Low clinical hours are the weakest part of my application

[confusedpremed000]

I'm looking to apply this upcoming May and take one gap year. During the gap year, I'm going to work as a clinical research assistant and get lots of clinical experience, but I won't start until after I submit the primary application (my job starts late June). By the time I apply, I'll have 250 hours of clinical volunteering at 2 different hospitals over 1.5 years. I'm worried this isn't enough clinical experience, but my parents really don't want me to take a 2nd gap year. For reference, I'll have 800 hours of non-clinical volunteering, 1,300 hours of research, 170 hours of shadowing, and I have a 3.85 cGPA, 3.75 sGPA, and 519 MCAT. Should I take 2 gap years in order to bring up my clinical experience more?

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[Nontrad_FL_LGBT]

You should absolutely get interviews with your stats and ECs. Don't take an extra year, just continue getting clinical exposure during your app year, at least till you get the A.

If you should indeed need to reapply it's because your interviews, writing, or LORs had red flags you didn't realize, or you had a terrible school list imo, but getting significantly more hours in for a reapp is a good idea.

 

[cj_cregg]

Your stats are great, your nonclinical volunteering is great assuming it's not fluff (doubtful if it's 800 hrs), and I would count your 170 hrs shadowing as clinical experience as well bringing you to over 400 hrs of clinical experience, which I'd say is average to low average. Working as an MA or an EMT or something along those lines would probably benefit your application more than the clinical research assistant job if you end up not getting in this cycle, but I don't think you're in terrible shape by any means.

 

[confusedpremed000]

You should absolutely get interviews with your stats and ECs. Don't take an extra year, just continue getting clinical exposure during your app year, at least till you get the A.

If you should indeed need to reapply it's because your interviews, writing, or LORs had red flags you didn't realize, or you had a terrible school list imo, but getting significantly more hours in for a reapp is a good idea.

Okay, thank you for the input! I'll keep that in mind if I need to reapply. Hopefully I don't, but if it comes to it I will have worked full time for a year which should significantly increase my clinical hours.

 

[confusedpremed000]

Your stats are great, your nonclinical volunteering is great assuming it's not fluff (doubtful if it's 800 hrs), and I would count your 170 hrs shadowing as clinical experience as well bringing you to over 400 hrs of clinical experience, which I'd say is average to low average. Working as an MA or an EMT or something along those lines would probably benefit your application more than the clinical research assistant job if you end up not getting in this cycle, but I don't think you're in terrible shape by any means.

Okay, thank you! I didn't know that shadowing counted as clinical experience. I'll look into working as an MA or EMT then, since I don't have to accept my job offer yet.

 

[Doctor-S]

I'm looking to apply this upcoming May and take one gap year. During the gap year, I'm going to work as a clinical research assistant and get lots of clinical experience, but I won't start until after I submit the primary application (my job starts late June). By the time I apply, I'll have 250 hours of clinical volunteering at 2 different hospitals over 1.5 years. I'm worried this isn't enough clinical experience, but my parents really don't want me to take a 2nd gap year. For reference, I'll have 800 hours of non-clinical volunteering, 1,300 hours of research, 170 hours of shadowing, and I have a 3.85 cGPA, 3.75 sGPA, and 519 MCAT. Should I take 2 gap years in order to bring up my clinical experience more?

1. Your 250 hours of "non-paid" clinical volunteering is probably around the minimum standard expected by most non-service-oriented medical schools.

2. It sounds as if your upcoming gap year will be used to accumulate "paid" clinical research experience as a paid clinical research assistant. If this is correct, have you considered gaining some additional "non-paid" clinical volunteering hours in your spare time in your gap year? For instance, there are different non-paid clinical volunteering opportunities that can be performed on weekends that should not interfere with a traditional Monday-Friday salaried job. In so doing, you will be able to show a continuity of "non-paid" clinical volunteering experience, accumulated over a total of 2.5 years. Just a suggestion.

3. Otherwise, the rest of your stats sound good.

 

[confusedpremed000]

1. Your 250 hours of "non-paid" clinical volunteering is probably around the minimum standard expected by most non-service-oriented medical schools.

2. It sounds as if your upcoming gap year will be used to accumulate "paid" clinical research experience as a paid clinical research assistant. If this is correct, have you considered gaining some additional "non-paid" clinical volunteering hours in your spare time in your gap year? For instance, there are different non-paid clinical volunteering opportunities that can be performed on weekends that should not interfere with a traditional Monday-Friday salaried job. In so doing, you will be able to show a continuity of "non-paid" clinical volunteering experience, accumulated over a total of 2.5 years. Just a suggestion.

3. Otherwise, the rest of your stats sound good.

I have considered continuing to volunteer during my gap year. I'll be moving to a new city, so I want to settle in first and then find volunteer opportunities, but it is on my radar. Again though, this will be after I submit my application so it could be included in secondaries, interviews, or updates, but not right off the bat. Thanks for the input!

 

[cj_cregg]

Okay, thank you! I didn't know that shadowing counted as clinical experience. I'll look into working as an MA or EMT then, since I don't have to accept my job offer yet.

Or scribing - meant to include that but forgot

 

[confusedpremed000]

Or scribing - meant to include that but forgot

Scribing is also on my mind as an option. I'm not sure if it's something I really want to do, but I haven't disqualified it.

 

[KaiBuzz]

Goal should be to apply one time with the best application possible. Many candidates take two gap years and apply with 1000+ clinical hours.

 

[LindaAccepted]

I'm looking to apply this upcoming May and take one gap year. During the gap year, I'm going to work as a clinical research assistant and get lots of clinical experience, but I won't start until after I submit the primary application (my job starts late June). By the time I apply, I'll have 250 hours of clinical volunteering at 2 different hospitals over 1.5 years. I'm worried this isn't enough clinical experience, but my parents really don't want me to take a 2nd gap year. For reference, I'll have 800 hours of non-clinical volunteering, 1,300 hours of research, 170 hours of shadowing, and I have a 3.85 cGPA, 3.75 sGPA, and 519 MCAT. Should I take 2 gap years in order to bring up my clinical experience more?

I don't recommend waiting an additional year given what you've done and will be doing as well as your GPA and stellar MCAT.

 

[confusedpremed000]

I don't recommend waiting an additional year given what you've done and will be doing as well as your GPA and stellar MCAT.

Okay, thank you.

 

[confusedpremed000]

Goal should be to apply one time with the best application possible. Many candidates take two gap years and apply with 1000+ clinical hours.

Unfortunately, my parents aren't supportive of 2 gap years. They are willing to help fund medical school/applications if I only take one gap year, but not two so it's something I'm trying to balance. By the time I matriculate, I will have worked a full year, so I'll have more clinical hours, but they won't necessarily be featured on my application until secondaries/interviews/updates, which is why I was asking if I should postpone or not.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

As pointed out, your clinical experience hours (including your shadowing) seems above the minimum threshold for me. Taking everything else at face value, I hope you won't need a second gap year, but that depends on your mission match with the schools on your list.

 

[confusedpremed000]

As pointed out, your clinical experience hours (including your shadowing) seems above the minimum threshold for me. Taking everything else at face value, I hope you won't need a second gap year, but that depends on your mission match with the schools on your list.

Okay, thank you!

 

[TrigeminalNeuralgia]

Given the strength of your non-clinical volunteering, if you can talk it up in interviews and say all the right shibboleths, you're likely in a good position. Your mileage will vary depending on various immutable characteristics

Goal should be to apply one time with the best application possible. Many candidates take two gap years and apply with 1000+ clinical hours.

Pretty soon, you'll be expected to have 3 or 4 gap years and 10,000+ hours of doing chores for nurses. Admissions folks love that old adage, 'life is too long, spend a few years doing venipuncture or paperwork in the ER to find out what a doctor does.'

 

[hec0201]

I'm looking to apply this upcoming May and take one gap year. During the gap year, I'm going to work as a clinical research assistant and get lots of clinical experience, but I won't start until after I submit the primary application (my job starts late June). By the time I apply, I'll have 250 hours of clinical volunteering at 2 different hospitals over 1.5 years. I'm worried this isn't enough clinical experience, but my parents really don't want me to take a 2nd gap year. For reference, I'll have 800 hours of non-clinical volunteering, 1,300 hours of research, 170 hours of shadowing, and I have a 3.85 cGPA, 3.75 sGPA, and 519 MCAT. Should I take 2 gap years in order to bring up my clinical experience more?

N = 1 but I had similar stats with a higher GPA but lower MCAT and had a successful cycle. I wouldn’t take another gap year, but if you want to it probably won’t hurt you (but it also probably isn’t necessary).