Just a Question

[Jdoc8025]

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So, my Biology (B.S.) graduate cGPA will be roughly 3.5-3.6 and my sGPA is around 3.8-3.9 (didnt do exact calcs). My MCAT is 33. Ive done a little shadowing and will be doing more this summer and during my senior year up until graduation. What I want to know is what are some other ways to get experience that would be good for Medical School other than just shadowing. Im pretty confident that my grades are at least semi-competitive so Im just looking on where to go as far as decent clinical experience goes. Thanks in advance!

 

[Catalystik]

You can get clinical experience with sick people through the workplace, for class credit, data gathering for a clinical trial, or via volunteerism. It can be gained at a free, family-planning, or private clinic, hospice, hospital, VA, residential home, rehabilitation facility, nursing home, as a first responder, among others.

Clinical patient experience is not always gained in a clinical environment, eg EMT, battle field medic, home hospice care, physical therapy aide, special camp environments. In such a case, you also should acquire some experience in a clinical milieu where doctors work, like a hospital, surgicenter, clinic, nursing home.

The advantage of gaining clinical exposure through volunteerism, is that it also is looked on as community service, another unwritten requirement for your application.

That said, adcomms also like to see hands-on, nonmedical/noncampus community service too.

How are you with the research, leadership, teaching, sports, artistic endeavors, and hobbies, which are other potential categories to put your experiences under?

 

[Jdoc8025]

Well to make this easier, I will just post everything that I have and see what you think.

As I already mentioned, say a 3.5cGPA, 3.8sGPA, 33MCAT

Some tutoring in biology for 2 semesters

Active in Pre-Med sciences club as well as general Biology club

Made Biological Sciences Honor Roll JR (and hopefully SR year)

Shadowing in General Surgery and Emergency Medicine

I will be volunteering at my local hospital this summer from some actual clinical experience. Ill probably do this next summer as well

I help out with my local church with some of their events (usually the 2-3 church picnics)

And Im not sure if this would matter but I will also have a minor in business administration (my Asso.) and I have worked as a manager at my local movie theatre for 4 1/2 years

What else would you suggest trying to complete before my application year. Usually that would be this year; however, Im probably taking a year off to get some more research exp.

 

[Catalystik]

The tutoring can be listd under teaching. Manager (assuming there are a number of people you are training or telling what to do) is good for leadership. Clubs don't help much unless you take a leadership role. Aim for 60-80 hours in shadowing, and try to add a primary care doc, besides the specialties you mentioned. For clinical experience, average is 1.5 years listed with a total of 150 hours. Don't just do it over summer break. Find some way to get clinical experience near your campus too, since you're applying in just one year. If you don't get it done, it won't be on your application (future plans can't be listed). So any volunteering or research planned for next summer aren't too useful, as you'll want to submit your application in early June to get maximal consideration. Or you could wait to apply until two years from now.

 

[Jdoc8025]

So to sum everything up, you think adding a little more shadowing and having my clinical experience divided between 1.5 - 2 years, along with the other things I mentioned, and of course my GPA/MCAT, I have a pretty decent chance at some MD schools?

 

[Catalystik]

Yes, you'd have a good chance of getting in somewhere. You'd appeal to more schools if you could manage 2-3 hours of regular weekly nonmedical community service for much of the time. Church picnics don't happen often enough. What about soup kitchen, Humane Society, crisis hotline, womens shelter, Habitat for Humanity, homeless shelter, or something else you care about, organizing the teens at your church to clean up the yards/paint for older people (more leadership).