Med Tech to Doctor?

[Potentia1]

Hello everyone,

I am an ASCP certified lab tech who recently has been promoted to senior tech. I had a cGPA of 3.26 in my undergrad, cGPA of 3.46 in my masters and my sGPA is 3.3. As of yet I have not taken my MCAT but I am studying to take it soon. Outside of my low GPA I am worried about how much weight gets put on volunteering, shadowing, clinical experience and research as a non-traditional student. I am also curious about whether or not my work experience counts as clinical experience even though it does not involve direct patient interaction.

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[Bonne Nuit]

Hello everyone,

I am an ASCP certified lab tech who recently has been promoted to senior tech. I had a cGPA of 3.26 in my undergrad, cGPA of 3.46 in my masters and my sGPA is 3.3. As of yet I have not taken my MCAT but I am studying to take it soon. Outside of my low GPA I am worried about how much weight gets put on volunteering, shadowing, clinical experience and research as a non-traditional student. I am also curious about whether or not my work experience counts as clinical experience even though it does not involve direct patient interaction.

- No patient contact = not clinical experience
- Your GPA is in need of repair, even with a stellar MCAT. It MAY be OK for your state school (depending on your state) or some DO programs. You might look into SMPs (unless that was your Master’s?) or taking some upper division coursework as a post bac.
- Every school weighs applicants’ ECs differently. Stanford is going to care more about research than nonclinical volunteering; Rush will be the exact opposite. The unsatisfactory answer is “it depends”.

Let me know if there’s anything else I can help with!

 

[Goro]

Hello everyone,

I am an ASCP certified lab tech who recently has been promoted to senior tech. I had a cGPA of 3.26 in my undergrad, cGPA of 3.46 in my masters and my sGPA is 3.3. As of yet I have not taken my MCAT but I am studying to take it soon. Outside of my low GPA I am worried about how much weight gets put on volunteering, shadowing, clinical experience and research as a non-traditional student. I am also curious about whether or not my work experience counts as clinical experience even though it does not involve direct patient interaction.

Employment is always good, but it is not considered clinical experience in terms of what med schools want. You need to show AdComs that you know what you're getting into, and show off your altruistic, humanistic side. We need to know that you're going to like being around sick or injured people for the next 40 years.

You still need to have the clinical exposure, the nonclinical volunteering, and the shadowing. Research is over-rated and non-trads definitely get cut some slack on not having it.

Your GPAs are fine for DO schools, but too low for MD.

Was your MS a research MS? Or an SMP?
Read this, the same:

• Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

 

[DO_or_Die]

If you can not directly touch and smell patients, I would not count that as clinical experience.

 

[Potentia1]

Employment is always good, but it is not considered clinical experience in terms of what med schools want. You need to show AdComs that you know what you're getting into, and show off your altruistic, humanistic side. We need to know that you're going to like being around sick or injured people for the next 40 years.

You still need to have the clinical exposure, the nonclinical volunteering, and the shadowing. Research is over-rated and non-trads definitely get cut some slack on not having it.

Your GPAs are fine for DO schools, but too low for MD.

Was your MS a research MS? Or an SMP?
Read this, the same:

• Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

Makes sense, but would I get any slack if I were to make it clear that pathology is my end goal? As for the MS it was as you put in the link, a "DIY post-Bac". Classes such as those listed below.
Cell Bio
Immunology
Virology
Neuro
Parasitology
Tumor or Cancer Biology

 

[Cornfed101]

Makes sense, but would I get any slack if I were to make it clear that pathology is my end goal? As for the MS it was as you put in the link, a "DIY post-Bac". Classes such as those listed below.
Cell Bio
Immunology
Virology
Neuro
Parasitology
Tumor or Cancer Biology

The specialty you want to pursue doesn't matter for med school admissions unless it directly matches with the mission of the school and you have the experience to back it up. There is no medical school that has a mission of training more pathologists. Your MS is more of a special masters program (a post-bacc is taking undergraduate classes). The 3.46 in the SMP isn't awesome, but I would think good enough for DO if you can do well on your MCAT.

 

[Goro]

Makes sense, but would I get any slack if I were to make it clear that pathology is my end goal? As for the MS it was as you put in the link, a "DIY post-Bac". Classes such as those listed below.
Cell Bio
Immunology
Virology
Neuro
Parasitology
Tumor or Cancer Biology

We know that your specialty interests will change, and med schools are not in the business of training only pathologists.

 

[Potentia1]

I'll be looking into clinical volunteering at the hospital I work at then. Thanks for your time and the help!

 

[katmandoo]

Hey I'm a Med Tech that wants to go back to med school too! If you consistently do phlebotomy as a tech that may be able to be counted as clinical experience. But I don't know any Senior/Lead Tech that does phlebotomy now-a-days.