Do you think my clinical experience would raise eyebrows based on the timing?

[LiteralLungs]

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Hi, I am planning on applying this cycle, and I am just worried about my clinical experience. Much of my clinical experience was years ago, and I wonder if this should deter me from applying right now. Here it goes:

ER volunteering (about 300 hours in 2012-2016)

ICU volunteering (about 100 hours in 2015)

ER shadowing (about 15 hours in 2015)

Surgeon shadowing (about 15 hours in 2015)

Hospitalist shadowing (about 55 hours in 2017/2018)

Just recently I started volunteering in an elderly care unit. I started in February 2020 and only got about 10 hours before COVID. I have tried calling just to talk to some of the patients, but it didn’t really work out.

I’ve been out of school for a few years, working in basic science research. I’ve also been volunteering with a crisis textline (for about 2 years now) that has been influential in my applying to medical school. I combined skills learned from this crisis textline with clinical experiences to explain why I want to be a doctor.

So there are gaps in my clinical work, where I stopped volunteering in 2016, 2 years later (2017/2018) did a few months of shadowing, and then 2 year after that (this past February) started volunteering in elderly care.

 

[LiteralLungs]

I can tell you what one t20 adcom had to say about my app. My situation is similar to yours except I currently have some clinical volunteering and shadowing going on. They expressed some concern about the recency of my clinical experience. I maybe would explain the covid situation in a secondary/activities description.

Thanks. I was going to put that the elderly care was impacted by COVID, and that I plan to continue with it as soon as possible. I've tried attending virtual team meetings, and as I've said, tried calling some of the patients, but I'm sure by that is going to be minimal in the next month or so.

 

[deleted889094]

If this is the only thing you're worried about on your app, I think you'll probably be ok. Besides, you can't really do anything to fix it now so you might as well apply and have a good explanation if it comes up

 

[LiteralLungs]

If this is the only thing you're worried about on your app, I think you'll probably be ok. Besides, you can't really do anything to fix it now so you might as well apply and have a good explanation if it comes up

It's certainly not the only flaw in my credentials, but I figured I could do something about it by not applying until next year if I had to. I was wondering if people thought it might be a bad idea to apply with this gap.

 

[deleted889094]

It's certainly not the only flaw in my credentials, but I figured I could do something about it by not applying until next year if I had to. I was wondering if people thought it might be a bad idea to apply with this gap.

You probably need an answer from someone like @Goro @LizzyM @Moko or the like

 

[Goro]

Hi, I am planning on applying this cycle, and I am just worried about my clinical experience. Much of my clinical experience was years ago, and I wonder if this should deter me from applying right now. Here it goes:

ER volunteering (about 300 hours in 2012-2016)

ICU volunteering (about 100 hours in 2015)

ER shadowing (about 15 hours in 2015)

Surgeon shadowing (about 15 hours in 2015)

Hospitalist shadowing (about 55 hours in 2017/2018)

Just recently I started volunteering in an elderly care unit. I started in February 2020 and only got about 10 hours before COVID. I have tried calling just to talk to some of the patients, but it didn’t really work out.

I’ve been out of school for a few years, working in basic science research. I’ve also been volunteering with a helpline (for about 2 years now) that has been influential in my applying to medical school. I combined skills learned from this helpline with clinical experiences to explain why I want to be a doctor.

So there are gaps in my clinical work, where I stopped volunteering in 2016, 2 years later (2017/2018) did a few months of shadowing, and then 2 year after that (this past February) started volunteering in elderly care.

I think that you'll be OK, but will need to explain somewhere why the huge gaps in time between volunteering gigs.

 

[LiteralLungs]

I think that you'll be OK, but will need to explain somewhere why the huge gaps in time between volunteering gigs.

I was also finishing up school during part of that time (with volunteer activities around the campus), and then working after I graduated.
After finishing school and when I started working, I went about half a year before I started doing some other volunteer activities, and I have been doing those since. Part of the reason was that I thought I was going to take the MCAT, was studying, but then didn't do it. It also took me some time to find these newer volunteering activities that I started post college
Would it be less of an issue if they saw that I was involved in other activities like work and other volunteering? I was thinking they might question the fact that I went so long without clinical experience and have been working in basic science research.
In addition to this, I was dealing with some mental health issues during that time, and then more recently dealing with a physical health concern which is part of the reason I delayed so far out of undergrad.

 

[Goro]

Sounds reasonable, but make sure your mental health issues are 100% under control. Med school is a furnace

 

[LiteralLungs]

Sounds reasonable, but make sure your mental health issues are 100% under control. Med school is a furnace

Thanks.
If asked about gaps in my activities or why I waited a long time to apply to medical school, should I say something like I was dealing with personal issues or health issues? Or what if I was to specifically say that I was dealing with anxiety issues but that they are under control now? Would you recommend against specifics?

 

[Goro]

Thanks.
If asked about gaps in my activities or why I waited a long time to apply to medical school, should I say something like I was dealing with personal issues or health issues? Or what if I was to specifically say that I was dealing with anxiety issues but that they are under control now? Would you recommend against specifics?

Just say health issues. You'll need to offer evidence that they're behind you,. like a stretch of good grades.

 

[LiteralLungs]

Just say health issues. You'll need to offer evidence that they're behind you,. like a stretch of good grades.

Thank you Goro.

I want to know if anyone else has a different opinion than kitkatbobat, athorcommens, and Goro
Thank you.

 

[Goro]

Thank you Goro.

I want to know if anyone else has a different opinion than kitkatbobat, athorcommens, and Goro
Thank you.

The wise @gonnif will point out that what's done is done, so why fuss over things you cannot control?

 

[LiteralLungs]

The wise @gonnif will point out that what's done is done, so why fuss over things you cannot control?

I mean in terms of whether this gap should deter me from applying

 

[LiteralLungs]

On one hand your last major volunteering was 4 years ago. Even if you say health issues, it still brings up the question
On the other hand this year with pandemic, I am not sure how much leniency will be given
And its like you never had any volunteering
If your other metrics are solid to strong, you could apply

This is just clinical volunteering. I have other organizations (a crisis textline, among others) that made up much of my reason for going to medical school even though they weren't "clinical". I believe that the skills are still transferable to a clinical setting