Need Guidance

[Jambino]

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Hi 🙂

I need some help creating a career path to hopefully get into medical school. I am currently a sophmore in a 4-year university. I've wanted to pursue Medicine since I was a kid, but when I was a junior in high school (I graduated early) I realized that Medicine is an extraordinarily large commitment, and if you aren't willing to persevere and work hard you will never be able to become a doctor. As a result, I decided to explore other fields and took classes in MIS (Management Information Systems), Computer Science, Accounting, Business, and Political Science. In the end, however, I still came back to Medicine and feel that I now have the experience and ability to set my path in stone and continue down a long, hard, but rewarding path.

Since I'm in my second year already, I know I am quite behind on classes, volunteer hours and experience. However, I'm willing to put in work and get ahead of the game. I had a few questions if any of you would be kind enough to answer:

1). I'm planning on taking an extra undergrad year so I can complete all my classes without taking summer classes. The main reasoning behind this is that I want to beef up on extracurriculars and volunteer hours during the summer. Would this be a good idea? And would it look bad if I took an extra year?

2). Does any volunteer service look good on a resume? How many hours should I shoot for? 1000+? I'm planning on volunteering at an AIDS organization, Hospice Care, and hopefully a hospital. I might also get a paid job as a Privacy officer at a Home Health Agency

3). I really want to do some research but I'm not sure if I'm gifted/talented enough to do one. How do these normally work? Do you just help the professor(s) with researching information??

4). I am a professional boxer & thaiboxer and amateur bodybuilder. I have won a myriad of boxing matches and a few bodybuilding shows. Should I include this as EC on my resume?

5). Any other advice on what I should do? So far I know that I should beef up my EC and Volunteer, keep my GPA as high as possible and destroy the MCATs. Any other tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

 

[d1ony5u5]

1) No, taking an extra undergrad year does not a medical application destroy. It largely depends on what you do with that time, and the reasons you cite for doing it. That being said, I graduated in 5 years (because I spent one year abroad studying a different subject), and not a single interviewer asked me about this. I suppose they noticed it, but can't really say... If you cite your reasons, which sound very legitimate to me, I think you'll be fine. AdComs want to hear why you think medicine is for you, and judging from your post, you have good arguments to make.

2) Yes, any kind of volunteering is good. You could build houses for all they care. What is important is what you get out of the experience (as in, you are able to tie to core themes on your application), and to a certain extent your dedication to it. There is no magic number of hours for volunteering. Pick an activity you like and do spend a reasonable amount of time doing it, but be clear that your main motivation is not just to "check off" the "box" in your app. I think it is pretty obvious when people do this, and I doubt it helps. Be consistent about doing the volunteering you like, and aim to do it for an extended period of time. Say, a few hours on weekends for a couple of years... something like that.

3) Try it out! you might surprise yourself and find that you are actually good and interested in it. There are several different kinds of research you can do. You can do clinical, which is a bit harder to get into as an undergrad and has to do with collecting clinically relevant data on a certain population (E.G., outcomes that result from a certain procedure performed on people who have one specific disease). The more usual kind is basic science research which involves studying a phenomenon in a laboratory setting (E.G., performing experiments on cells to see how a compound affects one cellular process). This is more or less easier to get into as an undergrad, but very variable depending on your institution.

4) umm... This is harder to give advice on. If you can draw something from your experiences which you could use as support for claims you make in your app, I would say yes. If it doesn't relate somehow to your app, I doubt it would impress any AdComs, and thus would be wasted space you could have used listing another activity. It totally depends on how you portray it. My opinion, not knowing anything about it other than what you mentioned, is that it is hard to link with medicine... But that doesn't mean it can't be done.

5) Don't forget to do clinical work. You may be able to combine clinical and volunteering, but most people end up doing some sort of dedicated clinical experience. This is because one of the chief concerns for AdComs is whether or not you have a good idea of what you are getting yourself into. Of course, the best way to prove this is by having a decent base of clinical experience, like shadowing doctors in different specialties of interest, volunteering in hospitals, etc.

Good Luck!

 

[Jambino]

Wow thanks for the solid advice d1ony5u5 and wildcat! This has really helped me out! I have one more question:

For clinical experience, is it okay to shadow a Physical Therapist? I have a few that have asked if I wanted to shadow them, but I haven't had luck finding a physician to shadow. And what about a Nurse providing care for a Home Health? Can that be considered clinical?

Thanks!!

 

[noshie]

Wow thanks for the solid advice d1ony5u5 and wildcat! This has really helped me out! I have one more question:

For clinical experience, is it okay to shadow a Physical Therapist? I have a few that have asked if I wanted to shadow them, but I haven't had luck finding a physician to shadow. And what about a Nurse providing care for a Home Health? Can that be considered clinical?

Thanks!!

It won't hurt to do these things, and they may be something nice to talk about in your applications. However, you need to shadow a doctor. It's a must. How have you been looking for a physician to shadow? I personally just grabbed a phonebook and cold called a ton of offices in my area. Usually when I would leave a message with the receptionist she would get it to the doc and they would call me back. If you are going to do this, make sure to be as serious and professional as possible.

 

[d1ony5u5]

I agree with Noshie. It wouldn't hurt, but it is not directly relevant.

Think of it like this. Your app is akin to a persuasive piece. Your objective is to convince AdComs to let you into their school. There are several points that you should address within your app, to make a good case for yourself, and among them is that one: "Demonstrate that you have a good understanding of what life as a physician is."

The best approach to this is to spend time in close contact with doctors, witnessing what they do every day, talking to them, even helping them out if you are able. Shadowing is a good way to get this kind of experience. Another possibility is volunteering at free clinics in which you provide support for doctors.

Shadowing therapists and nurses is not a bad way of getting a better idea of clinical work in general, but it shouldn't be your only clinical experience. If you find it interesting, I would encourage you to do this. But don't forget to seek out opportunities which will put you in more direct contact with physicians!

 

[Jambino]

Thanks everybody for the great responses! I have been noticing a lot of people recommending listing some musical instrument (ex: piano) as an EC. Would singing/choir also count towards that??