Medical How do I prepare for medical school after completing PhD?

[TheBoneDoctah]

I am getting close to the end of my PhD (Cell and Molecular Bio) and would like to enter medical school after graduating. I was premed in undergrad, and had applied in the past (tried for MD/PhD). I had a good amount of shadowing, but in getting feedback from my previous denials I learned that I needed more clinical experience.

I am not a CNA or MA, but I have to imagine the experience and skills I have gained as a researcher would be applicable to some job in the hospital or clinic.

Any ideas for job/volunteer opportunities that would give me more clinical experience while also allowing me to utilize my acquired skills to be useful to my supervisors?

Research jobs/experience is not going to get you the clinical experience/hours you need. Jobs that you need for example would be scribing, patient transport, working in clinics, etc.

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[Mr.Smile12]

Exactly. Would any specific jobs in that category find value in my research/teaching experience? Or are all of the skills and experience gained through four years of research and teaching not applicable?

Unfortunately you need the clinical experience and there are no shortcuts.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Specific jobs in what? Little confused about what you're asking.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

I apologize, I am not articulating my question very well.

I understand that my research/teaching experience does not count as any form of clinical experience. I also understand that clinical experience is absolutely essential for the application process.

I am trying to find a job that would give me legitimate clinical experience. I'd be happy do any of these jobs, but would any particular job find my skills specifically useful?

For instance, I have significant teaching experience through my graduate program. Are there jobs in patient education? If so, would such a job count as clinical experience? Alternatively, many of my laboratory skills would probably transfer well to pathology or laboratory medicine. Would a job in one of those have enough patient interaction to count as clinical experience?

A job in a lab or path would not count. You need to interact with patients. I am sure there are jobs where you can use your teaching experience but probably not your lab experience which is fine.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I think @TheBoneDoctah made some suggestions already in this thread.

 

[Goro]

Unfortunately you need the clinical experience and there are no shortcuts.

In addition, non-clinical volunteering is also needed, as well as shadowing.

Medical schools are not looking for graduate students. They're looking for people who know what they're getting into, understand what a doctor's day is like, know that Medicine is a service profession, and demonstrate that they really want to be around sick and injured people for the next 30 to 40 years.

 

[Goro]

Would hospice volunteering be considered clinical volunteering? Is there a necessity for specifically NON-clinical volunteering?

Yes and yes.

What are you going to say when asked how you know you are suited for a life of caring for the sick and suffering? “That you just know”? Imagine how that will go over!

From the wise LizzyM: I am always reminded of a certain frequent poster of a few years ago. He was adamant about not volunteering as he did not want to give his services for free and he was busy and helping others was inconvenient. He matriculated to a medical school and lasted less than one year. He's now in school to become an accountant.

Ditto from LizzyM: If you have more than 300 hours of non-clinical volunteering by the time you apply you will be in the top 25% of applicants with regard to community service (based on what I see). The tip top of the pyramid are those who do a full-time volunteerism during a gap year or two (Peace Corps, City Year, etc).

Clinical... top 25% of the pool have employment in a clinical setting: EMT, scribe, patient care technician (aide). The hours don't matter... it is going to be hundreds of hours if you even work full-time for a few weeks.

The proportion of top applicants who have a publication or a thesis is relatively low -- maybe <20% if you include undergrad thesis. Publications? Less than 5% have anything in a reputable peer reviewed journal.

Most applicants have neither a thesis or a publication after 2 years of lab work during undergrad.

To stand out in the top tier, seriously, you need to be in the top 2% in terms of MCAT and have an excellent GPA. Beyond that, if you have the minimum in all areas and stand out in one or two areas (research, clinical, service, leadership, life experience) you'll be fine.


Here's another way of looking at it: would you buy a new car without test driving it? Buy a new suit or dress without trying it on??

We're also not looking for merely for good medical students, we're looking for people who will make good doctors, and 4.0 GPA robots are a dime-a-dozen.

I've seen plenty of posts here from high GPA/high MCAT candidates who were rejected because they had little patient contact experience.

Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics.

Some types of volunteer activities are more appealing than others. Volunteering in a nice suburban hospital is all very well and good and all, but doesn't show that you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty in the same way that working with the developmentally disabled (or homeless, the dying, or Alzheimers or mentally ill or elderly or ESL or domestic, rural impoverished) does. The uncomfortable situations are the ones that really demonstrate your altruism and get you 'brownie points'. Plus, they frankly teach you more -- they develop your compassion and humanity in ways comfortable situations can't.

Service need not be "unique"; it can be anything that helps people unable to help themselves and that is outside of a patient-care setting. If you can alleviate suffering in your community through service to the poor, homeless, illiterate, fatherless, etc, you are meeting an otherwise unmet need and learning more about the lives of the people (or types of people) who will someday be your patients.

Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities. The key thing is service to others less fortunate than you.

Examples include: Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Humane Society, crisis hotlines, soup kitchen, food pantry, homeless or women’s shelter, after-school tutoring for students or coaching a sport in a poor school district, teaching literacy or ESL to adults at a community center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Meals on Wheels, mentoring immigrant/refugee adults, being a friendly visitor to shut-ins, adaptive sports program coach or Special Olympics.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Would hospice volunteering be considered clinical volunteering? Is there a necessity for specifically NON-clinical volunteering?

Absolutely! That would be a good clinical volunteer activity.

And yes you need non clinical.