Documenting Clinical Experience and Volunteer ECs

[spyderracing32]

A couple questions regarding shadowing/volunteer work for the (future) AMCAS...

This summer I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to shadow a few doctors for some significant time, but I have no idea how to or if I even need to get any kind of "official" documentation that it took place.

Also as far as volunteering goes what kind of documentation do I need. I've already been on a few tours with my rugby club where service work was a part of it but never thought to get anything saying I was there.

Are these just write it down and let them look into it kind of situations or do I need to provide anything?

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[ZagDoc]

If you're officially registered with the hospital as a volunteer, that is all the "documentation" you need. You can reference the volunteer department on your AMCAS and if the schools are so inclined, they can call your contact to verify you were actually a volunteer there for a long as you stated (there is anecdotal accounts of this happening but its hardly the norm).

For shadowing, just make sure you are memorable enough and build enough of a rapport with the physician that if they are asked about you, they will remember that they actually had you shadow them. No further documentation needed (though a positive LOR from a physician you shadowed is excellent "documentation" fyi). Med schools will test your shadowing experience by asking about it at your interview. If you can provide interesting stories about your experience and talk about it confidently, they know you're legit. As an addendum, I had a word document I used when shadowing physicians. Within a day after every shadow experience, I documented how many hours I shadowed and made any notes about interesting patients or insights I had from that day. You'll be surprised how fast you forget those sort of things if you don't write them down, and I found that going back and reading my I guess "journal entries" was great prep for my interviews.

 

[spyderracing32]

Yea, I've been keeping a journal of my shadowing so I don't forget. Is it worth it to even list the volunteering I did on the rugby tour? I have no idea who to track down as a contact for that as I just showed up, signed a waiver, and got to building houses (maybe the guy who coordinated the work?).

 

[alwaysaangel]

Yea, I've been keeping a journal of my shadowing so I don't forget. Is it worth it to even list the volunteering I did on the rugby tour? I have no idea who to track down as a contact for that as I just showed up, signed a waiver, and got to building houses (maybe the guy who coordinated the work?).

When you do your AMCAS you'll put the number of your supervisor for every activity. If the school wants to verify they call. I don't think they often do. So yeah just someone who coordinated it who would be able to look it up and say yeah he helped. But remember - AMCAS is supposed to be significant experiences. If it doesn't effect who you are as a person, why you want to be a doctor or your college experience probably leave it off as an activity. No need to fill all 15 spaces with fluff.