Is my experience "Stand-out"?

[OrdinaryDO]

I have a question regarding my experience working and volunteering in the medical field. I have had to support myself all through school and to be quite honest I have been on my own since the age of 14. I just want some honest feedback on some of my experience and whether or not it will stand-out over most applicants to D.O. schools.

I have been working FULL TIME in the medical field; Switching positions every now in then from being a CNA to a Nurse Tech in the Emergency Department. I have worked in the ICU in two major hospitals in Tulsa, OK and one major hospital in Fayetteville, AR. I have experience as a cross-trained unit secretary in a major hospital where I would deal with Doctors on a professional basis and deal with documents vital to the patient's care and financial issues. I have many years of experience working with Radiology, Interventional Radiology and Cardiology, as well as working a simple job as a CNA in a level 2 assisted living facility where I get to know patients (residents) on a more personal level.

Apart from that, I have been lucky enough to have connections with Physicians (mostly D.O.'s) in many fields. I have shadowed significantly in the fields of: Cardiology, Physical Rehabilitation, Anesthesiology, General Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Intensivest, Pulmonology, Infectious Disease, and Pathology. I might be leaving out one or two, there are so many I have had the honor of shadowing.

Also, I have experience in Third-World Countries where I have had some defining moments in my career as a student and medical worker that have really opened my heart and eyes and showed me that THIS is where I want to be and where I feel like I can make the biggest difference. Medicine is my calling, I am fully convinced.


I greatly appreciate you all taking the time to read my boring Auto-Biography!

Haha, cheers =)

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[AlteredScale]

Yeah you definitely have a strong and stand out experience in clinical work that will help you tremendously with applying!


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[AlbinoHawk DO]

Very strong experience. I know WesternU gives out scholarships to students with outstanding dedication to humanism, so you may want to apply here.

 

[Fargofargo]

Strong? Yes, definitely have demonstrated yourself to a career in medicine/healthcare.

Unique? Eh. All pre-meds(including myself) are doing the same stuff, volunteering, abroad trips, entry level jobs( ER tech, CNA, PT Aide). But your amount definitely noteworthy.


Remember, it's not always about the length of the list, it's about what you truly observed and learned from each. Because we all know that volunteering at a hospital can easily turn into sitting there doing homework sessions, if you don't actively look for things to do.

 

[GUH]

Yeah, your clinical experience box is checked off. Nice work.
Now on to the academic stuff! Your experience will help but you still have to get decent grades and test scores to have a solid chance.

Good luck.

 

[pericardium]

As others have said, you're different, but you're not the only one with that kind of experience.

 

[costales]

Well, you can't get in by good works alone. Gotta show some numbers.

 

[UTsksk]

Just remember. You can have all the experience in the world, but if you can't talk about it during the interview or mention it in the proper way in an essay, it'll do you no good. You definitely have some great experiences so good luck.

 

[Hermoinely]

I agree with UTsksk. No matter what experiences you put on your resume, it won't be enough if you can't talk about it in an interview. Imagine you're the interviewer. You see someone with all these different experiences. The applicant stands out, so you're curiose to see just how much she gained from all that work/volunteering/experiences. If the applicant struggles to talk about the experiences, or just briefs over it with a general statement, then you would be skeptical to believe the applicant is qualified. Applicants need clinical experience not to put on paper, but to talk about and show the interviewer that he/she is qualified and ready and knows what's happening. Interviewers don't want to invest in clueless idiots

 

[evooo8]

Make sure your grades and MCAT are good and if you can convey all your experiences into really good personal statement, secondaries and interviews you will have a nice selection of schools to choose between.

 

[DocWinter]

You're not a cookie cut applicant, certainly, but you don't stand out as much as you might think. There are people who you will interview with that have been in all sorts of fields, have traveled more than you, have volunteer experience here and worldwide...have Masters, PhD, owned their own companies...
Never stand on your laurels in this field. Go into every interview wanting it, not expecting a pass due to your experience. And be ready to talk about it, and show your enthusiasm.

 

[PlaqueBuster]

Clinical experience check. You just need a good PS, LOR, MCAT, GPA, and interview skills. But great job on immersing yourself in the medical field and now you just have to show that passion when you apply.

 

[cabinbuilder]

Not really a stand out. They are going to ask you about "what else do you like to do that is non-medical" It's not always about the medicine. It's about how you balance your life with other things so you don't get burn out during your career.


I think the best essay topic ever I have come across: I was talking with a guy who was applying to medical school, his undergrad research was tagging and recording movements of polar bears in relation to the ice pack on the Arctic Ocean. I told him that was his essay!!! Just too interesting to pass up and he would get an interview just for the sheer rarity of that experience.

 

[Mavs88]

Kinda funny your username has "ordinary" and "MD" in it lol