In the AMCAS Work and Activities section Admission Committees are looking for at least one meaningful experience/activity that includes clinical experience w/ patient contact and/or shadowing experiences. Clinical Experience/Exposure and Shadowing SHOULD include MEANINGFUL in-person/live-patient contact (working in the morgue is not patient contact for example). Any exposure to bedside manner and/or clinical best practices is important: otherwise how do you know what your getting yourself into besides what you see on TV and Movies which is NOT what being an MD really entails. Shadowing of course is observational in nature but much can be learned from this experience. The reason clinical experience and shadowing are important is this is how you know what the job truly entails and whether or not you still want to pursue an MD after your clinical/shadowing experiences. Being an MD is not as glamorous as depicted on TV or in the Movies and can include mundane tasks like dictating or a full day of boring patients. Working virtually or at the information/admissions desk of a hospital/clinic is not clinical in nature. All said, IT'S NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU DID THAT IS MEANINGFUL IT IS WHAT YOU GOT OUT OF IT THAT MAKES IT MEANINGFUL: i.e. you could be a phlebotomist with hundreds of hours of patient contact but if you can't' demonstrate that you learned something from this experience that will make you good physician it was in vain. The experience description should focus on you and your growth versus how high-profile the experience was.
All work/activity entries should include the following:
- How much time you spent
- Your responsibilities and accomplishments
- The impact you made
- The qualities you demonstrated
Taking your experience into consideration this is what I would suggest: find a shadowing or medical/clinical volunteer/work opportunity and reflect on how your insight into being an MD has expanded and now includes a better understanding of what an MD is actually all about. This shows the virtual experience set the stage for a truly transformative experience. Perhaps your passion to pursue an MD will be strengthened afterwards. This would make your virtual experience meaningful despite not having patient contact in a clinical setting: and perhaps get you some head nods. Better yet, try offering to take health readings at your local church, school or SENIOR CENTER OR HOMELESS SHELTER such as BMI, waist circumference or blood pressure and give handouts on being overweight or having high blood pressure: low-cost/high yield. AND DON'T FORGET SUGGESTING A CONSULTATION WITH AN MD FOR FOLLOW-UP AND TO NOT DISPENCE MEDICAL ADVICE. You can demonstrate you spent a considerable amount of time planning/executing, you were responsible for all aspects (leadership), you made an impact of helping X amount of people learn more about their "possible" chronic health condition and you demonstrated key attributes of a future doctor: altruism, dedication, hard work, growth, being able to deal with people from different backgrounds and who may not look/smell the best and self-awareness.
