Just decided on medical school...

[Nannerzz]

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Hello! I am a sophomore at UC Irvine. Gpa around 3.8 in psychology major. Luckily I love sciences and have taken chem/bio/physics courses as my electives so I will have med school prerequisites done when I graduate.

I just decided to go for medical school. I have always wanted to but was a bad student in high school and decided it wasn't attainable. I decided that if its what I really want, I should go for it.

My question is about work/volunteer experience. I have been volunteering at the same women's homeless shelter for about 2 years and plan to continue that. I also work full time at a women's drug& alcohol treatment center (rehab) and by the time I graduate I will have put in 6,000 hours of work experience there.

Is my experience working at a rehab and volunteering at a homeless shelter applicable to medical school? I am trying to figure out if I should go for my CNA or stay working in treatment.

Thank you!

 

[DrMikeP]

Hello! I am a sophomore at UC Irvine. Gpa around 3.8 in psychology major. Luckily I love sciences and have taken chem/bio/physics courses as my electives so I will have med school prerequisites done when I graduate.

I just decided to go for medical school. I have always wanted to but was a bad student in high school and decided it wasn't attainable. I decided that if its what I really want, I should go for it.

My question is about work/volunteer experience. I have been volunteering at the same women's homeless shelter for about 2 years and plan to continue that. I also work full time at a women's drug& alcohol treatment center (rehab) and by the time I graduate I will have put in 6,000 hours of work experience there.

Is my experience working at a rehab and volunteering at a homeless shelter applicable to medical school? I am trying to figure out if I should go for my CNA or stay working in treatment.

Thank you!

It's applicable for volunteer and work experience, but right now I'd spend some effort getting shadowing opportunities with a physician both MD and DO. CNA isn't that far above what you are likely exposed to now. You might aim for scribe and work in an ER if you want a job with direct benefits. Keep your gpa that high and get A's in Biochem and score well on the MCAT.

Good Luck!

 

[Goro]

Very much so, for non-clinical experience.

You will still need patient contact experience to demonstrate that you know what you're getting into and that you really want to be around sick and injured people for the next 30-40 years.

And don't forget shadowing!

My question is about work/volunteer experience. I have been volunteering at the same women's homeless shelter for about 2 years and plan to continue that. I also work full time at a women's drug& alcohol treatment center (rehab) and by the time I graduate I will have put in 6,000 hours of work experience there.

Is my experience working at a rehab and volunteering at a homeless shelter applicable to medical school? I am trying to figure out if I should go for my CNA or stay working in treatment.

Thank you!

 

[Doctor-S]

Hi Nannerzz,

Assuming your sGPA is excellent, it is advisable to accumulate hours "shadowing" a physician or volunteering/working in a dedicated health-care venue (such as an ER or perhaps completing an EMT course).

On the other hand, if your sGPA is not excellent, it is advisable to focus more of your attention on increasing your sGPA (and less attention on volunteer hours). Med schools often look at your sGPA and MCAT scores before they look at anything else. So, you want to provide a strong first impression showing that you can manage the academic rigors associated with med school.

Thank you.