How bad does my lack of "doctor stuff" look?

[funklab]

So my application is just around the corner, and I have a 3.78 GPA (science and nonscience), I haven't taken the MCAT yet, but I am worried that I don't have enough "doctor stuff" as one of my advisors put it.

This is my list of medically related (or pretty close) experiences:
Lifeguard instructor, CPR instructor (admittedly not really medical)
Suturing study once a week for 10 weeks where we learned to do laparoscopic suturing using the equipment that residents practice on, we were the subjects of the research.
Shadowed a doctor for one week
Volunteer in a inpatient gym at a rehab hospital (100ish hours)


I have been meaning to get more medically related stuff done, but time seems to have slipped by me. Do you guys think this is enough? Is there much I can do to improve it in the next 3 months before I submit my application?

Thanks in advance for all your comments.

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[RoboChicken]

Dude, I don't know about the rest of your application...but your GPA is great and your "doctor stuff" looks pretty awesome to me. Especially the volunteering at a rehab hospital. I can def relate to the time slipping by thing...I am also applying this June, and despite people telling me I don't have enough "doctor stuff", you have to realize that on a forum, people don't know your entire situation. What matters is how you feel about your own situation, and going for it!

But in all honesty, I think you're okay. We'll all get enough "doctor stuff" done in med school and throughout our careers. I personally think it's much more important during undergrad to be a well-rounded person than spending every minute running from hospital to hospital trying to fill hours. Just my two cents.

 

[ucsfstudents]

Your "doctor stuff" is OK if you can share some stories about your work in the rehab center, especially during your interview. Any insights gained from shadowing those MDs would be good to note too. (Maybe you could add some more shadowing experiences.)

They want to know that you have some idea what you're getting yourself into, that you're OK working with sick people, and that you have compassion.


Good luck!

 

[mdbound1987]

I would agree that it is "ok." If you can, try to shadow another one or two physicians in specialties other than the one you already have and it will make you much more competitive. The only reason I say that is because although you've shadowed once, it was only for a very short period of time.

 

[bravofleet4]

they do look at what you have accomplished as a whole so it depends on what you else you have done such as research or community service.

 

[Catalystik]

If shadowing one doc for a week means you got in about 40 hours, then try to shadow two other specialists for 8-20 hours each. One of the three physicians should be in office-based primary care, and it would be nice if one were community hospital-based. The rehab hospital volunteering isn't bad at 100 hours. If you could get in about 50 more hours you'd be at the "average" for applicants, assuming it's taken place over more than a year.

Hopefully you also have some of research. leadership, nonmedical community service, hobbies, sports, or artistic endeavors.

Lifeguard and CPR instructor counts as teaching. The suturing is interesting and I'd list it, though it doesn't count for much.

 

[funklab]

Hopefully you also have some of research. leadership, nonmedical community service, hobbies, sports, or artistic endeavors.

I think I am slightly above average with research, only one year experience (Organic chem), but we have a paper submitted, that I am 99% sure will be published, and I am an author on it, and we will probably have another submitted by the time that I send off my applicaiton.

I have some nonmedical community service, but it is shallow. Maybe 120 hours volunteering at the homeless shelter... that is about it.

No artistic endeavors, but I did triathlons for a little while, and cycle but I'm not competitive at any level.

My leadership is basically nonexistant, here are some things I am trying to BS into leadership, but I don't know how well they will go over.
1. I ran my own business for four years before and during undergrad... not really leadership though, because it was just me.
2. Lifeguard and CPR instructor is kinda leadership, kinda, isnt it?
3. I "lead" a motorcycle trip through Mexico in 2006... (okay, okay, that is really pushing it, there was only one other guy, and it was purely for fun, with no altruistic purpose).

 

[funklab]

What matters is how you feel about your own situation, and going for it!

Obviously, I am not feeling very confident about my situation, or I would not bother asking complete strangers how my stats stack up.

I don't see how most applicants can be confident applying to med school, when over half of applicants don't get in. According to AMCAS, at least 64 people didn't get into med school with a GPA>3.80 and an MCAT>39. If they couldn't get in, I don't see how anyone feels good about their app.

 

[Catalystik]

I think I am slightly above average with research, only one year experience (Organic chem), but we have a paper submitted, that I am 99% sure will be published, and I am an author on it, and we will probably have another submitted by the time that I send off my applicaiton.

I have some nonmedical community service, but it is shallow. Maybe 120 hours volunteering at the homeless shelter... that is about it.

No artistic endeavors, but I did triathlons for a little while, and cycle but I'm not competitive at any level.

My leadership is basically nonexistant, here are some things I am trying to BS into leadership, but I don't know how well they will go over.
1. I ran my own business for four years before and during undergrad... not really leadership though, because it was just me.
2. Lifeguard and CPR instructor is kinda leadership, kinda, isnt it?
3. I "lead" a motorcycle trip through Mexico in 2006... (okay, okay, that is really pushing it, there was only one other guy, and it was purely for fun, with no altruistic purpose).

A year of research with a publication is great.

Having 120 hours at a homeless shelter isn't shallow.

Triathlons and cycling are good for Hobbies.

There has to be some way you could make starting your own business into Leadership. Didn't you have to sell yourself to others so they'd use your services? If not, list it under Other because it's a very good experience anyway.

I'd put lifeguard under Employment/nonclinical. CPR Instructor is Teaching.

You can put the motorcycle trip under Other as an interesting travel experience, but yeah, it's not leadership.

 

[Insulinshock]

Obviously, I am not feeling very confident about my situation, or I would not bother asking complete strangers how my stats stack up.

I don't see how most applicants can be confident applying to med school, when over half of applicants don't get in. According to AMCAS, at least 64 people didn't get into med school with a GPA>3.80 and an MCAT>39. If they couldn't get in, I don't see how anyone feels good about their app.

One of the things I've realized is that many, many people have horrible applications that we just don't realize. For instance, I know four or five people from my school that applied last year with like a 25 MCAT and a mediocre GPA with (relative to ppl on this site) subpar ECs. One guy I know submitted his primaries in October, and he was bragging to me about how he got back two secondaries, not even realizing it wasn't that big of an accomplishment (he has since been rejected from both schools).

So understand that a lot of people don't do the right things, and a lot of people apply late. I would be interested to see how many applications are left once all the garbage ones are tossed.

 

[RoboChicken]

One of the things I've realized is that many, many people have horrible applications that we just don't realize. For instance, I know four or five people from my school that applied last year with like a 25 MCAT and a mediocre GPA with (relative to ppl on this site) subpar ECs. One guy I know submitted his primaries in October, and he was bragging to me about how he got back two secondaries, not even realizing it wasn't that big of an accomplishment (he has since been rejected from both schools).

So understand that a lot of people don't do the right things, and a lot of people apply late. I would be interested to see how many applications are left once all the garbage ones are tossed.

Obviously, I am not feeling very confident about my situation, or I would not bother asking complete strangers how my stats stack up.

I don't see how most applicants can be confident applying to med school, when over half of applicants don't get in. According to AMCAS, at least 64 people didn't get into med school with a GPA>3.80 and an MCAT>39. If they couldn't get in, I don't see how anyone feels good about their app.

I totally agree with insulinshock...

I guess what i was trying to say is that going on these forums and psyching yourself out with a couple months before apps isn't really going to help at all... The people with 3.8+ GPA's and above 40MCATs that don't get in are in the small minority, and those that are like that obviously have some sorts of gaping holes/red flags in their apps...

Before I took the MCAT, I would peruse the MCAT prep threads daily, and would freak out b/c ppl on here would claim to be experts and say that months and months of study was required (which i didn't have...I barely had 3 weeks of hardcore studying). In the end, I did really well. It taught me to take SDN with a HUGE grain of salt.