Cope Health Scholars Questions

[LongApple]

The program I'm referring to:
Admissions - COPE Health Scholars

It seems to be a volunteer internship at a hospital.

There seems to be an old thread about it
COPE Health Solutions

1. Do you know of any similar programs on the east coast?

2. If you did this program, do you think you would have done it again as a premed? Versus being a scribe or medical assistant or something else? How do you think your activities in the program compare to the other options?

3. According to the post above, there can be shadowing in the program. Did you have any say in which doctor's you were with? I am trying to find a D.O. doctor to get to know well

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[sophop]

I know 2 people who did this when the participants were known as clinical care extenders. As I recall, their experiences mirrored those who responded to that earlier thread you cited and both raved about it and said it provided lots of things to write and talk about in their apps and interviews (and they both got into med school). They were in the LA/OC/IE area so I don't know about east coast equivalents. I went to an east coast school and didn't hear about anything exactly like it there, but I know that you can try to set up something similar to the clinical rotation thing yourself (ingratiating yourself with hospital volunteer coordinators by changing bedpans and giving sponge baths seems to help). I think my friends shadowed both in and out of the program, and one of them did end up at a DO school.

 

[SR71BLK]

The program I'm referring to:
Admissions - COPE Health Scholars

It seems to be a volunteer internship at a hospital.

There seems to be an old thread about it
COPE Health Solutions

1. Do you know of any similar programs on the east coast?

2. If you did this program, do you think you would have done it again as a premed? Versus being a scribe or medical assistant or something else? How do you think your activities in the program compare to the other options?

3. According to the post above, there can be shadowing in the program. Did you have any say in which doctor's you were with? I am trying to find a D.O. doctor to get to know well

I volunteered through the COPE Health Scholars Program. I am not sure if there is anything similar on the East Coast as I reside in CA. I enjoyed the program (though the management wasn't the best). The patient interaction was great. Hearing stories from patients about their lives and just being able to give someone comfort is a great feeling. The nurses, med students, and doctors were usually happy to have the help, though it felt like we were 'in the way' at times. Experiences may vary slightly from location to location. You typically rotate to a different department every 3 months.

It is an unpaid internship, so keep that in mind while comparing to a scribe/MA. Most of your interactions will be with nurses, rather than doctors. However, I did have multiple opportunities to stand in while doctors completed rounds. Any shadowing you do, must be done on your own time, and does not count towards the 280 hour committment.

I hope this helps answer your questions! If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.

 

[Lardy Boy]

Done it. A good way to get exposure to the different floors of a hospital, thus the different specialties. Good stepping stone for other opportunities.