I'll be working 40+ hrs in a research lab that is not exactly clinically oriented, but do i still need to continue volunteering and shadowing? this is in my 1st of 2yrs off before med school, btw. I have a decent amount of hours, about 150 and 30, respectively. I was told my application looked too research oriented and I think this may make things worse. Any advice?
doing research full time for a year, must i continue volunteering/shadow, etc.?
- Thread starter cbs21
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Continue with volunteering and shadowing if you enjoy it. There's no point in volunteering if it's a drag for you. Besides it's just going to be a couple hours a week right? And shadowing would just be once in a while.
I'd say continue it so it shows commitment to whatever you were involved in.
Also, looking too research oriented isn't necessarily a bad thing. I don't think it looks bad at all, shows that you have intellectual curiosity, an open mind, dedication etc.
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You can find some sort of shadowing that you like, try surgery, cardiology, etc. As for volunteering, if you can do 4 hrs (effectively once a week), that'll look great. By the time you apply, you'll have 350 hours, and 4 hours/week goes by so fast. When I volunteer at the escort office at the VA, I make literally 10 runs and I'm done...Other days I've had 3 runs in 4 hours...seriously.
But if escort/hospital isn't your thing, find a free urgent care clinic or something of that nature...
But if escort/hospital isn't your thing, find a free urgent care clinic or something of that nature...
It would be good to keep your clinical experience up. 150 hours really is not that much, nor is 30 hours of shadowing. There's a lot to be said for a balanced application, especially the year before you apply.
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+1
I've worked in research the past 2 years, going to med school this summer. Did no clinical volunteering/shadowing the past 2 years (and I had less to start out with than you do in terms of hours, and btw, I find counting hours totally pointless and often a poor indication of how much value a clinical experience had). Only do it if it is meaningful, not out of obligation. If you do not feel that your previous experiences were enough that you can talk about them and their impact on your career choice, then yeah, maybe you should pursue more (but avoid doing more to simply add hours)
its not that i don't like volunteering its that i don't think i can dedicate a specific time slot just for volunteering because my schedule is likely going to be unpredictable... but yeah trust me the volunteer jobs that i didn't like, i quit after a month or so haha.
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