MD/PhD, no clinical volunteering

[barkbarkbark]

I'm currently a senior applying to MD/PhD programs this cycle. I believe my GPA and MCAT scores should be fine (LizzyM 75+), and I think my application is strong enough on the research side as well: I have been working in the laboratory since my sophomore year, and am now on my own independent project that has obtained funding, but no publications yet. Additionally, I received a national research scholarship that provides research funding with the goal of producing a publication by the end of the program. However, I'm having some doubts as to whether the rest of my application is solid enough to be competitive for these programs.

My main concern in filling out the application so far is my lack of clinical volunteering experience. Although I have 80+ shadowing hours, I currently have about 70 hours of non-clinical volunteering experience, with another 50 projected for the upcoming academic year. In high school, I volunteered in a clinical setting with patient contact for a couple of years and wrote about it in my PS, but did not include this on the AMCAS. I have recently discovered an enjoyable opportunity working with patients that would provide me with 150+ clinical volunteering hours, but my schedule for the next academic year is heavy and much of my time will be directed towards research.
Should I take this opportunity to continue volunteering over the course of the cycle, or should I rather direct these hours to working towards a publication in the lab? From what I have read in previous threads, it appears as if clinical volunteering hours are used to gauge whether the applicant knows what it is like to interact with patients, and I have outlined some of my patient interactions in my personal statement. What would be the appropriate course of action for developing an application that is competitive for this cycle?

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[Fencer]

You have enough clinical activities/stuff for MSTP applications. You only need 100-150 hours in total, prior to your interview with at least 50 hrs of physician shadowing, preferably from a clinician-scientist. If you are applying MD-only too, yes, they are not enough...

 

[barkbarkbark]

@Fencer Thank you for your response! I am not applying to any MD-only programs, only MD/PhD. My concerns generally gravitate around the issue that some MD/PhD programs require the applicant to gain acceptance through the MD committee prior to evaluation for MD/PhD status. Given this concern, do you think it would be best to take the volunteer opportunity described above, or are my current hours satisfactory for admissions? Thanks again for your opinion!

 

[Fencer]

If you are applying MD/PhD only, do not worry... you will be fine. Focus upon more research, better GPA, presentations and possibly manuscripts.

 

[mdphdNYC]

Should I take this opportunity to continue volunteering over the course of the cycle, or should I rather direct these hours to working towards a publication in the lab?

Hey,
Fencer's advice is MVP, but I should point out that 150 hours is not nearly enough to produce a publication - it would probably be about the amount of time it takes to physically write a manuscript assuming all the expts are done, data is already collected and analyzed (and maybe even then an underestimate). Programs aren't demanding first-author publications on your independent project, in fact working up to that is the goal of the PhD! Intermediate goals are going to be your friend here, think concrete and reportable things that will move your project forward towards an eventual publication while still being realistically achievable. These would be things like a poster at a reputable conference; published in a (nonprofit) student journal; giving a talk at one of the specialized topic sessions or "workshops" of a reputable conference. All these will also show that you know how research is practiced beyond sitting at the bench doing experiments and will give you valuable feedback you can incorporate into an eventual publication. Avoid predatory journals like the plague.

 

[barkbarkbark]

Hey,
Fencer's advice is MVP, but I should point out that 150 hours is not nearly enough to produce a publication - it would probably be about the amount of time it takes to physically write a manuscript assuming all the expts are done, data is already collected and analyzed (and maybe even then an underestimate). Programs aren't demanding first-author publications on your independent project, in fact working up to that is the goal of the PhD! Intermediate goals are going to be your friend here, think concrete and reportable things that will move your project forward towards an eventual publication while still being realistically achievable. These would be things like a poster at a reputable conference; published in a (nonprofit) student journal; giving a talk at one of the specialized topic sessions or "workshops" of a reputable conference. All these will also show that you know how research is practiced beyond sitting at the bench doing experiments and will give you valuable feedback you can incorporate into an eventual publication. Avoid predatory journals like the plague.

Thanks for your response! I recognize that 150 hours of research is not enough to produce a publication. Since I am applying this cycle (I intend to submit my AMCAS within the next week or two), I was just asking how much it would potentially benefit me (or not) to commit to a 150 hour clinical volunteering opportunity over the course of this cycle, given my current number of hours and the upcoming semester.

By my statement you quoted, I was just insinuating that if I did not spend these hours on this clinical volunteering opportunity, I would direct them towards my studies and time in the lab (in addition to the number of hours that I already spend in the lab). I apologize if my post appeared naive, but I am generally more oriented towards the "intermediate" goals of progressing on my research--I just mentioned the publication as the ultimate intended goal of my research. My question was not so much whether 150 hours in the lab would yield a publication, but rather if taking the 150 hour clinical volunteering opportunity would benefit my application this cycle when these hours could be appropriated in other productive ways as well.