Experience section - Including Clinical Rotations?

[ssg]

Hi, one of my friends told me that when he applied he included his clinical rotations in the experience section? I was wondering if this is okay or is it just unneccessary?

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[Law2Doc]

Hi, one of my friends told me that when he applied he included his clinical rotations in the experience section? I was wondering if this is okay or is it just unneccessary?

Experience isn't supposed to be stuff you are doing in school. It's jobs, research, teaching assistant stuff and the like. Stuff that belongs on a CV. Everyone applying for residency has done clinical rotations, and the residencies already get your transcript and know what you took rotation/elective-wise. Don't list it.

 

[5150]

Just out of curiosity, what are people marking down as their "position" in a research experience? Are you just putting "researcher" ? I'm a little confused by this. Help appreciated!

 

[Law2Doc]

Just out of curiosity, what are people marking down as their "position" in a research experience?

Supine.


researcher, research assistant. Doesn't really matter, as long as you explain your role.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Hi, one of my friends told me that when he applied he included his clinical rotations in the experience section? I was wondering if this is okay or is it just unneccessary?

Please. Do. Not. Do. That.

If you haven't done any clinical rotations by the time you apply, you aren't eligible for residency.

Experience is for medically related work or volunteer experiences *outside* of academic requirements.

 

[jouneih]

i don't know if this is a different situation, but i did a really interesting international medical rotation with a medical volunteer group which i'd like to include, but i did get school credit for it... so would it be weird to put it as a volunteer or a work experience?

 

[Winged Scapula]

i don't know if this is a different situation, but i did a really interesting international medical rotation with a medical volunteer group which i'd like to include, but i did get school credit for it... so would it be weird to put it as a volunteer or a work experience?

Yes because its on your transcript. It was not volunteer or work experience but rather part of your academic career.

If you wish, talk about it on your PS.

 

[jouneih]

true... you're right... thanks!

 

[Law2Doc]

Experience is for medically related work or volunteer experiences *outside* of academic requirements.

And non-medically related work.

 

[Winged Scapula]

And non-medically related work.

Perhaps.

The conventional wisdom is that you include medically relevant jobs and significant jobs otherwise. IMHO only significant non-medically related work should be included. Work as an attorney? Sure, include that. Work as a grocery bagger at the Safeway? I don't see any reason to include that.

 

[Law2Doc]

Perhaps.

The conventional wisdom is that you include medically relevant jobs and significant jobs otherwise. IMHO only significant non-medically related work should be included. Work as an attorney? Sure, include that. Work as a grocery bagger at the Safeway? I don't see any reason to include that.

Some of us nontrads are already many significant jobs away from our stint at Safeway.🙂

I was actually told slightly different conventional wisdom -- you more or less need to account for your time since college. So if you did something for years, it needs to be on there. I suspect the wisdom you received was audience based, as was mine.

 

[jouneih]

i was actually thinking non-medical work would be good to include to show another side, not just the medical student machine that does all medical things... I spent a lot of vacation time after high school working as a cashier, and I was going to put that in, just to give the whole picture. are people not including that kind of stuff?

 

[BlondeDocteur]

After *high school*?!?! Good lord no. And don't put down the Glee Club trophy or that Most Improved Freshman French award at community college. People can smell resume padding a mile away.

 

[jouneih]

oops, i meant since high school, meaning all thru college.... 2 full-time summer vacations, and all 4 winter breaks, full-time.... still no?

 

[tno77]

I emailed ERAS:

Hello,

I am filling out the common application and under the "Experiences" section, I know that we are to include our volunteer and research experiences, but I see that it says to include "clinical experience" as a work experience.

Does that mean you wish for us to include our 3rd and 4th year clinical clerkships as work experience in this section? I am a medical student who has not worked clinically yet outside of school, does this apply to me?

Reply:

Good Evening XXXXX,

Yes, that is correct. Your clinical clerkship is clinical experience.

Best Wishes,

XXXXXX


ERAS Staff
Association of American Medical Colleges
2450 N Street, N.W. Washington D.C. 20037-1127
If you need additional assistance, please include the full text of this
email in your response.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

oops, i meant since high school, meaning all thru college.... 2 full-time summer vacations, and all 4 winter breaks, full-time.... still no?

These types of things are very minor in your application. List it if you want, although personally I wouldn't unless it was the type of job you'd like to talk about in your interview. Don't lose sleep over this.

I agree with WS. Do not list your rotations. I honestly don't care what ERAS says. It's a waste of time (yours).

Also, don't list "I got Honors in Medicine" under awards.

 

[Winged Scapula]

As far as I can see, ERAS did NOT answer your question.

They do not say to list Clinical Rotations as "WORK Experience".

 

[Law2Doc]

I emailed ERAS:

Hello,

I am filling out the common application and under the "Experiences" section, I know that we are to include our volunteer and research experiences, but I see that it says to include "clinical experience" as a work experience.

Does that mean you wish for us to include our 3rd and 4th year clinical clerkships as work experience in this section? I am a medical student who has not worked clinically yet outside of school, does this apply to me?

Reply:

Good Evening XXXXX,

Yes, that is correct. Your clinical clerkship is clinical experience.

Best Wishes,

XXXXXX


ERAS Staff
Association of American Medical Colleges
2450 N Street, N.W. Washington D.C. 20037-1127
If you need additional assistance, please include the full text of this
email in your response.

I think you didn't make clear what you were asking and didn't get the right answer as a result. No you don't list your med school classes under the experience section. The whole point of the ERAS application is to put your background into a CV-like order. You can review your CV on ERAS and see what it looks like. And you wouldn't put specific med school classes in your CV. ERAS will get your transcript and know exactly what you took. And it is assumed that all med students will have taken the core rotations -- you aren't getting any bonus points for having had sugery, medicine, peds, OBGYN... EVERYONE applying for residency has taken these. So no, you don't list them there. The experience section, like the experience section in a CV/resume, is where you list your jobs, your research, your TA experiences, significant volunteer positions. You don't list school coursework.
Obviously you can do what you want, but you are going to look worse listing this under experiences than having none at all, IMHO.

 

[insertnamehere]

tno77, you have to remember it is program directors NOT ERAS that reads the application and decides what they want to hear. Clinical rotations are not clinical experience from a resume point of view, they are required.

btw BlondeDocteur goes to my school lol

 

[akpete]

oops, i meant since high school, meaning all thru college.... 2 full-time summer vacations, and all 4 winter breaks, full-time.... still no?

I have worked consisently since I was 15yo. Not just vacations. Certainly not including all my waitress jobs on my CV.

 

[treasurefull2]

so my student affairs office hasn't been very helpful with this, and I can't seem to find the answer anywhere...

Where in ERAS do you include such extracurricular things as Student Body Rep, or SGA president and **** like that?

It doesn't seem to fall into any of the experience categories "Research, Work, Volunteer"....


PLEASE
PLEASE
Help...
SOS........

 

[mules05]

These types of things are very minor in your application. List it if you want, although personally I wouldn't unless it was the type of job you'd like to talk about in your interview. Don't lose sleep over this.

I agree with WS. Do not list your rotations. I honestly don't care what ERAS says. It's a waste of time (yours).

Also, don't list "I got Honors in Medicine" under awards.

Our deans have been telling us for the past 6 months that clinical high honors should be listed, since it's not commonly given at our school. Do other schools not suggest this? Also, transcripts won't go out until Nov 1st with the MSPE, and a lot of surgery programs seem to send out interview offers before that (at least according to last year's interview invites thread). Since some of these places require honors in surgery to be interviewed, it seemed to make sense to list that in the CV....am I wrong in doing this?

 

[DwightKShrute]

Our deans have been telling us for the past 6 months that clinical high honors should be listed, since it's not commonly given at our school. Do other schools not suggest this? Also, transcripts won't go out until Nov 1st with the MSPE, and a lot of surgery programs seem to send out interview offers before that (at least according to last year's interview invites thread). Since some of these places require honors in surgery to be interviewed, it seemed to make sense to list that in the CV....am I wrong in doing this?

Are you applying for surgery?

 

[mules05]

Are you applying for surgery?

Yes...and applying to some of the programs that specifically state that honors in surgery is required to be interviewed.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

so my student affairs office hasn't been very helpful with this, and I can't seem to find the answer anywhere...

Where in ERAS do you include such extracurricular things as Student Body Rep, or SGA president and **** like that?

It doesn't seem to fall into any of the experience categories "Research, Work, Volunteer"....


PLEASE
PLEASE
Help...
SOS........

These are volunteer positions.

Our deans have been telling us for the past 6 months that clinical high honors should be listed, since it's not commonly given at our school. Do other schools not suggest this? Also, transcripts won't go out until Nov 1st with the MSPE, and a lot of surgery programs seem to send out interview offers before that (at least according to last year's interview invites thread). Since some of these places require honors in surgery to be interviewed, it seemed to make sense to list that in the CV....am I wrong in doing this?

It's a minor issue either way. List it if you you want. I expect programs may await your transcript anyway, but it won't hurt to list it.

 

[redbeans]

Yes...and applying to some of the programs that specifically state that honors in surgery is required to be interviewed.

Which programs other than Cornell?