Extracurriculars in High school for bs/md

[jonak]

So I've just wanted to know if anyone else has gone through this experience. I'm currently a sophomore in high school and looking to do a bs/md program. I'm assuming that they do want a bit of healthcare exposure, so that's the problem at hand. I'm still 15 and the hospitals around me require you to be 16 to volunteer, which is a slight problem. Another thing is how do I go about shadowing doctors? Do I just go around and call people or what? Anything else I can be doing?

Current EC's:
medical club
science olympiad

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[PapaGuava]

Hi @jonak

One thing you could try in regards to shadowing is to visit a few clinics in person and speak to them about your interest in shadowing, which is a little better than just calling because they can put a face to your name. Not only that, whoever you speak to would be more willing to relay the information to the physician about your request. It would also be good to reach out to any family members as well and see if they know anyone who would be open to having you shadow them.

As for volunteering, it definitely varies by hospital and institution because there are hospitals in my local area that let you volunteer at 14. I think it largely depends on what department of the hospital needs volunteers. For example, I know most emergency departments don't have high school volunteers. So I would just keep looking around for that opportunity and even if it isn't a hospital, there are other minor healthcare related activities you could get involved with before you're 16. I know many kids in my high school volunteered at hospice facilities.

Be sure to stick around SDN!