Is doing the bulk of my clinical experience during a gap year a bad idea?

[NotADoctor1]

I plan on graduating in December 2022 and applying in the summer of 2023. As far as extracurriculars go, I've got most of my bases covered (great research, good non-medical leadership / mini x factor, decent non-clinical volunteering), but I don't have much in the way of clinical experience besides some hospital volunteering pre-COVID. I plan on working full time in a clinical position during my gap year (probably starting in March 2023) and I can easily rack up 1000+ hours of meaningful experience that way. However, lots of these hours will be projected by the time I apply, and I worry that this might not be quite enough concrete (actually finished) clinical experience to be competitive, especially at top schools. Should I change something, or is this plan fine?

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[LindaAccepted]

Try to start getting at least a little, consistent clinical exposure before March 2023 if you plan to apply in summer 2023 and will not have had any since before March 2020 (and the start of COVID lock-downs) That's a 3-year gap, and it will make your argument look shallow (or worse) if you are going to argue you're passionate about becoming a clinician. Even four hours a week between now and then will give you an experience for the AMCAS and then you can have that more significant clinical experience as you are planning. And those hours will add up.

 

[Catalystik]

I plan on graduating in December 2022 and applying in the summer of 2023. As far as extracurriculars go, I've got most of my bases covered (great research, good non-medical leadership / mini x factor, decent non-clinical volunteering), but I don't have much in the way of clinical experience besides some hospital volunteering pre-COVID. I plan on working full time in a clinical position during my gap year (probably starting in March 2023) and I can easily rack up 1000+ hours of meaningful experience that way. However, lots of these hours will be projected by the time I apply, and I worry that this might not be quite enough concrete (actually finished) clinical experience to be competitive, especially at top schools. Should I change something, or is this plan fine?

I agree with your concern. If you want to stick with your plan for gaining additional active clinical experience, then wait to apply until 2024. Projected hours won't get you much traction.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Ceteris paribus, a longer commitment will always triumph a shorter one but it’s unlikely to be a cause for concern.

 

[frosty42]

If there's any way you can start earlier than March (more like January) that'd be ideal so you have substantial experiences to talk about. There's nothing wrong with delaying your application another year - a year is very insignificant in the long run. I have taken two gap years and would've been more than happy doing a third.

Aside from passive shadowing, I only had 6 months of clinical experience working part-time as a medical assistant and I have 6 interviews this cycle so it's definitely doable. As long as you can make it clear to adcoms that you know what you're getting yourself into, you should be ok, but I would be very wary of having the majority of your clinical hours being projected.

 

[DoctorFate]

I plan on graduating in December 2022 and applying in the summer of 2023. As far as extracurriculars go, I've got most of my bases covered (great research, good non-medical leadership / mini x factor, decent non-clinical volunteering), but I don't have much in the way of clinical experience besides some hospital volunteering pre-COVID. I plan on working full time in a clinical position during my gap year (probably starting in March 2023) and I can easily rack up 1000+ hours of meaningful experience that way. However, lots of these hours will be projected by the time I apply, and I worry that this might not be quite enough concrete (actually finished) clinical experience to be competitive, especially at top schools. Should I change something, or is this plan fine?

Honestly, I would recommend doing something like what I did. I volunteered for under 50 hours during over 3 months in summer 2020. Then I racked up 400+ hours over 6 months, and I've been volunteering less than 10 hours a month since then. On paper, this works out to 500 hours over 10 months, which looks more reasonable and longer committed to adcoms (as they don't ask you for monthly breakdowns).

As long as you're willing to put in the hours, just do some groundwork to ensure that the timeline that will appear on paper looks the most favorable they can.