Find a shadowing program!! That is the best thing I've ever done -- during the summer between my Jr and Sr years in HS, I was accepted in a summer program shadowing docs at Women's and Children's at USC/LAC hospital. I ended up spending over 200 hrs during one summer. I saw a live birth! I saw about 10 circumcisions + one G-tube insertion in surgery. I got to talk to residents and fellows, and super great attendings. I spoke to nurses, learned their lingos, and learned to see X-Rays. I got to wear scrubs (complete with footwear) and learned to wash (or rather scrub and sanitize) my hands like a surgeon. I saw epidural on a baby with possible meningitis, I got to hold down a screaming 6 yr old while he got stitches on his forehead. I saw a code go off because a child suddenly died (for no obvious reason) and went into the conference with all the doctors who discussed this situation. I saw kids (it was pediatrics galore!) with leukemia, and kids with leukemia and downs syndrome -- I got to hold her hand when she was receiving treatments, and she smiled at me. It was the best summer, and it made me see the reality of working in a hospital. I think that is the single most important thing -- better than volunteering at a triage and filing papers all day! Shadowing a doctor will either confirm your calling to med school or make you realize that this isn't for you. Either way this confirmation is necessary -- or you'll end up trying to do premed for the next four years without knowing for sure.
