Help on Application

[hopefuldocwps]

I have a question about how to word an experience on my application.

I have spent this summer at a family practice where I assist the nurses in taking vitals, discussing care with the doctors, taking phone calls, etc. I’ve aquired about 150 hrs at the office but don’t know what to classify them as on application.

When describing this on my med school applications should I say this is shadowing? Volunteer work (I didn’t get paid)? Split up my time between the two?
Any/all advice is helpful!

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[deleted922750]

Medical Volunteering.

 

[Catalystik]

I have a question about how to word an experience on my application.

I have spent this summer at a family practice where I assist the nurses in taking vitals, discussing care with the doctors, taking phone calls, etc. I’ve aquired about 150 hrs at the office but don’t know what to classify them as on application.

When describing this on my med school applications should I say this is shadowing? Volunteer work (I didn’t get paid)? Split up my time between the two?
Any/all advice is helpful!

How many of the hours, or what percent, did you observe the physician going about his/her day?
Taking vitals and fielding phone calls was a volunteer experience. You can split out the two components and list them separately. Shadowing can be grouped with other shadowing you acquire if the hours aren't sufficiently substantial on their own.

 

[hopefuldocwps]

How many of the hours, or what percent, did you observe the physician going about his/her day?
Taking vitals and fielding phone calls was a volunteer experience. You can split out the two components and list them separately. Shadowing can be grouped with other shadowing you acquire if the hours aren't sufficiently substantial on their own.

See that's the thing I think I need help on! I know that fielding calls/vitals are volunteer but since this was a small private practice I reported to the doctor directly about what was going on with every patient and would observe how she would treat them/ her thought process when diagnosing a patient. So I saw the doctor go about her day the whole summer I just wasn't at her hip/going into every room with her when she was visiting with patients.

Overall it was more hours of medical volunteering I just don't know whether I should put it as one experience or put some of my hours in shadowing and some in medical volunteering if that makes sense!

 

[califlipboy92]

You should categorize based on what your application needs more of. If you have plenty of other volunteering experiences, mark this one as shadowing. If you have a lot of other shadowing, mark this as volunteering.

 

[Catalystik]

See that's the thing I think I need help on! I know that fielding calls/vitals are volunteer but since this was a small private practice I reported to the doctor directly about what was going on with every patient and would observe how she would treat them/ her thought process when diagnosing a patient. So I saw the doctor go about her day the whole summer I just wasn't at her hip/going into every room with her when she was visiting with patients.

Overall it was more hours of medical volunteering I just don't know whether I should put it as one experience or put some of my hours in shadowing and some in medical volunteering if that makes sense!

I suggest you what I bolded. But it sounds like you'll also need some dedicated shadowing, where you are glued to the hip of the doc for every patient and can witness the patient-physician interaction, and the paperwork, and the doc's phone calls, and the online computer research, etc. All in all, though, it sounds like it was a very good experience for you.