how do adcomms view clinical experience gained abroad?

[Meige]

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[chagramama]

I saw sick people in Ecuador with a doctor and a shaman. It came up in almost every interview I had and I think it will be viewed positively.

I think you should definitely mention it becuase it makes you unique. But make sure you know what medicine is like here too! I think you've already got that covered. Best of luck

 

[Meige]

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[chagramama]

Yeah, and they might be interested if you compare what you saw in other countries with what you saw here and how that inspires you to work abroad etc. I noticed a lot of people who have done health projects in other countries took that approach during a discussion on one of my interview days.

 

[slowbutsteady]

I'm a non-traditional applicant -- decided I wanted to apply to medical school my senior year after studying public health / global health for two years. Still have yet to complete most of the prereqs. I have some clinical experience that I gained during summer internships abroad, but I'm not sure how adcomms will view it?

Over a summer, I shadowed physicians in a methadone clinic in China and lived and worked at a therapeutic drug rehabilitation center for two weeks. In Africa, I ended up shadowing two community nurses who saw patients in village churches... about 5 hours a day x 3 days per week for 11 weeks.

I didn't set out to get these clinical experiences, they just happened during the course of my internships... and observing these patient-clinician encounters was instrumental in convincing me that I wanted to pursue a career in medicine.



I realize that I didn't get to witness how medicine is practiced in the US, and I'm planning to get clinical experience in the US over the next year while I finish my prereqs and prep for the MCAT. But I'm wondering how much I should prioritize it? Especially if I aspire to spend much of my life working abroad?

That is terrific and meaningful clinical experience. No need to observe in US. Adcoms will be very interested in your experiences.

 

[LizzyM]

Do not confuse what an interviewer may choose to ask about during an interview with what is important in determining who will get an interview and an offer of admission. I interview 80 or more applicants per year and some interviewers see several hundred applicants. Anything that is unusual might be what we ask about just because it makes things more interesting for us. We still want to know that you have some clue about how medicine is practiced in the US if you intend to attend medical school in the US and do a residency in the US.

Have some experience in the US before submitting the AMCAS. There are plenty of urban and immigrant communities that can provide you will a useful experience while you provide them with assistance.