New Poster Here with a Serious Question!!!

[2Xtrouble2X]

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I've been reading all your posts for a while now...maybe 5 months at the most and i have to say that i am gratefully thankful i found this forum!!! everyone in this forum contributes so that one asking the question knows specifically what to do to accomplish their goals...surely, everyone here will make great physicians in the future and i would not be surprised if a few of the people here become influential figures in "Future America." You will play a big role in this country sooner or later...everyone is going to need your help/advice. I suggest everyone on this forum keep up the good work on helping out the struggling/confused pre-med !!! you guys are very inviting and friendly people when someone posts a dumb question, which this post might end up being a few paragraphs down...

Now about me...I am a your "typical" freshmen pre-med male student (20 yrs old) currently attending Wichita State University (yes the NCAA Basketball team that made the Sweet 16 *crosses fingers for them to win later today against George Mason*) looking to major in biochemistry--i have a lot of respect/passion for the field...I have done a few EC's, but i wouldn't consider them abudantly sufficient enough for medical school consideration (at the moment). I am definitely considering to stay in the state of Kansas for medical school, which means University of Kansas will be my future #1 school...there are other closer medical schools like KCOM and UMKC, but those will probably end up as back up schools (who knows)--not really looking too far into the future; just trying to prepare for the future (yadid?) !!

Sorry for the fluff, but here is my "stupid question"...I applied to a local hospital not too long ago to work in the pharmacy as a pharm tech PRN...I don't know if i chose the right job, but i chose the pharmacy b/c it will be very helpful knowledge in medication as a "future doctor." I don't know if medical schools consider this as a clinical job or what--don't they frown upon those who are pharmacy technicians though??

I would like to hear from you desperately...i've been searching for some answers, but i just cant find any!!! thank you for your time "wise" premeds and aspiring doctors ...

 

[happydays]

get an EC where you can touch patients and their bodily fluids. That's the best. Unless it's clinical pharmacy, it's not really a "clinical job."

 

[2Xtrouble2X]

get an EC where you can touch patients and their bodily fluids. That's the best. Unless it's clinical pharmacy, it's not really a "clinical job."

it's at a hospital and i was informed that they have minimal patient contact when they deliver medication...don't know if this is true!! i only know the retail setting of the pharmacy...if anyone is familiar with the hospital setting please feel free to post!!

 

[thinknofu3]

I'd say that any job experience is going to be good experience and something that you can put on your apps, but you really are going to need stuff in addition to that which allows you some contact with or exposure to patients. This doesn't mean you have to "do" stuff for the patients - shadowing a doc or volunteering would probably suffice. These kind of experiences are not to show that you have any specific technical knowledge, but rather to demonstrate that you understand the demands of the medical profession and what a physician actually does on a day to day basis. Also, if you do take the pharmacy job, be prepared to answer the question of "so, why don't you just become a pharmacist?" in all your interviews 🙂 That's not necessarily a bad thing, but like every other applicant in America, you need to demonstrate a passion for medicine. Hope this helps, and good luck!

 

[LabMonster]

In my experience Pharm Techs get little patient contact, but many pre-meds have done it. For more patient contact: ER tech, phlebotomist, and EMT. Note* -These all require different levels of training.

Keep this in mind: though your job will outwardly serve two purposes, to earn money and to earn EC credit, it can also serve as a "warm-up" to the medical field. Working with patients is how I decided on the MD path; conversely, if I would have enjoyed the lab more I'd have (likely) gone the PhD route.

Best of luck.

 

[JohnyWalker]

Volunteer! Volunteer! Volunteer!

This is my second time applying to medical school and the only thing I can tell you is that as soon as they know that you got paid to do a job, no matter how much clinical exposure it gave you, they don't consider it clinical experience. I know a lot of people are going to argue with this so here is my reasoning. I worked with developmentally disabled adults for 2 years. My job included showering them, cleaning diapers, administering medicines, maintaining hygiene, and other activities. I worked 3 days a week and sometimes nights for 6-12 hour shifts for two years. Because I was working to support myself through school by doing this job and others, I didn't have time to volunteer. However, one of my other jobs was working as a clerk in a radiology department in a hospital for four years which also gave me a lot of patient exposure and exposure to the practice of medicine. When I applied to medical school the first time and didn't get any interviews I called all of the shcools and asked them why? The common answer was that my grades were low(3.2 science GPA with a 30 MCAT) and that I DID NOT HAVE CLINICAL EXPERIENCE. I thought this was absurd. Then I did a postbac program during which I volunteered in a hospital (ran blood samples from the ER to the Lab) and volunteered at an osteopathic office for medicine (where I cleaned the guys office and did other errands for him) and the next time I applied everyone commended me on my clinical experience. The point is, no matter what you do and how much clinical exposure you get, unless it says Hospital Volunteer on your AMCAS they will say that you have no clinical experience. Sorry for the rant, but this is what happened to me and I am sure I am not the only one.

 

[LabMonster]

Right-O. He'll still need other volunteer activities - but if he wants a job, he may as well get one with patient contact where he could learn a little about how a hospital runs.

 

[McOrn11]

Just volunteer and get different jobs. Make sure you have a variety of experiences from the lab to the hospital to nursing homes, etc.
best of luck

 

[Oculus Sinistra]

get an EC where you can touch patients and their bodily fluids. That's the best. Unless it's clinical pharmacy, it's not really a "clinical job."

Allllllright, touching bodily fluids, where do I sign? is it here? I have a pen.

 

[happydays]

Allllllright, touching bodily fluids, where do I sign? is it here? I have a pen.

I wasn't kidding.

 

[2Xtrouble2X]

I wasn't kidding.

yeah happydays thank you...btw i did some calling around and i was able to arrange some volunteering experience in the hospital for the summer...i didnt inquire about the specifics, but i hope it involves some kind of patient interaction!!! once again, thanks for the help...peace out !!!

 

[DolfinGrl11]

While I agree with the other posters to some extent that you should really try to get clinical experience, it won't kill you if you "pick the wrong one" - there isn't really a wrong one to pick. What med schools like to see is that you are involving yourself in something you're passionate about or that you really enjoy because if you enjoy it, you are going to do it well and really contribute something. I have held 3 jobs during every year of college and it made it impossible to get real clinical experience volunteering. However, the jobs I held were ones that I really enjoyed (athletic recruiting for my college, coaching age group water polo, and teaching first grade science) and allowed me to have a lot of fun AND get awesome LORs. That is really what you are doing anyway - trying to make a connection in something you enjoy to get a good LOR since they are so crucial to your application. My advice? Pick something you enjoy that you know you will be good at and be really involved in. I got into more than one med school with my 0 amount of clinical experience while more than a few people I know didn't with plenty of lab TA and hospital candy-striping hours. Med schools know if you do things just to put it on your resume so do something where you can really stand out! Have a great time during college and I hope 4 years from now you have an acceptance in Kansas 👍

 

[2Xtrouble2X]

While I agree with the other posters to some extent that you should really try to get clinical experience, it won't kill you if you "pick the wrong one" - there isn't really a wrong one to pick. What med schools like to see is that you are involving yourself in something you're passionate about or that you really enjoy because if you enjoy it, you are going to do it well and really contribute something. I have held 3 jobs during every year of college and it made it impossible to get real clinical experience volunteering. However, the jobs I held were ones that I really enjoyed (athletic recruiting for my college, coaching age group water polo, and teaching first grade science) and allowed me to have a lot of fun AND get awesome LORs. That is really what you are doing anyway - trying to make a connection in something you enjoy to get a good LOR since they are so crucial to your application. My advice? Pick something you enjoy that you know you will be good at and be really involved in. I got into more than one med school with my 0 amount of clinical experience while more than a few people I know didn't with plenty of lab TA and hospital candy-striping hours. Med schools know if you do things just to put it on your resume so do something where you can really stand out! Have a great time during college and I hope 4 years from now you have an acceptance in Kansas 👍

thanks a lot for your positiveness !!! looks like you had a fun time in college...my question is how did you get a position in college recruiting?? that would be a lot of fun haha

 

[fpr85]

Allllllright, touching bodily fluids, where do I sign? is it here? I have a pen.

I've had a diabetic patient's foot-ulcer-juice leak out onto me. 🙂

 

[2Xtrouble2X]

I've had a diabetic patient's foot-ulcer-juice leak out onto me. 🙂

hahaha uggggggggggggggh...that would be interesting to see though--only if it doesnt get on me !!!

 

[fpr85]

yeah -- his ulcer was so bad you could see his metatarsal, it was about the size of a quarter.

 

[red dot]

jobs are good, sports are good. as for volunteering, volunteer in both clinical jobs and non pre-med-related jobs. it's more genuine. i like genuine.

 

[red dot]

I've had a diabetic patient's foot-ulcer-juice leak out onto me. 🙂

i had pus from a large (LARGE as in you could fit in two man-fingers large) infected bloody buttock abcess splatter on me once. fun stuff.

 

[2Xtrouble2X]

i had pus from a large (LARGE as in you could fit in two man-fingers large) infected bloody buttock abcess splatter on me once. fun stuff.

omg dont they make you wear masks & gloves when you're in the room of a patient with explosive tendencies??? haha

 

[KornKobs]

If I were you, I'd put it down. I'm going to. I worked as a CPhT for a year, although I worked retail. I had patient contact so I feel it counts as clinical experience. Plus, as my advisor told me, I'll have a head start on pharmacology!

 

[2Xtrouble2X]

If I were you, I'd put it down. I'm going to. I worked as a CPhT for a year, although I worked retail. I had patient contact so I feel it counts as clinical experience. Plus, as my advisor told me, I'll have a head start on pharmacology!

yeah im going to give it a shot for this summer and see how it goes...it's PRN, which as when im needed they will call me...i will also include some volunteering during the summer...thanks a lot for makin me feel like im doin somethin right lol