Continue Application This Cycle?

[lkasper]

Really need some help with decision to apply this cycle due to financial constraints. Application is processed by AMCAS but waiting on MCAT to determine which schools to add. Don’t want to add 15-20 more schools if it looks impossible.

UofAz Physiology Major / Sports Nutrition Minor

Az Resident
White Male- From rural and medically underserved community, financially underprivileged. Mother is nurse father was paramedic.

MCAT- Waiting for score (taken 5/24/19)
Based on practice exams I would expect 509-513 range, historically good test taker

3.56/3.48 BCPM

GPA Trend
Fresh- 3.20 (12 science credits)
Soph- 3.36 (20 science credits)
Jr- 4.0 (30 science credits: includes 2 semesters Orgo, cellular physio and 2 semesters each of biochem and physics)

-820 hrs medical employment (Personal Trainer)
-600 hrs research 3rd author on submitted paper to Journal of Arthroplasty (not yet published)
-360 hrs clinical volunteering with homeless/underserved populations
-220 non-clinical at humane society
-220 hrs physiology club involvement and E-board member (Clinical Chair)
-415 hrs intro Bio preceptor
-2 other leadership activities totaling 160 hrs (Health advocacy committee and voluntary leadership course)
-80 hrs student recreation advisory council
-shadowing 130 hrs: 3 different ortho surgeons (pediatric, sports med, and general ortho), general surgeon, anesthesiologist, and family medicine
-non-medical employment 300 hrs (restaurant/tourist attraction)
-Adequate guitar player
-Nationally qualified bodybuilder (Mens physique division)
-Competitive drag racer (recreational divisions) and recreational mechanic (auto tech throughout high school)

*9 letters of recommendation (each of my most meaningful, 3 professors I was close with in 2 in science 1 non-science, clinical volunteer coordinator, shadowing physician, Lab PI) I take pride in my sociability and always throw myself into my activities so I expect them all to be fairly strong letters. Most asked to write letters for me or were thrilled when asked.

*Father has deteriorating leukemia and a large portion of my low gpa is due to traveling home to see him and the mental difficulties associated with it (articulated in my personal statement)

*Not applying DO due to current bias in orthopedics towards MD and I prefer MD curriculum/practice (I know bias is going away, especially with the residency merger, but I’d prefer to stay on the safe side)

Thanks so much in advance!

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[Faha]

Post your MCAT score here when available and I will suggest schools you can apply to.

 

[candbgirl]

Boy you have lots of ECs. Just make sure they are included where they should be. For example you have your impressive work with the homeless listed as clinical volunteering. Why clinical? Were these people in a hospital? Were they patients? What makes your employment as a personal trainer clinical? Were these people sick, patients, etc. ?
We really can’t help until you have a MCAT score. Lots will depend on your score. Good luck on your application.

 

[lkasper]

Boy you have lots of ECs. Just make sure they are included where they should be. For example you have your impressive work with the homeless listed as clinical volunteering. Why clinical? Were these people in a hospital? Were they patients? What makes your employment as a personal trainer clinical? Were these people sick, patients, etc. ?
We really can’t help until you have a MCAT score. Lots will depend on your score. Good luck on your application.

Thank you! I’m hoping they make up a little for my GPA I get the score back in 8 days so I’ll update the thread then!

Clinical volunteering was done at a homeless shelter that doubles as a medical clinic and has volunteering RNs, Physicians, NPs and a few other professionals I’m able to work under. I’ve provided a ton of hands on wound care and learned even more about common ailments in those populations.

Personal training I consider clinical because it begins with a full evaluation: psych, social, and orthopedic/anthropometric, and requires constant care and attention on my part throughout. Also, I mainly work with obese or elderly people suffering from type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, high blood pressure etc. and with rehabilitative exercise for people coming out of surgery or PT. My work with people or “treatment approach” includes assigning them exercises that are safe and suited to their condition and often have an outcome as effective or more effective than pharmaceuticals. What a personal trainer does is essentially what a physician does. The only difference is my treatments are exercise and my scope is limited to that and nutrition.

 

[Walter Raleigh]

A gap year would do you a lot of good: you could get another (presumably strong) year under your belt, and you could save money for the application cycle.

 

[LizzyM]

Personal training I consider clinical because it begins with a full evaluation: psych, social, and orthopedic/anthropometric, and requires constant care and attention on my part throughout. Also, I mainly work with obese or elderly people suffering from type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, high blood pressure etc. and with rehabilitative exercise for people coming out of surgery or PT. My work with people or “treatment approach” includes assigning them exercises that are safe and suited to their condition and often have an outcome as effective or more effective than pharmaceuticals. What a personal trainer does is essentially what a physician does. The only difference is my treatments are exercise and my scope is limited to that and nutrition.

Nope! This is going to hurt you. Personal training is not clinical. A person seeing a personal trainer is not a patient even if they have health problems. Personal trainers are not covered by insurance, it isn't a clinical service. Making this stretch to call something clinical when it is not may cause adcoms to call bu11sh1t on that portion of your application.

 

[Walter Raleigh]

Yeah, just call it paid nonclinical employment. The 360 hours of work in the homeless shelter with patients is indeed clinical, though, and not B.S.

 

[lkasper]

Thank you all for your input! @LizzyM Personal training is actually covered by some insurance companies which was part of my reasoning for it being considered clinical employment. As long as it is deemed medically necessary and prescribed by a physician. Regardless, It appears as though I'll need to take a gap year.

Just got MCAT back:

499 (124/124/125/126)
significantly lower than my practice FLs unfortunately.

As @Walter Raleigh stated, another year would give me the chance to improve my GPA significantly, especially if I maintain my 4.0 trend. Plus, this extra year will guarantee me a poster session and my manuscript will be published as well. Again, thank you all for the input but I think my path has somewhat been decided for me with regard to this cycle.

 

[DokterMom]

Tough break on the score -- sorry about that... But commendations for your patience. That will serve you well --

 

[candbgirl]

Thank you all for your input! @LizzyM Personal training is actually covered by some insurance companies which was part of my reasoning for it being considered clinical employment. As long as it is deemed medically necessary and prescribed by a physician. Regardless, It appears as though I'll need to take a gap year.

Just got MCAT back:

499 (124/124/125/126)
significantly lower than my practice FLs unfortunately.

As @Walter Raleigh stated, another year would give me the chance to improve my GPA significantly, especially if I maintain my 4.0 trend. Plus, this extra year will guarantee me a poster session and my manuscript will be published as well. Again, thank you all for the input but I think my path has somewhat been decided for me with regard to this cycle.

Please don’t blow off @LizzyM ’s advice about personal training. She has been an ADCOM member for many years at a very top tier med school. Her advice is always spot on.

Sorry about your MCAT. You have a good attitude and the year will give you a great opportunity to nail down your whole application, including clinical and non clinical experiences.

 

[lkasper]

Please don’t blow off @LizzyM ’s advice about personal training. She has been an ADCOM member for many years at a very top tier med school. Her advice is always spot on.

Sorry about your MCAT. You have a good attitude and the year will give you a great opportunity to nail down your whole application, including clinical and non clinical experiences.

Absolutely! I'll take any constructive feedback I can get. I trust @LizzyM but just to satisfy personal curiosity, why wouldn't it be considered clinical employment? Especially in a situation like the one I described. I would argue I am equally or more responsible compared to say, a PT-tech in most situations. It seems to be a grey area so any definitions or explanations would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you everyone for the awesome help and encouragement!

 

[DokterMom]

Absolutely! I'll take any constructive feedback I can get. I trust @LizzyM but just to satisfy personal curiosity, why wouldn't it be considered clinical employment? Especially in a situation like the one I described. I would argue I am equally or more responsible compared to say, a PT-tech in most situations. It seems to be a grey area so any definitions or explanations would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you everyone for the awesome help and encouragement!

YOU may be more responsible than many PT-techs, but MOST "personal trainers" (note the air quotes) are not. Many people who call themselves personal trainers have very little in the way of professional education or qualifications, so by using the same label, you're associating yourself with all of the preconceptions that go with it - good and bad. Some "personal trainers" are little more than glorified gym rats looking for a way to support their workout habits and call themselves employed, and your involvement in body-building (which is very often not healthy) would tend to support that skew.

Again - I'm not saying this is true for you, personally, but it is a perception that's out there. Be sure you're not feeding it.