How many hours did you apply with?

[KyleJames]

Hello,

I am curious how many hours of volunteering/shadowing/research/etc. applicants have attained before applying to med school. I know volunteering should be done out of the good of the heart, and I think it is for most people, but I also realize that the number of hours heavily affects an applicants shot at acceptance.

Thanks for any replies.

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[DrShephardWannabe]

Shadowing/clinical volunteering/research all serve a purpose of knowing what you're getting into, and in the case of research, furthering the field of medicine. There may be a certain number that below which, adcoms may look at on paper and go "This served no purpose." (Adcoms on here may be able to provide insight here) For example, 5 hours of shadowing doesn't possibly mean you could have a decent comprehension at a doctor's average day. But anything above that paper "cutoff" it's your job to explain the meaningfulness of the activity to you and that's what makes the difference.

 

[ridethecliche]

Over 9000

 

[Leslie_Knope]

It is less about the hours and more about the long-term time commitment. I had 2+ years of volunteer work. 1+ year of research. About 30 hours of shadowing.

 

[Lawpy]

Hello,

I am curious how many hours of volunteering/shadowing/research/etc. applicants have attained before applying to med school. I know volunteering should be done out of the good of the heart, and I think it is for most people, but I also realize that the number of hours heavily affects an applicants shot at acceptance.

Thanks for any replies.

The rough estimate is 100+ hours (or 1 year) of clinical volunteering, 50+ hours of shadowing, 400+ hours (or 1 year) of research.

 

[lurking892]

20 hours of shadowing, which SDN seems to widely think is foolhardy. But I had 1+ year clinical volunteering, even more non-clinical volunteering + research, and (imho) very good stats. I think it all depends on the applicant.

 

[rugger4]

Had about 150 hours volunteering, 35 shadowing, and 350 research. 2 acceptances and waiting to here from 2 other schools so those numbers were good enough.

 

[rachel993]

At the time I submitted AMCAS
Non-medical volunteering: ~1200
Medical volunteering (direct patient contact) : ~ 200
Shadowing: ~150
Research: ~200, abstract published and presentation scheduled

And I agree about the longterm thing. 1200 hours of non-medical volunteering may not be necessary, but completing your first 50 the summer before you apply sends a bad message.

 

[sephora89]

Why would the summer before one applies be bad? It seems like one year of volunteering is average. @rachel993

 

[Leslie_Knope]

Why would the summer before one applies be bad? It seems like one year of volunteering is average. @rachel993

Because then you would not have the experience before you apply. Summer before application? When do you plan to apply. It's best to get your application in in June.

 

[sephora89]

I started some of my volunteer experiences quite a while ago. I do plan on joining a soup kitchen either this or next month though. I'm applying summer of 2016. I do not see why starting the summer before one applies is a big deal.

I'm guessing you're referring to starting an experience the same summer one applies? @Leslie_Knope

 

[meander]

100 clinical volunteering, 1500 research, 75 shadowing.

Tempering that research number, I was 100% set on pursuing a PhD (until I didn't), so that's the result of full time research every summer in undergrad, plus part time research during my post-bac.

 

[TxC]

I have too little of everything based on SDN standards.

 

[genobyte]

I have too little of everything based on SDN standards.

same here. All I had was ~20 shadowing hours

 

[mbeus]

I got in with only 20 hours of shadowing, but I had over 2000 patient contact hours from my job. I only had 75 hours of research, and about 100 hours of nonclinical volunteering.

 

[rachel993]

Why would the summer before one applies be bad? It seems like one year of volunteering is average. @rachel993

med schools want to see altruism. cramming a couple short-lived service activities in right before you apply sends the message that you are just doing it to check a box on your application. I didn't mean starting a new activity that you've just become interested in. I meant getting your very first hours of volunteering in as a last ditch effort just so you're able to say "I've volunteered". med schools will see through that.

 

[johnnytest]

At the time of applying
Non-medical Volunteering: 40
Medical Volunteering: ~150
Research: ~1000

 

[electrophile1984]

I will be applying with:

200 clinical volunteer
100 non clinical volunteer
225 research
10 Shadowing hours currently, getting 20 more this summer

Applying this spring

 

[DocFarnsworth]

Over 9000

Holy ****

 

[einsteinm]

Holy ****

Its a joke.

 

[ridethecliche]

Its a joke.

A meme really, but both my clinical jobs totaled over 8k hours in my application, which will be fulfilled by matriculation.

Doesn't include shadowing or volunteer experiences (public health related).

 

[sephora89]

med schools want to see altruism. cramming a couple short-lived service activities in right before you apply sends the message that you are just doing it to check a box on your application. I didn't mean starting a new activity that you've just become interested in. I meant getting your very first hours of volunteering in as a last ditch effort just so you're able to say "I've volunteered". med schools will see through that.

1-1.5 years is the average though.

 

[rachel993]

1-1.5 years is the average though.

I don't think you're getting my point

sure. 1-1.5 years is fine, as long as it's meaningful and you demonstrate commitment

 

[sephora89]

I don't think you're getting my point

sure. 1-1.5 years is fine, as long as it's meaningful and you demonstrate commitment

I do understand what you're saying. Yes starting volunteering 2 months would seem like one is merely cramming and trying to check off a box, but a year? Not so much. I do think it's possible to show commitment to service or to a certain population in a year+ timeframe.

 

[Gregarious_and_Hilarious]

See my MDapps for total hours

I definitely agree on the commitment aspect. While spending an hour a week or so working with kids may seem like negligible hours (15 a semester), the long term commitment is much more impressive

 

[cidem2065]

I got in with only 20 hours of shadowing, but I had over 2000 patient contact hours from my job. I only had 75 hours of research, and about 100 hours of nonclinical volunteering.

Similar. 8 hours of shadowing, 0 research. About 8,000 clinical work experience though.

Shadowing is not a requirement for getting in to medical school. Knowing what a doctor (or various doctors) does and what their day is like is. There is a distinction.

 

[Señor Chang]

At the time I submitted AMCAS
Non-medical volunteering: ~1200
Medical volunteering (direct patient contact) : ~ 200
Shadowing: ~150
Research: ~200, abstract published and presentation scheduled

And I agree about the longterm thing. 1200 hours of non-medical volunteering may not be necessary, but completing your first 50 the summer before you apply sends a bad message.

I disagree, I don't think it would necessarily send a bad message. I did that and in my application and I wrote about it like: I felt like I wanted to learn more about x,y,z branch of medicine so I took the opportunity to volunteer at a,b,c.

 

[tiedyeddog]

same here. All I had was ~20 shadowing hours

You really don't need much more than that. More than 100 is a COMPLETE waste of time.

 

[Fuglen92]

I have ~300hrs teaching low-income and special education students (I'm a work-study student, so I was paid. Non-work-study people are volunteers) + 300hrs of college TA work, ~100hrs shadowing, I'll have ~180hrs clinical volunteering, and ~3700hrs of research.

Why are people on this site so dismissive of shadowing? I come from a town of non-college educated adults and I used to get free physicals from my school because I couldn't afford to go to the doctors, so I had literally no concept of what being a doctor actually entailed. When I was trying to decide between careers, I shadowed for full 8-9hrs shifts and observed 5hr surgeries- I don't think I could have made an informed decision if I had any less shadowing. My clinical volunteering has taught me customer service skills more than it taught me about medicine. I feel like shadowing gets a bad rap when it has actually been pretty useful to me.

 

[Salt Salt]

One. But it was a good hour.

 

[Nica56744]

Depends on the applicant I think. I had less than 20 hours shadowing, about 50 clinical volunteering, and about 100 non clinical volunteering. I also had a decent chunk of research hours and a ton of working (some in tutoring/teaching and some service industry). Was only brought up once in my interviews. I explained I've been pretty much on my own as far as paying for college/needed to primarily focus on school and work. Was a non issue. Interviewer remarked something along the lines of maybe that was why I came off as a lot older than I actually am/someone who's not still in undergrad.

I think as long as you can show how you productively spent your time and have some volunteering, it'll be fine.

 

[bruwin2011]

>1600 undergrad medically related volunteering
-around 300 hours of research in undergrad, 2.5 years of full time CRC position (assume 2080 hours of a work a year, for a full time position)
100 hours of shadowing (although I don't think I included it on my application)
around 250 nonmedical volunteering

my cGPA and sGPA are very low (not a URM, CA resident), my MCAT is solid, and I had excellent EC. I had 3 MD interviews (1 acceptance, 2 WL still), 5 DO interviews (3 acceptances, did not attend 2 interviews). I think that it's not about checking off hourly requirements, but rather finding things that you get something out of it, and can talk about in your app and on interviews. All of the schools I got interviews were in line of my volunteering with their mission and with the work I have done, so my suggestion is to find something you are passionate about and volunteer there.

 

[creel03]

I currently have 7200 hours at a level 1 trauma center ICU as a tech (all during my last 3 years in undergrad). Will medical school really like this? does it really matter?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

When I apply, I'll have:

- 10,000 hours of paid clinical experience
- 150 hours of shadowing (vascular surgeon, GMO, and pediatrician)
- ~500 hours non-clinical volunteering
- ~450 hours of research with at least two sole author pubs and a poster at a natl conference
- Also will have 6 years of military experience in there so that will probably help I think

 

[ciestar]

>4000 hours "clinical" employment (it was pharmacy) which included a leadership position
>200 hours direct patient contact clinical experiences
~250 hours nonclinical volunteering (majority ~200 hrs being to an organization that helps underprivileged children - i have a leadership position here as well)
~60 hours of shadowing (family medicine, peds, ophthalmology, pulmonology, orthopedic surgeon)
-1 semester of a light research project
-4 semesters of a unique TA experience

 

[protego]

When I applied I definitely had a couple of people tell me that I had not enough hours in specific things but when it came down to it, I felt prepared and certain that I had a compelling story as to why I wanted to be a physician. Fortunately, this has been a successful application cycle for me so I would just like to encourage people who are getting bogged down by values that there's really a lot more to it!

 

[Dr.Sticks]

Over 300 hours of clinical volunteering
No non clinical or research yet
I am a sophomore so I didn't apply and I probably will take a gap year and work in research

 

[Mclovin0351]

Think I had
150 hrs non clinical volunteering (one sustained experience)
500 research
150 shadowing (emergency, obgyn, internist)
Lots of nonmedical work but I spun it well
5 years reserve military

My passion for fitness and journey there also featured and ended up being what I talked about most at my top choice.
You'll notice no clinical volunteering (and none to those less fortunate), that definitely hurt me at some schools but I think my other strengths made up for it. I also had a very compelling PS according to several interviewers.

 

[mistafab]

I had a bit over 2000 clinical hours (job), around 350 service, and probably close to 500 hours of research (with pubs to prove productivity).

Then some EC leadership for 1 year and a half.

 

[Fancy_Feast]

I know this is a old thread but I would like the world to know that you don't have to be perfect to get into medical school.
I had **gasp** 12 hours of shadowing...But as it turns out, other parts of my application made up for it
~500 clinical hours
~100 research hours
~130 volunteer hours
~3,000 leadership hours (I'm a non-trad who switched careers, which makes an interesting story)

Hours matter, but so does being able to tell a compelling story about why you want to be a physician.

 

[ChemYoda]

1

 

[BombsAway]

I know this is a old thread but I would like the world to know that you don't have to be perfect to get into medical school.
I had **gasp** 12 hours of shadowing...But as it turns out, other parts of my application made up for it
~500 clinical hours
~100 research hours
~130 volunteer hours
~3,000 leadership hours (I'm a non-trad who switched careers, which makes an interesting story)

Hours matter, but so does being able to tell a compelling story about why you want to be a physician.

you count leadership hours as its own category? like, did you give leadership its own block out of the 15 available?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

you count leadership hours as its own category? like, did you give leadership its own block out of the 15 available?

Second that question.

 

[whistleberries]

Second that question.

I did for one of my on- campus jobs on my app, there's a designation of Leadership - Not Otherwise Specified or something to that effect. The job wasn't research, teaching, or clinical, but I was a prominent figure in the department, so leadership fit best

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I did for one of my on- campus jobs on my app, there's a designation of Leadership - Not Otherwise Specified or something to that effect. The job wasn't research, teaching, or clinical, but I was a prominent figure in the department, so leadership fit best

Sweet. I have quite a few leadership positions I can put down.

 

[Fancy_Feast]

you count leadership hours as its own category? like, did you give leadership its own block out of the 15 available?

No, I listed it an employment. But made it clear it was leadership.
Edit: this was one of my "most meaningful" so I had space to write about how I learned to lead a team and the skills I thought would help me in medicine.

 

[When the Moon Forgot]

(Content redacted to preserve anonymity)

 

[premed1234567891011]

medical volunteering: 132 completed, 150 planned for gap year
medical related work: 1900 planned for gap year
research: 743
non medical work: 510 completed, 400 planned for gap year

wow, i just realized i didn't list any shadowing on AMCAS...
worked out anyway, but i guess that's not suggested lol

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I wonder if being an NCO counts as leadership. Its not up there with pre-med club vice president, but i'll see if I can't swing it.

Yeah, I know being an NCO and work center supervisor for two work centers on two commands during deployment and myriad Big Navy inspections, not to mention being the ordnance officer on board as an E-5 and supervising a Chief and an Ensign aren't **** compared to being an officer in a college club, but I'll list it anyway.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I'll briefly mention leading men into combat at 20, disarming IED's with a gerber and bad decisions, applying pressure to GSW's while returning fire while injured... but mostly i'll focus on my transformative involvement in the pre-med club.

gotta check those boxes

Yeah. Definitely going to gloss over reaching into a man's chest to grab his heart, rushing to the scene of a mass conflagration after our ship was struck by a missile (two weeks after my wedding!), and leading security sweeps on my VBSS team in favor of being a member of AAAS.