EC Question

[kelminak]

Hello!

So at my current state I have 2 years before I apply to med school with GPA repair and so on. I'm taking the MCAT this September so that will be out of the way, and after that I just need to focus on getting good grades and getting some good ECs since I have virtually nothing at this point...except for one thing that I'm not sure would count. I've worked for the university IT department for almost two years now and by the time I apply it'll likely be around 4 years. It's a fantastic place to work and I wonder if that would be worth putting on an application? I know it's not anywhere near what a lot of medicine is like, but I do have to listen to the people that come in/call, decipher their complaints, and then make a "diagnosis" of how to fix the issue. Is this worth listing/spinning into my application process?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[malamia]

Yeah, put that on the app, but especially if you are applying to a DO school you need to have your EC's in check.

I would recommend:

-100+ clinical and non-clinical volunteering hours

-research and start ASAP

-50+ shadowing hours

-find summer internships or get busy doing something productive this summer.

 

[adriano710]

Get at LEAST 100 hours of clinical hours in, 50 hours community service, 50 hours shadowing an MD/DO. That is bare minimum EC's. You should also get involved in organizations and research.

 

[kelminak]

Thank you for the advice. I can't do research because I'm fairly certain at my school you need a 3.0 GPA or better which I'm still working toward and quite frankly I'm not really interested in research. As soon as I finish up my MCAT in September which is the primary focus of all of my free time, I will most certainly start applying to volunteer positions at pretty much the only two hospitals in my area. I will also get my shadowing taken care of (I've been through the pre-work for one hospital, I basically just need to find someone that will let me follow them in a time where I have the free time available to shadow). I'm going to join the pre-med club at my school in the fall that does a lot of volunteer work outside of hospitals, so with hospital volunteering, non-hospital volunteering, and shadowing I'm hoping that research won't be mandatory for my acceptance (from what I understand it's not).

I was really asking about what to do about my ECs in general, just specifically if/where I would list working as for the university IT. I figured it would have some sort of relevance based on how I spun it in my previous post, plus the time commitment might show dedication as well?

 

[Fargofargo]

if your IT position was paid, then put it under work experience.

 

[FutureDrB]

Hello!

So at my current state I have 2 years before I apply to med school with GPA repair and so on. I'm taking the MCAT this September so that will be out of the way, and after that I just need to focus on getting good grades and getting some good ECs since I have virtually nothing at this point...except for one thing that I'm not sure would count. I've worked for the university IT department for almost two years now and by the time I apply it'll likely be around 4 years. It's a fantastic place to work and I wonder if that would be worth putting on an application? I know it's not anywhere near what a lot of medicine is like, but I do have to listen to the people that come in/call, decipher their complaints, and then make a "diagnosis" of how to fix the issue. Is this worth listing/spinning into my application process?

If this is an employment position, it will need to go under work experience, not ECs. Although I suppose you can still "spin" the work experience as you stated above. (Although in all honesty, it's a little thin trying to compare "listening to people's tech problems and diagnosing them as something that's similar to medicine.") Everyone who is employed goes to work, diagnoses problems and figures out how to correct them.

Just start volunteering at your local hospital or clinic and get the clinical experience as people above have stated. Shadow some docs. Do some community volunteering, food bank, etc.

If you're pursuing DO, research isn't necessary, but doesn't hurt if you have the spare time.

 

[kelminak]

If you're pursuing DO, research isn't necessary, but doesn't hurt if you have the spare time.

I know that it would diversify my ECs, but honestly I feel like I'd just be taking the position away from someone that was truly interested just so I could use it as a stepping stone for getting into medical school. When I was in high school I volunteered a lot and enjoyed it, so I'd much rather spend my limited free time (I'll be taking full loads of courses for the next 3 semesters I have left) building up as many volunteering hours as I can. I'd be much happier in the long run as well!

 

[adriano710]

Thank you for the advice. I can't do research because I'm fairly certain at my school you need a 3.0 GPA or better which I'm still working toward and quite frankly I'm not really interested in research. As soon as I finish up my MCAT in September which is the primary focus of all of my free time, I will most certainly start applying to volunteer positions at pretty much the only two hospitals in my area. I will also get my shadowing taken care of (I've been through the pre-work for one hospital, I basically just need to find someone that will let me follow them in a time where I have the free time available to shadow). I'm going to join the pre-med club at my school in the fall that does a lot of volunteer work outside of hospitals, so with hospital volunteering, non-hospital volunteering, and shadowing I'm hoping that research won't be mandatory for my acceptance (from what I understand it's not).

I was really asking about what to do about my ECs in general, just specifically if/where I would list working as for the university IT. I figured it would have some sort of relevance based on how I spun it in my previous post, plus the time commitment might show dedication as well?

Research is never mandatory, no EC's are technically mandatory, however it can really help because EVERYONE does the shadowing and volunteering, less do the research. Best of luck.

 

[Geo16]

I would recommend:

-100+ clinical and non-clinical volunteering hours

-research and start ASAP

-50+ shadowing hours.

This is like minimum kind of thing? Got it.

 

[pizza1994]

I personally barely had any clinical hours (maybe 40) and shadowed for 10 hours and still got in...but I did volunteer part of something I am really passionate about...so sometimes finding something you are passionate about rather than just for applications can help you a lot.

 

[kelminak]

This is like minimum kind of thing? Got it.

I personally barely had any clinical hours (maybe 40) and shadowed for 10 hours and still got in...but I did volunteer part of something I am really passionate about...so sometimes finding something you are passionate about rather than just for applications can help you a lot.

I don't know how you found my thread from 2 years ago, but I guess I could update you on what I am doing. I did end up shadowing a pediatrician for 50 hours and he's going to write me a letter of recommendation, so I'll have a DO letter. I've taken an extra year to keep boosting my GPA so I'm actually applying this summer. I am not going to do research right now because I'm not interested in research and I'd be forcing myself for no reason. I've stuck with doing my hospital volunteering for 5 hours every week and I have 375 hours now. Come May when I get my application submitted, I should have over 500 hours there. I'm not looking for a non-clinical opportunity because I'm already taking 5 classes and working 30 hours a week. I'd rather spend my limited spare time in one volunteering activity I'm invested in than doing another non-clinical just to add it to my application. I did take the MCAT and got a 28 (7/12/9).

Overall my application looks like it's kind of coming together. Here's how it should look near application time:
3.2 cGPA (slightly higher sGPA)
28 MCAT (7/12/9)
500+ Hours volunteered at local hospital in surgery waiting
50 hours shadowing DO pediatrician
1 DO letter and 2-3 science Ph. D. letters

Not bad considering I came from a 1.9 GPA at my low point I think? If I get in, I'm definitely going to write a big "zero to hero" blog post or something to share here.

 

[Geo16]

I don't know how you found my thread from 2 years ago, but I guess I could update you on what I am doing. I did end up shadowing a pediatrician for 50 hours and he's going to write me a letter of recommendation, so I'll have a DO letter. I've taken an extra year to keep boosting my GPA so I'm actually applying this summer. I am not going to do research right now because I'm not interested in research and I'd be forcing myself for no reason. I've stuck with doing my hospital volunteering for 5 hours every week and I have 375 hours now. Come May when I get my application submitted, I should have over 500 hours there. I'm not looking for a non-clinical opportunity because I'm already taking 5 classes and working 30 hours a week. I'd rather spend my limited spare time in one volunteering activity I'm invested in than doing another non-clinical just to add it to my application. I did take the MCAT and got a 28 (7/12/9).

Overall my application looks like it's kind of coming together. Here's how it should look near application time:
3.2 cGPA (slightly higher sGPA)
28 MCAT (7/12/9)
500+ Hours volunteered at local hospital in surgery waiting
50 hours shadowing DO pediatrician
1 DO letter and 2-3 science Ph. D. letters

Not bad considering I came from a 1.9 GPA at my low point I think? If I get in, I'm definitely going to write a big "zero to hero" blog post or something to share here.

That's really nice. Do you think Adcoms wouldn't bother the lack of research? I'm sort of confused on what is research and how to do it. Probably I'll be the same, no research experience (argh).

I found this meanwhile searching the keyword 'EC.'

 

[pizza1994]

I don't know how you found my thread from 2 years ago, but I guess I could update you on what I am doing. I did end up shadowing a pediatrician for 50 hours and he's going to write me a letter of recommendation, so I'll have a DO letter. I've taken an extra year to keep boosting my GPA so I'm actually applying this summer. I am not going to do research right now because I'm not interested in research and I'd be forcing myself for no reason. I've stuck with doing my hospital volunteering for 5 hours every week and I have 375 hours now. Come May when I get my application submitted, I should have over 500 hours there. I'm not looking for a non-clinical opportunity because I'm already taking 5 classes and working 30 hours a week. I'd rather spend my limited spare time in one volunteering activity I'm invested in than doing another non-clinical just to add it to my application. I did take the MCAT and got a 28 (7/12/9).

Overall my application looks like it's kind of coming together. Here's how it should look near application time:
3.2 cGPA (slightly higher sGPA)
28 MCAT (7/12/9)
500+ Hours volunteered at local hospital in surgery waiting
50 hours shadowing DO pediatrician
1 DO letter and 2-3 science Ph. D. letters

Not bad considering I came from a 1.9 GPA at my low point I think? If I get in, I'm definitely going to write a big "zero to hero" blog post or something to share here.

LOLLLLLLLL I just checked and this was from two years ago....I actually just got a new phone and on the SDN app it showed this post as new.....not sure why -_-. Great job with the update! I wish you all the best! Hugeeee progress for 2014 eh! Good luck and I look forward to reading your zero to hero blog post one day!