Non-trad struggling with approach to ECs:

[woktheline]

Brief intro: I am 28 yo (to be 30 when applying - 2023 cycle), having almost wrapped up my first semester of pre-reqs. Relevant biographical information:

• Took an "extended leave of absence" from my PhD in epidemiology b/c of several converging interests and working in a clinic as part of my funding - unexpectedly fell in love with the more human side of things instead of the "data only" guy I told myself to be
• BA in English and philosophy (3.5 GPA); postbacc work in neuroscience/psychology/stats (4.0 GPA); tutored UG statistics for 1 year while applying to MS in epidemiology (3.8 master's GPA)
• 6 publications (2 FA, with 1 in high impact relevant to field) and counting (see next bullet)
• Current RA in molecular neuroscience lab as my first "wet lab" experience and will be here till I matriculate
• Building some shadowing experience (30 hours across 2 specialties so far)
• Developing educational/healthcare nonprofit which directly targets our highly unemployed local community - treating as volunteering and leadership (acceptable?)
• Worked a year or so as an epidemiologist in home state (pre and during COVID)

However, almost daily, I rack my brain to come up with a "clinically meaningful" experience, to the degree that I can identify it on the front end. I seem to find a swath of approaches on forums etc., varying from "try to volunteer a bunch of different settings" to "pick one and go whole hog"

I'm sure some form of this question comes up, but what are some things non-trads in similar circumstances can do? I want something that I feel isn't cookie cutter (which, in my opinion is scribing or similar jobs) just to check some box. Again, I know everyone wants to try for competitive schools, but I feel confident that my volunteering is unique enough to pique the interest of some top programs, provided I come through with the grades and MCAT the rest of the way out.

Hope I gave enough detail, but if not feel free to ask away!
Thanks!!

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[M&L]

it is a bit unique, but i worked in addiction treatment field.
Some other ideas, - assist nurses in homeless shelters. Hospice.

 

[deleted1079620]

I volunteered with hospice. It was interesting work, but I’m not sure what restrictions there are due to covid now.

 

[M&L]

I volunteered with hospice. It was interesting work, but I’m not sure what restrictions there are due to covid now.

True , I didn’t think about that .... that might be off limits

 

[Rapsidy]

See if you can contact a local hospital and see what volunteering opportunities may be available. Before Covid hit I had lined up a volunteering opportunity at the hospital I work at which would have had me doing virtual reality games with cancer patients.

Meals on wheels or similar things could be a very meaningful experience especially during Covid as many seniors rely on that.

 

[Dral]

So few things and do them well.

Many things: just trying to check off boxes
Doing one or few things: actually care about what are doing and focus on it (them).

You can guess which one looks better to adcoms (or residency programs for that matter).

Example: The president of a single club looks better than being involved peripherally in 4 clubs.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

You're going to be limited on hospital volunteering right now because of COVID-19. I'm not going to lie, I didn't get any personal benefit from hospital volunteering. The things I did get benefit from were Ski patrolling, and my local food shelf. The hospital/ER stuff that I did was largely cleaning rooms and changing sheets. Maybe getting water for people or moving them to a family room in the time of a crisis. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. I found volunteering at the food shelf extremely rewarding, and I had several stories to pull from when asked about helping underserved populations.

 

[deleted803986]

True , I didn’t think about that .... that might be off limits

I volunteered with a hospice for a little over a year. Unfortunately, most of the volunteer opportunities were inside nursing homes, all of which are on complete lockdown to non-essential services.

 

[unexpectedcomplications]

I matriculated at 31. In my experience, community volunteering (housing centers, soup kitchens, disadvantaged youth) has been much more valuable in applying to med school than anything clinical. You can get your clinical exp through shadowing. They just want to see that you know the ins and outs of a clinical setting.