish I could go back and do that instead of getting my GPA/MCAT. I'd be holding an acceptance right now for sure even with a 3.6/31 or something. I also would have probably gotten interviews at most of the schools where I was rejected post-secondary.

 

[Thrombomodulin]

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[45408]

I disagree that grades/MCAT are more important. They only get you interviews, not acceptances. ECs and other stuff get acceptances.

Oh, okay. At what stage of medical school acceptances have you worked? How many interviews have you conducted with medical school applicants?

 

[WashMe]

Oh, okay. At what stage of medical school acceptances have you worked? How many interviews have you conducted with medical school applicants?

Well, I've been to 5 interviews and I guarantee that if I had about ~8 points lower MCAT and 0.4 lower GPA but better ECs, I wouldn't be sitting on WLs and waiting for news at other schools right now...

 

[TheMagicCookie]

OP, I know you mentioned it earlier...but you do come across as being a bit defensive and brash. People are offering you their advice and thoughts...I wouldn't recommend being defensive and dismissing this info when some of these people have already gone through the things you are aspiring to accomplish. It would most likely get you a few more positive responses.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Why can't I have seen many doctors' resumes?

1- parents are doctors
2 - uncles are doctors
3- many family friend doctors
4- done research at hospital for 4 years with numerous doctors
5- shadowed a total of 6 doctors
6- volunteered under a good deal of doctors
7- worked at numerous clinics and CME conferences


SO if you don't know what your talking about, shut up ok?

Ok, I'm not trying to scare this guy off but let me ask the OP this...

Why are you asking a bunch of total strangers on an internet forum when you have two parents who are physicians and have gone through this process already, or maybe ask one of your uncles? A family friend?

 

[Dreaming big]

My parents and their friends became doctors around 20 years ago. I need current information

 

[45408]

Well, I've been to 5 interviews and I guarantee that if I had about ~8 points lower MCAT and 0.4 lower GPA but better ECs, I wouldn't be sitting on WLs and waiting for news at other schools right now...

And what are you basing your guarantee on? No offense, but your predicament reads like an interview issue more than anything else. I'm a lot more involved with med school admissions than you are, and I disagree with your assessment of the importance of grades.

 

[ShaneK]

This thread will tell you what you need to know. Enjoy 🙂

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=540759

 

[Az1698]

I hate this process for deciding who gets in where...it values the MCAT too much, imo

 

[MilkmanAl]

I hate this process for deciding who gets in where...it values the MCAT too much, imo

They have to have something that standardizes the applicants to some degree. GPA's come in all sorts of packages, so simply using that as a barometer won't work. There are also plenty of people who can grind away during school and make decent grades but function poorly under pressure and make due solely by memorizing things. The MCAT helps weed them out. EC's help even the field a little bit, too.

 

[WashMe]

I hate this process for deciding who gets in where...it values the MCAT too much, imo

I disagree. I don't know why people think this. My MCAT (or GPA, for that matter) hasn't helped me get any acceptances this year.

 

[xnfs93hy]

I disagree. I don't know why people think this. My MCAT (or GPA, for that matter) hasn't helped me get any acceptances this year.

36 MCAT and a 3.95 GPA? Holy cow.

Did you do any shadowing/volunteering? Any clinical experience?

 

[WashMe]

36 MCAT and a 3.95 GPA? Holy cow.

Did you do any shadowing/volunteering? Any clinical experience?

Not enough. ~50hrs clinical volunteering in ED, ~20 hrs shadowing.

I want to be clear; I wasn't saying that I should have acceptances right now, all I was saying is that my MCAT didn't get me any acceptances. I'm sure that if I can't get into medical school, there's a reason.

 

[Tabeeb12]

I am clearing up a common misconception in this thread:

1) There are some medical schools that ask on their secondary about your SAT score and/or your class rank in high school. Again, only a minority of schools ask.

2) (Disclaimer: This is anecdotal). I haven't seen it myself, but my friend who is a first year med student mentioned to me that he learned that for some relatively competitive residency programs (e.g. ortho at a prestigious academic medical center), are even asking for the applicant's SAT scores, in addition to MCAT scores, to help them in selecting applicants for slots. I'm just mentioning this so you know it could exist, albeit this issue may not be applicable to many people.

Also, YES the things you do in high school CAN make a difference. Don't listen to the naysayers. I know the OP is pretty much done with HS, but for example, one could win the intel science fair at the regional or national level, which I imagine would shine on one's college/med school/residency application (assuming they keep up that calibur of work after high school).

My practical advice for hs'ers: consider doing the NIH summer research program and stay in the same lab for multiple summers every summer and be ambitious in your lab, despite being a hs'er because you COULD get a first author publication or discover something novel! Get a mentor and be persistent in your research. For a good example, look up last year's Intel science fair winner...Shivani Sud. Again, this may be unrealistic for many people, but not if you dream big, like ur handle says 🙂 Good luck to you.