gap year JOB advice

[medschoolhopeful!]

Hello! I am currently a senior in undergrad. I have completed my MCAT but i skipped this years application cycle because I wanted to take a year off between college and med school. This was both to take a break from non-stop studying, and make my app more well-rounded. I am currently looking into gap year job options for June 2020 until around June of 2021, when I would hopefully matriculate into medical school. I am involved in a few clubs at school and have about a year of research experience with one publication accepted. I have done a lot of shadowing as well. It seems that the area most necessary for me to fill during my gap year would be something that would include more patient contact.

I have heard of people working as phlebotomists, EMTs, scribes, CNAs, home health aides, clinical research assistants, and bench researchers.

I have eliminated EMT as I don’t think the time and money for the course is worth it at this point...maybe earlier in college. I also think that I should eliminate bench research so as to strengthen a different area of my application. I am also pretty set on just taking one year off so I'd love "one-year suitable" suggestions!

Are there other options that I am missing? What do you guys think would be best for me to create a more well-rounded application?

Thank you so much!!

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[caterwaiter]

Working as a scribe affords quite a bit of patient contact (depending on your site/setup), and doesn't require a certification.

 

[Tenk]

Scribe.

 

[FalconSlice]

Hello! I am currently a senior in undergrad. I have completed my MCAT but i skipped this years application cycle because I wanted to take a year off between college and med school. This was both to take a break from non-stop studying, and make my app more well-rounded. I am currently looking into gap year job options for June 2020 until around June of 2021, when I would hopefully matriculate into medical school. I am involved in a few clubs at school and have about a year of research experience with one publication accepted. I have done a lot of shadowing as well. It seems that the area most necessary for me to fill during my gap year would be something that would include more patient contact.

I have heard of people working as phlebotomists, EMTs, CNAs, home health aides, clinical research assistants, and bench researchers.

I have eliminated EMT as I don’t think the time and money for the course is worth it at this point...maybe earlier in college. I also think that I should eliminate bench research so as to strengthen a different area of my application. I am also pretty set on just taking one year off so I'd love "one-year suitable" suggestions!

Are there other options that I am missing? What do you guys think would be best for me to create a more well-rounded application?

Thank you so much!!

Just my take:
Just to point out that your gap year might not help your application as much as you might want to believe as your "one year" will also be the year in which you are applying. That is to say, if you submit AMCAS early (like everyone should), your planned accomplishments for your gap year will not be on your applications (you can't say "I know I'm applying now, but during this next year I'll have 500+ hours of patient contact!")

If I were you, I'd buckle down to get as much clinical exposure now during your senior year (which hopefully isn't ridiculously packed) and apply during your gap year when you're also being a phlebotomist or a scribe or whatever.

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

Just my take:
Just to point out that your gap year might not help your application as much as you might want to believe as your "one year" will also be the year in which you are applying. That is to say, if you submit AMCAS early (like everyone should), your planned accomplishments for your gap year will not be on your applications (you can't say "I know I'm applying now, but during this next year I'll have 500+ hours of patient contact!")

If I were you, I'd buckle down to get as much clinical exposure now during your senior year (which hopefully isn't ridiculously packed) and apply during your gap year when you're also being a phlebotomist or a scribe or whatever.

Great point, thank you!