Medical How do I get clinical exposure for medical school during COVID?

[TheBoneDoctah]

Hello! Sorry it'll be a long read but I would really appreciate some advice on what steps I should take to improve my chances of getting into a medical school. I'm new here so please let me know if this was not the adequate place to post this question.

Some background, I'm a first semester junior and want to go straight into medical school. So I'll be applying the next cycle (2021-2022). I'm really anxious at the moment because I somehow missed all the information about clinical exposure being a 'recommendation', but in reality being a requirement through researches I've done for the medical school application in the past. The pre-med counselor at my school was not helpful, but regardless, this is completely on me. I am saying this to answer the question of why I didn't start earlier. I was under the impression that research was a good thing to put on my application and devoted my entire attention to that (400+hrs of basic science research, 2 posters, 1 possible publication before I graduate). My goal however is a MD program and going on to be a practicing surgeon.

I had originally planned to start some clinical exposures the end of sophomore year, I applied to several opportunities over the summer and was still waiting to hear back when COVID-19 hit. Almost all of my plans went down the drain. Thankfully, one converted to an virtual format instead of straight-up cancelling. However, that does mean that I'm missing the face-to-face clinical exposure that came as the bundle deal with the program. I also sought out a virtual shadowing program (certified) to at least compensate for my painfully absent hours in clinical exposure and shadowing.

At this point, I expect to hit the minimum 50 hours of shadowing by the time I apply for med school via virtual shadowing. I have reached out to many places that I've seen to be suggested on SDN: free clinics, hospitals, mobile clinics, and hospices. None have opportunities with clinical exposure still open. My non-medical volunteering is also on the low side and patch-worked, but the programs I'm interested in only comes around once a year for a few days (about... 100 hours at this point?). I have a few other ECs here and there. I'm running out of options, and the one I'm looking at right now is scribing, which has a 2 year requirement in the hospitals around my area. What might be some other suggestions?

My dream goal would probably be getting accepted by one of the Top 20 Medical Schools. My GPA is 4.0 and I anticipate a good MCAT score. Would that be even possible?

Thank you guys so much!

The only thing you can do right now is take what you can get. Admissions knows about covid and I assume they will allow people to have remote experiences. Hopefully this will
Blow over soon so you can get real in-person experiences.

As far as can you get into a top 20 program? Sure. You ARE behind the game on ECs but you can catch up. Just wondering, why are you so hard pressed on going to a top 20?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[tantacles]

Thank you for the quick response! I hope so too! To answer your question about the top 20, the short answer would be I am high achieving.

I understand that a lot of people who made it this far in the pre-med route are probably really goal-oriented high achievers, and I would say I am one too. I'm doing research, taking two language minors, and had some leadership positions in clubs. Here I thought I was ahead of the game until the summer health program pointed me to the right direction (and the requirements I never saw before). I think (as a rather uninformed pre-med student due to the lack of exposure) if I become a physician, I want to know that I've done the absolute most I possibly can to learn what I need for the field.

Another reason is that getting into Johns Hopkins in particular is an unfulfilled dream for me. I was accepted to their undergraduate program as a Biology major, but after consulting many people and considering my financial situation I chose a full-ride scholarship from a state university. The same happened for the UC schools I applied to (all accepted, UCLA offered a big scholarship but not a full-ride). The full ride has worked out beautifully. I'm not trying to devalue it by comparing to all these big names. In fact, I'm super grateful that they had accepted me!

I'm sure there are many people on this awesome site who have achieved a lot more than what I can imagine. I'm not saying all these things with the intent of bragging, since this was just for getting in to an undergrad. I just want to convey the sense of that unfulfilled feeling to an overachiever like me. I want to be able to get into one of those schools and realize one of the possibilities that I had given up.

Research is great. That being said, you have to tick all the boxes, and to get into top schools, you also have to have something else exceptional. I'm not going to tell you how much to prioritize pedigree. What I will say is that if you don't have all the pieces together, it would be my strong suggestion that you wait a year before applying so that all of your experiences will be on your application. Do not apply until you are truly ready. Medical schools don't care if you take a year off as long as you aren't just sitting on your bum during that year doing nothing. You can even have a stronger application by taking a year off.

So take your time, consider taking a gap year to make sure your application is as strong as possible, and do your best. Come back for us to tell you your chances when you've taken the MCAT and have a final GPA. We can't give you any real information until then.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

If you are truly set on getting into a top 20 your app needs to be as close to perfect as possible. It would be a shame if you had great numbers and then didn’t have enough ECs which is just truly about time commitment.

 

[Goro]

OP, your goal should be on getting into A medical school, not merely top schools. Will you turn down Drexel or Albany if those are your only acceptances?

Here is a harsh truth: your health, as well as that of your family and society, are more important than your med school plans. So if you have to lose a year due to COVID before you get your clinical exposure in, then so be it. Med schools aren't going anywhere.
You're also going to have to bulk up the nonclinical volunteering as well.

Try getting a scribing job.

Meals on Wheels and food banks might be doable now; also inquire with your local houses of worship

I agree, top 20s are not my only choices. They are my hopeful dream goals that I want to work towards. Getting accepted to a medical school would be amazing!

I understand very well that with the COVID risk it's not possible to participate in most clinical exposures. I consider that when I ask about these opportunities. I am thinking about scribing for sure.

As for my ECs, I have checked with the food bank. Right now I am considering one of several long-term, non-clinical volunteer opportunities that I have an interest in and will make a decision to participate soon.