Extracurriculars?

[Vince411]

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I am just starting off taking post-bac pre-reqs and I've observed on these boards that extracurriculars seem very important to adcoms. I am wondering how and what extracurriculars to do. Do docs/hospitals actually let a post-bac student job-shadow a doc? Or what types of volunteering should I do? I would be a career-change so I'm sure that adcoms will want to see that I've actually experienced the health care field. However, it seems uncomfortable to phone a doctor and ask them if i can shadow them.

What have other people done? Advice?

 

[Indianarn]

I am just starting off taking post-bac pre-reqs and I've observed on these boards that extracurriculars seem very important to adcoms. I am wondering how and what extracurriculars to do. Do docs/hospitals actually let a post-bac student job-shadow a doc? Or what types of volunteering should I do? I would be a career-change so I'm sure that adcoms will want to see that I've actually experienced the health care field. However, it seems uncomfortable to phone a doctor and ask them if i can shadow them.

What have other people done? Advice?

There is no set in stone rule for it. Generally, you definitely wanna do something that will show you interest in medicine, specially because its a career change for you. However, you also wanna do somethings to show you are a well rounded mature candidate. So on top of the list would be hospital and nursing home volunteer to get some clinical exposure. Then comes shadowing some physicians (I would do 3-4 including a DO, just in case) and the goal here would be to get strong LOR from them. I would also consider shadowing docs in different specialties. Then you can do some volunteer in what ever your other interests are such as tutoring high school or college kids, helping homeless, working with domestic violence victims, working in animal shelters, volunteer for your church. May sound weird, but all this will show you are well rounded and care about others. When you do a volunteer activity, keep in mind when you write those experiences in your application you would have to write how this relates to you future as a medical student and a doctor and really what have you learned from this particular activity that will help you in school and future. Hope that answers your question. Good luck.

 

[juliuspepperwood]

For your non-clinical volunteering I've learned it is extremely important to show significant investment in one specific area, rather than volunteering in several different areas.

 

[familyaerospace]

I am just starting off taking post-bac pre-reqs and I've observed on these boards that extracurriculars seem very important to adcoms. I am wondering how and what extracurriculars to do. Do docs/hospitals actually let a post-bac student job-shadow a doc? Or what types of volunteering should I do? I would be a career-change so I'm sure that adcoms will want to see that I've actually experienced the health care field. However, it seems uncomfortable to phone a doctor and ask them if i can shadow them.

What have other people done? Advice?

I have 400 shadowing hours so yes, they do.

Definitely get some medical volunteering, perhaps some non-medical as well.

My ECs are going to be reworked that is for sure but right now I have shadowing, medical volunteering, non-medical volunteering, hobbies, presentations, publications, research, teaching, some (not all) paid employment, leadership... and... well I have no idea. I have to rewrite them because I am probably scaring adcomms, lol. Also I need to rework them to make them sound more medical.