I currently work full-time doing computational research that is clinically motivated but has no direct patient interaction. I plan to apply to MD programs next cycle and am debating how to build the best application over the next year. Ideally, I would like to continue in this research position (will have a few pubs by the time I apply, and trying to finish what will hopefully be a first authorship) and layer on 2-3 clinical volunteering opportunities. I have some past hospice volunteer experience, but it is pretty light (~80 hours, only 1/3 of which were really clinical, so I will probably list the experience as non-clinical overall).
Over the next year, I am debating between doing 2-3 clinical volunteering positions, and getting about 300-450 hours of total clinical experience between all of them. The two positions I have committed to are as a neurology volunteer (providing cognitively enriching environment for patients with neurologic conditions) and feeding senior patients in a clinic (possibly could also include some inpatient hospice volunteering). I am also debating volunteering in a position that may be slightly more clerical (radiology check-in in a women's imaging center), but will also give me the opportunity to do some shadowing during the appointments, which I am really interested in.
Is it better to stick to 2 clinical positions and just try to get as many hours as I possibly can, or to have 3 positions with ~150 hours each, especially if I can find a third more direct patient care volunteer position? Or is 450 hours not enough, and do I really need to be considering doing research only part-time and getting some other clinical job like scribing, or moving to clinical research? I have not taken the MCAT yet, but my sGPA is 3.75, cGPA 3.85.
Thanks so much in advance!
Over the next year, I am debating between doing 2-3 clinical volunteering positions, and getting about 300-450 hours of total clinical experience between all of them. The two positions I have committed to are as a neurology volunteer (providing cognitively enriching environment for patients with neurologic conditions) and feeding senior patients in a clinic (possibly could also include some inpatient hospice volunteering). I am also debating volunteering in a position that may be slightly more clerical (radiology check-in in a women's imaging center), but will also give me the opportunity to do some shadowing during the appointments, which I am really interested in.
Is it better to stick to 2 clinical positions and just try to get as many hours as I possibly can, or to have 3 positions with ~150 hours each, especially if I can find a third more direct patient care volunteer position? Or is 450 hours not enough, and do I really need to be considering doing research only part-time and getting some other clinical job like scribing, or moving to clinical research? I have not taken the MCAT yet, but my sGPA is 3.75, cGPA 3.85.
Thanks so much in advance!
