Is medical interpreting useful for applying to med school?

[hs764]

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I'm applying to med school next spring and I'm trying to figure out what to do to bolster my resume. I've worked for the past three years in a medical research setting, but I have very little recent clinical experience. I've thought about shadowing a doctor for a while, but I'm also considering getting certified as a medical interpreter as I am fluent in Spanish. I feel like that would give me some good hands-on experience and would also give me another option for a new job in between applying to schools and (hopefully) starting since I'm not sure I want to stay at my current research job past next summer. However, interpreting courses can be expensive and I might not do it if it won't be any more beneficial to my resume than just shadowing a doctor. Does anyone have any experience with this? My MCAT is 525 and my GPA for the premed postbac I'm in is 3.61, hopefully will have brought it up a bit by the end of next spring.

 

[keemobad]

My MCAT is 525

Be confident and know this will raise many eyebrows.
I feel like with shadowing you will get the best experience because 1. no money paid. 2. less risk to your GPA as you won't have to take courses other than your schoolwork. Also shadowing can really be helpful by solely observation. You can enjoy it without having to do work during.
Seriously though, great job on that MCAT and start your application with confidence. Make sure you have your application ready for submission as soon as the 2018-2019 AMCAS opens since that will give you another significant advantage.

 

[tessellations]

Shadowing is important, but is not considered a hands on clinical experience. Have you considered volunteering at a nearby hospital, hospice, or nursing home?

 

[NonTrad16]

What are your current experiences? If you have no shadowing, it would probably be more crucial to get that (~50 hours). Clinical experience could be volunteering or paid, and service to those in need within your community is also important.

I think medical interpreting would be a great EC, but understand that a lot of schools will probably check standard experience too (shadowing, community volunteering). As far as I know, whether your clinical experience is volunteer or paid doesn't matter (given that you've demonstrated altruism in other ways), but clinical employment as an interpreter wouldn't count as/replace shadowing... you'd be an employee, gaining good experience, but not focused on what the physicians are doing.

All that said, you have a decent GPA and amazing MCAT, so... maybe there's more leeway there. If it were me, I'd see if it's feasible (time/expense/etc) to become an interpreter with a month or three before you'd submit applications (while still having fulfilled or in the process of fulfilling the other expectations). If it is feasible, I'd go for it. In my own shadowing and volunteering experience I've seen the challenges for medical professionals working across a language barrier.

Alternatively, if there are other opportunities in the community to demonstrate your multilingual skills with fewer hurdles (no certification, volunteer basis, etc) I think that would prove similarly beneficial.

 

[Lucca]

I work as an interpreter. Best volunteering position you can ever have. Idk if adcoms feel the same way, but it has taught me a lot more about working with patients than regular shadowing. Even if I have a lot of work to do, I look forward to being called in to work a shift.

 

[Goro]

Yes, very much so. And Spanish language skills are always appreciated.

I'm applying to med school next spring and I'm trying to figure out what to do to bolster my resume. I've worked for the past three years in a medical research setting, but I have very little recent clinical experience. I've thought about shadowing a doctor for a while, but I'm also considering getting certified as a medical interpreter as I am fluent in Spanish. I feel like that would give me some good hands-on experience and would also give me another option for a new job in between applying to schools and (hopefully) starting since I'm not sure I want to stay at my current research job past next summer. However, interpreting courses can be expensive and I might not do it if it won't be any more beneficial to my resume than just shadowing a doctor. Does anyone have any experience with this? My MCAT is 525 and my GPA for the premed postbac I'm in is 3.61, hopefully will have brought it up a bit by the end of next spring.

 

[hs764]

What are your current experiences? If you have no shadowing, it would probably be more crucial to get that (~50 hours). Clinical experience could be volunteering or paid, and service to those in need within your community is also important.

I think medical interpreting would be a great EC, but understand that a lot of schools will probably check standard experience too (shadowing, community volunteering). As far as I know, whether your clinical experience is volunteer or paid doesn't matter (given that you've demonstrated altruism in other ways), but clinical employment as an interpreter wouldn't count as/replace shadowing... you'd be an employee, gaining good experience, but not focused on what the physicians are doing.

All that said, you have a decent GPA and amazing MCAT, so... maybe there's more leeway there. If it were me, I'd see if it's feasible (time/expense/etc) to become an interpreter with a month or three before you'd submit applications (while still having fulfilled or in the process of fulfilling the other expectations). If it is feasible, I'd go for it. In my own shadowing and volunteering experience I've seen the challenges for medical professionals working across a language barrier.

Alternatively, if there are other opportunities in the community to demonstrate your multilingual skills with fewer hurdles (no certification, volunteer basis, etc) I think that would prove similarly beneficial.

I don't really have any clinical experience in a hospital. I spent a year doing case work as a social worker for a nonprofit, a year doing mental health research for a hospital (where I worked directly with research participants), and now I've been working in a neuroimaging lab for three years, where I work with patient data but very rarely with patients themselves. I do have about 90-100 hours assisting with fMRI scans and conducting neuropsych evaluations in my current workplace, but none of that has been with doctors and it was all for research purposes, not for clinical.

 

[hs764]

Shadowing is important, but is not considered a hands on clinical experience. Have you considered volunteering at a nearby hospital, hospice, or nursing home?

That's kind of my thought...I'm sure it would be valuable, but I wouldn't be actively doing anything and I would most likely only get to experience one area of medicine. I have thought about volunteering in the emergency department or something. Would that be considered an acceptable replacement to shadowing? I'm still working full-time and in school so I can really only take on one more thing.

 

[benjamin94559]

I'm currently a medical interpreter and I love it. Lets be honest, alot of pre med volunteering isn't all that hands on and you dont feel like you're doing anything but interpreting is great because its one of the few opportunities for you to be actively and integrally involved in patient care.

 

[tessellations]

That's kind of my thought...I'm sure it would be valuable, but I wouldn't be actively doing anything and I would most likely only get to experience one area of medicine. I have thought about volunteering in the emergency department or something. Would that be considered an acceptable replacement to shadowing? I'm still working full-time and in school so I can really only take on one more thing.

Unfortunately, there isn't really a replacement for shadowing. You should definitely try to get both experiences if you can, but I believe that hands on clinical experience is the more important of the two (and you should have more hours of it), especially if you can show you have a strong understanding of the profession (though I'm not an ADCOM - so take my advice with a grain of salt).