clinical experiences?

[skazyjae]

Im junior right now, planning to apply on this cycle.
cgpa - 3.76, sgpa- 3.85
havent taken mcat yet (probably July 2012)
I wonder if I really need the clinical experiences.
I have:

pharmacy tech (2 years)
Dental assistance (1year)
shadow family doctor ~20 hours
president of school organization (1 year of president and 1 year of officer)
tutoring (3 years)
volunteer on tutoring (2 years)

But I dont really clinical experiences like other SDNs..
Would this effect on my application??
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[gmcguitar4]

If you are serious then you need to come back to reality. For medicine, you need clinical experience before applying. Your EC's are nothing special/extraordinary.

 

[skazyjae]

But it's really hard to get a job at hospital or anything. even volunteering is very competitive..

 

[MrBird]

shadow more doctors of different specialties. People are going to tell you to do maybe 20 hours of hospital volunteering (any more is truly a waste of time) just to have it on your app.

If you can find a job in the summertime that has to do with clinical research or scribing at an ER, that'd be good.

 

[Bacchus]

Why do you want to be a physician?

 

[skazyjae]

most of my family members are physicians, that kind of effected on my career path.

 

[Bacchus]

Goes to show you need clinical experience. Why not pharmacy or dentistry? You have dedicated more time to them than medicine. Your only exposure is 20 hours in a PCP office. You need more. You need more insight. The medicine your older family members practiced is changing. Medicine is changing. You cannot solely base your decision off the highmarks of their careers.

 

[TACMON]

not to discourage you from medicine, but there are many careers in healthcare...make sure you make the right choice for you

 

[sector9]

most of my family members are physicians, that kind of effected on my career path.

Yes you need clinical exposure. This answer isn't going to cut it.

Find clinical volunteering, clinical employment, or clinical research if you want adcom's to believe you

 

[music2doc]

Why do you want to be a physician?

most of my family members are physicians, that kind of effected on my career path.

ADCOM Decision: Reject.


Honestly, this is the most common question at MD interviews and any response remotely close to that is going to result in "Reject." being written across the interviewer's notes. You need some experience. Having a medical family is helpful, but you cannot simply expect to ride on daddy's accomplishments. You need to actually have some background experience yourself.

 

[LizzyM]

Wow! I'm much more liberal than this gang. The dental assistant gig, the pharmacy gig and some physician shadowing should give you the ability to answer the questions: "why medicine? why not dentistry? why not pharmacy?" However, "There are many physicians in my family" is an answer that lacks mature reflection on why one is choosing a specific career path. You'll need to work on that before interviews. Have you worked in a family member's office or hung out at the hospital while they made rounds on weekends. Many adcom members did that sort of thing with their own kids and they know that physicians kids sometimes have more of an inside look at medicine than their formal list of activities would indicate. That sometimes comes out in the personal statement, the secondary or the interview.

I am a big believer in applying once and taking the MCAT just once. July 2012 seems a bit late to be taking the MCAT for matriculation in 2013 but it is not impossible. Just be aware that you'll be a bit behind your peers (many of whom will take the MCAT is April/May and apply in June/July).

 

[music2doc]

Wow! I'm much more liberal than this gang. The dental assistant gig, the pharmacy gig and some physician shadowing should give you the ability to answer the questions: "why medicine? why not dentistry? why not pharmacy?" However, "There are many physicians in my family" is an answer that lacks mature reflection on why one is choosing a specific career path. You'll need to work on that before interviews. Have you worked in a family member's office or hung out at the hospital while they made rounds on weekends. Many adcom members did that sort of thing with their own kids and they know that physicians kids sometimes have more of an inside look at medicine than their formal list of activities would indicate. That sometimes comes out in the personal statement, the secondary or the interview.

Absolutely. I think the OP has a good start with the other gigs, but s/he does not seem to be using them with that sort of response. I come from a medical family as well, but I don't think that alone gives a good feel for medicine if one doesn't take advantage of the opportunities it affords the individual. If you simply say "I want to because my mom and dad are physicians" no one is likely to take you seriously. On the other hand, a medical family can give opportunities to learn about medicine that few have.

I am a big believer in applying once and taking the MCAT just once. July 2012 seems a bit late to be taking the MCAT for matriculation in 2013 but it is not impossible. Just be aware that you'll be a bit behind your peers (many of whom will take the MCAT is April/May and apply in June/July).

Agreed. I actually sort of wonder why schools even allow people to take the MCAT more than once.... It seems to lessen the integrity of the exam. Which is truly a better applicant? Someone with a 32 the first time or someone who got a 25 the first time and a 34 the second? (Consider that the person who got the 32 the first time may very well have had practice tests in the high 30s and so be likely to achieve a high 30s score on the second attempt.)

 

[LizzyM]

Agreed. I actually sort of wonder why schools even allow people to take the MCAT more than once.... It seems to lessen the integrity of the exam. Which is truly a better applicant? Someone with a 32 the first time or someone who got a 25 the first time and a 34 the second? (Consider that the person who got the 32 the first time may very well have had practice tests in the high 30s and so be likely to achieve a high 30s score on the second attempt.)

That's AMCAS rule. I guess there is the possibility to improve. I've even seen something like a 29 the first time and a 39 the second time! Makes you wonder if the guy took the first exam on his death bed and the second when well. (I"ve heard all the stories: migraine headache, kidney stone, etc -- somehow they power through and choose not to void the first test). We take the average of all tests so a 32 would trump (25+34)/2 but not the (29+39)/2.

 

[D0CTORX]

Does EMT work count as clinical?

I volunteer as a emt for red cross and also as a disaster response/cpr teacher. I've also been volunteering at a hospital from highschool and remain on call(i volunteered for 2 years through hs and got the EMT parts so i am on call during college) just wondering if that's all clinical?

No mean to highjack thread just asking and don't want a separate thread for this thanks

 

[LizzyM]

Does EMT work count as clinical?

I volunteer as a emt for red cross and also as a disaster response/cpr teacher. I've also been volunteering at a hospital from highschool and remain on call(i volunteered for 2 years through hs and got the EMT parts so i am on call during college) just wondering if that's all clinical?

No mean to highjack thread just asking and don't want a separate thread for this thanks

You're new here so you are forgiven....
If you can smell patients, it is a clinical experience.

 

[Boerboel]

[deleted]

 

[D0CTORX]

You're new here so you are forgiven....
If you can smell patients, it is a clinical experience.

Good "rule"

Thanks. Just wasn't too sure I was on a good path.