Light clinical volunteering, but other general activities? Enough?

[TheBiologist]

My medically related/patient contact volunteering is weak - less than 50 hours really; seems like over 100 is the goal but idk if I can attain that

I do have some other things. here is what i'm putting on my app


job: 650
research: 250
clinical volunteering: 50
non-clinical volunteering: 60
shadow: 20
clubs (3): 55 hours
tutor (paid): 40 hours

nothing fancy; will I be generally fine as long as I have the the gpa/mcat for various schools?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[aalamruad]

50 is very low, I'd be pretty worried if I were you. You only have 70 hours of clinical experience; I don't think that'll convince adcoms that you know what it's like to be a doctor.

 

[Runner500]

All those numbers give me the impression you've only been doing those activities for a few months and quitting, or you just started them in the past few months. Whether that's true or not IDK.

 

[LizzyM]

By the time you apply as a rising senior, you've been out of HS for approximately 156 weeks. Use that as a yardstick to measure the time you've spent in service to others and testing your interest in medicine as a career.

 

[jb94mg]

I have 110 hours of nursing home volunteering and I still am not sure if I want to be a doctor. Believe me, 50 hours isn't enough to know much about medicine.

Also seems like you haven't volunteered much in general. I can guess what Goro would say. It could come across like you've spent a lot of time on campus but not much time helping others who're in need.

 

[Geo16]

By the time you apply as a rising senior, you've been out of HS for approximately 156 weeks. Use that as a yardstick to measure the time you've spent in service to others and testing your interest in medicine as a career.

This is a good measure. Thanks!
Should a non-trad use this from the time he/she started a college?

 

[OchemOficionado]

This is a good measure. Thanks!
Should a non-trad use this from the time he/she started a college?

Piggybacking off of this, can a non-trad get away with less shadowing if there is a large amount of non-clinical and a fair amount of clinical volunteering?

EDIT: I used the search function and the answer seems to be yes (for everyone). What's really important is to get clinical experience. It doesn't necessarily have to be loads of shadowing.

 

[Geo16]

Piggybacking off of this, can a non-trad get away with less shadowing if there is a large amount of non-clinical and a fair amount of clinical volunteering?

EDIT: I used the search function and the answer seems to be yes (for everyone). What's really important is to get clinical experience. It doesn't necessarily have to be loads of shadowing.

I'm getting about 2 hours a week at the hospital. Do you think I would have enough for 2019? I want to slowly crank that number up (lol) but do you think it's necessary that I start another clinical volunteer?

 

[mwsapphire]

Okay this is suuuper nitpicky but why is your name " The Biologist" if your major is supposedly BME?
Also, yes, if I were you I'd get my patient contact to at least 150. Try dropping a club/not working as a tutor, and ramp up volunteering this summer.

 

[TheBiologist]

Okay this is suuuper nitpicky but why is your name " The Biologist" if your major is supposedly BME?
Also, yes, if I were you I'd get my patient contact to at least 150. Try dropping a club/not working as a tutor, and ramp up volunteering this summer.

can we just marvel in the fact that nobody had used the name "TheBiologist" in the almost 20 years this site has been up?

 

[Geo16]

can we just marvel in the fact that nobody had used the name "TheBiologist" in the almost 20 years this site has been up?

Is it a reference to something (your profile)?