Clinical experience/EC help

[DyersEve]

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My biggest problem with getting into a DO school (or med school in general) is my lack of medical experience. Here's the problem: I am American but I haven't been living in the US full time for nearly 4 years now. My parents work for a civilian contracting company that services the military in Kuwait. They've been there since late '02 (the lead up to the Iraq war).

I don't have my own home (I'm still a dependent on my parents). I went to boarding school for my senior year of high school since my parents moved to Kuwait. I'm basically only in the U.S. for school. I've spent most of my vacations (summer and winter) overseas with my parents. Because of this I haven't been able to get much clinical experience.

I've recently completed my junior year of college and I have some overseas clinical experience (which I'm not even sure counts), and I've got about 32 hours shadowing an allopathic physician. I need a rec. from a DO and I desperately need to beef up my ECs.

I will be back in the States in early July and school doesn't start until mid August. I would really like to use this month and a half to beef up my ECs. Any suggestions on what I can do?

I've considered volunteering for the Red Cross.Also I've e-mailed the state Osteopathic Association looking for DOs to shadow. How would working with the volunteer rescue squad look? I'm willing to put in 8 hours or more per day into this. Basically all I plan to do from July onwards is to study for the MCATs and boost my ECs.

I'm willing to take a year off and apply after graduating college, but I would like to take a shot now and see if anyone will accept me.

Any help, suggestions etc. are much appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[dr.z]

Not all schools require you to have a letter from DO. Check the schools that you are interested in. Overseas clinical experience will count if they are clinical. It doesn't matter where you do them.

 

[DyersEve]

Not all schools require you to have a letter from DO. Check the schools that you are interested in. Overseas clinical experience will count if they are clinical. It doesn't matter where you do them.

Thanks for the reply. Regarding overseas clincial experience, wouldn't they want a reference? It might be difficult to get the information they want from foreign hospitals since it's not common in all countries to have student volunteers working there etc.

 

[dr.z]

Thanks for the reply. Regarding overseas clincial experience, wouldn't they want a reference? It might be difficult to get the information they want from foreign hospitals since it's not common in all countries to have student volunteers working there etc.

They usually don't check for the references. They might ask you what you did at the interview, but usually nothing more. As long as you didn't make it up, there's nothing for you to be worried about.