*~*~*~*Official AMCAS "Work/Activities" Tips Thread 2013-2014*~*~*~*

[sector9]

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So I'm a bit confused on whether or not we should list activities as ongoing until, say, August 2014. Even if we DO NOT list future hours, will this mess up our hours per week by put the date further ahead?

There isn't a hours/week field anymore. I'd do what the manual says and put fulfilled plus expected hours. I'm a fan of explaining in the description how much you've done so far and how many you expect to do in the future.

 

[sector9]

When we put total hours in the appropriate box, do we also have to put hours/week in the description? Is that necessary for all activities?

It may be helpful to list but is not required IMO.

 

[sector9]

How should we enter activities that we are doing this summer? Just put June - June 2013 and explain the hours for the summer?

If you've started the activity, then you can list it as you suggest.

 

[sector9]

Question about contact info. So I read the shadowing FAQ and the advice is to list the first physician I shadowed as the contact info. However my first shadowing experience occurred some years ago, went for only a few days and I am not sure that this physician would even remember me. Could I list contact info for the physicians I've shadowed more recently and for more hours?

I'm running into the same problem with another EC that was done discontinuously. I started it years ago, stopped, re-started recently and have put in a significant amount of hours.

Thanks!

I'd still put down the contact info for all of them like in the FAQ. It is unlikely they'd try to call a contact for something that short and that long ago IMO, but it may be slightly suspicious if you don't have anything for it. Remember, the purpose of the contact is just to verify that you did the activity, not a character reference. So they don't need to remember you well. Here's the AMCAS FAQ that talks about part of your question https://www.aamc.org/students/apply...anlistasacontactforanactivity-experience.html Just my $0.02

 

[TheLastofUs]

You still can't enter future activities. You can enter a future end date but not a future start date.

Ah yes you're right I just got the error. I guess the total hours then have include what I expect to have completed by the end of May 2014 then correct?

 

[docksan]

I attended a primary care workshop this year, how should I list this in activities?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[eyebrowdoc]

What should I do about ongoing activty? should i do hours upto this point for that?

 

[TheLastofUs]

Anyone else getting an error that their 3rd end date cannot be later than today's date? It worked fine for my 2nd end date on another activity 😕

Edit: Nvm guess others are having problems.

 

[gonnif]

I dunno... I get the feeling that most of these entries are pretty serious but I've never seen a specific answer to this question

1. Yes. They give you the option to select up to three.

2. This is difficult. I would be curious to hear what others say. I don't feel right about someone listing "taking care of mom" as an Extracurricular activity. It is a given (I hope) that you would take care of a relative/SO if needed. Get other opinions on this.

There is a difference between "taking care of mom" and a 22 y/o premed student who is the primary caretaker for a severely disabled parent. The deciding factor shouldnt be how its sounds by description, but rather the applicant has gained from the experience and/or how it shows motivation, commitment and achievement towards medical school and being a physician.

So I would suggest the applicant write it for himself or herself and then let a few close people read it. See how it reads? does it ring true? does it show something about teh applicant? does it seem cliche? then decide

 

[gonnif]

Just curious -

Does anyone know how candid we can be in our activities descriptions? Of course I'll have the serious description (what I did, how it relates to medicine, etc) but I remember getting this idea (possibly from some SDN thread) to put a "fun or interesting" tidbit at the very end.

For example, under my hobbies and activities section, I have a interesting tidbit that I almost burned my dining room table in a creme brulee gone wrong.


Good or bad idea?

'

interesting tidbits are NOT interesting to the adcom. what the activity says about the applicant to being a physician is. So framing the above near disaster as a harsh learning experience yet one that did not dissuade from learning more about cooking would be appropriate. A creme brulee is not easy to do, that is for sure.

 

[gonnif]

Thank you very much gonnif, that was very helpful!

If put a link to school newspapers that I wrote in/was photographer for my EC's, would that look stupid, should I just list it and not put the link?

When I write about my hospital volunteering experience, can I say it helped me realize my desire to help the elderly more and I hope to volunteer in a nursing home soon, or is this a bad idea to list something I "want" to do?

write what you did and what you learned from it. if you can describe your volunteering in a way that leads to lesson and desire to help the elderly and it reads sincere without seeming cliche or sappy then do it. Have someone else read it and help you decide. accept their opinion if they dont think it reads well

 

[dirty630]

There is a difference between "taking care of mom" and a 22 y/o premed student who is the primary caretaker for a severely disabled parent. The deciding factor shouldnt be how its sounds by description, but rather the applicant has gained from the experience and/or how it shows motivation, commitment and achievement towards medical school and being a physician.

So I would suggest the applicant write it for himself or herself and then let a few close people read it. See how it reads? does it ring true? does it show something about teh applicant? does it seem cliche? then decide

I'm not 22, I'm 21 😛. Seriously though, my personal statement talks about how my mom's illness has been my motivation to go into medicine. This summer, I'm not her only caretaker every day, we have a CNA who comes in 4 days a week and I do the other 3 + overnight. Last summer, I was the only caretaker for a month after she got out of the hospital. I might not list this as "most meaningful". I already have two and I talk about her a lot in my personal statement already.

Edit: I should clarify that she was ill before last summer, she had been sick since I was in 4th grade. During the spring '12 semester, things turned much worse and then she became severely disabled.

 

[caereax]

Hi Sector9, I have a question. I did some English TAing at a local CC during my undergrad. It was pretty basic stuff except one of the professors asked me to do a guest lecture for two of her classes (very, very irregular)--specifically for the class session right before a big essay exam (regional standardized test) they were going to have that would determine what English classes they'd be eligible for the following semester. I prepared the lectures myself entirely and led two class sessions in a very inter-active lecture/exercise.

My questions are:

#1. Is it worth splitting up the general TAing with the lectures? I really feel they were an entirely different experience/challenge, and they meant a lot to me. However I don't want to look like I'm splitting hairs.

#2. Would it be pushing it to label the experience as "leadership"? I did "lead" the class but... eh, not really leadery.

Thanks!

 

[sector9]

Ah yes you're right I just got the error. I guess the total hours then have include what I expect to have completed by the end of May 2014 then correct?

Yeah, you'd put total hours for the time span you're indicating on the app. As I said above, I think it would be easier for adcoms to understand if you indicated in the description how many hours you've done so far vs. how many you are planning to do

 

[sector9]

I attended a primary care workshop this year, how should I list this in activities?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

What exactly is a primary care workshop? Like a workshop for premeds trying to push them towards primary care?

 

[sector9]

What should I do about ongoing activty? should i do hours upto this point for that?

The instruction manual says to include your anticipated hours too, though I've been recommending to clarify in the description.

 

[sector9]

Hi Sector9, I have a question. I did some English TAing at a local CC during my undergrad. It was pretty basic stuff except one of the professors asked me to do a guest lecture for two of her classes (very, very irregular)--specifically for the class session right before a big essay exam (regional standardized test) they were going to have that would determine what English classes they'd be eligible for the following semester. I prepared the lectures myself entirely and led two class sessions in a very inter-active lecture/exercise.

My questions are:

#1. Is it worth splitting up the general TAing with the lectures? I really feel they were an entirely different experience/challenge, and they meant a lot to me. However I don't want to look like I'm splitting hairs.

#2. Would it be pushing it to label the experience as "leadership"? I did "lead" the class but... eh, not really leadery.

Thanks!

1. I'd leave them together if I were you, especially since there were only a couple of them, and explain about the guest lectures in the description.

2. We generally advise applicants to list this stuff as Teaching/Tutoring/Teaching Assistant even though there are leadership components.

 

[Oldenuff2nobetr]

The max space for an activity appears to 999 hours, so do we just enter 999 even if we have more hours than that? (5 years US Marine Corps = 10400 hours).

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

The max space for an activity appears to 999 hours, so do we just enter 999 even if we have more hours than that? (5 years US Marine Corps = 10400 hours).

Yes.

 

[Oldenuff2nobetr]

Thanks Mt. K.,

Also wondering if Serving as platoon sergeant/ section chief (civilian equivalent = line supervisor) should be listed under military service or leadership?

thanks again,
Trajan

 

[docksan]

What exactly is a primary care workshop? Like a workshop for premeds trying to push them towards primary care?

It's a workshop that exposes you to a primary care environment and allows you to interact with actors acting as patients as well as talking with current physicians about medicine and premed goals.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[bluebananaslug]

1. About shadowig: My pre-med advisor recommended that I cut down character counts by not listing contact info for every doctor. Instead she wanted me to write about "what I gained out of shadowing".
I'd rather trust SDN and keep the emails. Do we really need to write a reflective piece about how personally important shadowing was? I figure adcoms don't especially need that.

2. Is it OK to list only titles of posters/presentations without author lists like proper reference entries? I'm hoping not to take up 5+ entries for research and it would save me a lot of space. I am planning to include something like "As second author: Title of Presentation" so that I'm not insinuating that these are all first-author projects. I'll also abbreviate conference name/month/location so they could be looked up.

 

[annawmc]

Bump....any takers? Wanna know if I should add this to the section or not.

I also had an internship at the radiology department of the hospital my senior year of HS but i'm not planning to add that since it ended right after school did. However, i'm planning on mentioning it in my PS because it was one of the reasons I decided to pursue medicine.

I'm no expert, but if you feel it adds value to your application then put it in there. The AMCAS application manual says this is regards to the experiences section: The Work and Activities section of the application is designed to give you the opportunity to include in your application any work experience, extracurricular activities, awards, honors, or publications that you would like to bring to the attention of the medical schools to which you are applying. I take that to mean if you want to tell them that you had the experience and describe in the 700 allotted characters, then by all means tell them. Just don't list it as clinical experience if it wasn't. If you learned something from the experience, feel it adds value to your application and you want to add it, add it. Just my opinion, but I hope it helps.

 

[EthylMethylMan]

I have a couple of things that I'm unsure about adding:

1. I've been taking Mandarin Chinese for a year at university, and I volunteered to help the Chinese foreign students organize a Chinese New Year cultural event on campus. In addition, I also helped to host the event by introducing each of the acts and explaining their cultural significance. Virtually all of the people involved except for me were native to China, so I had to use my Mandarin a fair amount. The total hours came to be about 10. Worth including?

2. A creative writing class I took last year had a volunteer work portion wherein we helped high school students in a not-so-nice urban area (inner-city New Haven, Connecticut) to write and edit their poetry. Total hours for that came to about 5. Again, worth including?

3. I was inducted into an "Experiential Education Honor Society" (my school's really enthusiastic about "experiential education") with the highest honors possible. Should I list this as a stand-alone experience, or should I bunch in my Dean's List instances with it as well? I know this was included in the FAQ, but I figured that since it isn't really a science-y or medical honor society, it'd be worth asking.

4. I've heard whispers that hobbies like outdoor activities that you partake in regularly are worth including. My roommates at college, my brother, and I all like to slackline, which is basically walking a tightrope secured to two trees. Except the tightrope is a seatbelt material. Basically it's a not-so-common physical activity, and was wondering if it'd be worth including as well. Additionally, I have a few other physical activities that I enjoy (bike riding, martial arts, etc.) and was wondering if I should just bunch them into one "physical activities" header or leave them as individual activities.

Thanks a lot!

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

1. About shadowig: My pre-med advisor recommended that I cut down character counts by not listing contact info for every doctor. Instead she wanted me to write about "what I gained out of shadowing".
I'd rather trust SDN and keep the emails. Do we really need to write a reflective piece about how personally important shadowing was? I figure adcoms don't especially need that.

2. Is it OK to list only titles of posters/presentations without author lists like proper reference entries? I'm hoping not to take up 5+ entries for research and it would save me a lot of space. I am planning to include something like "As second author: Title of Presentation" so that I'm not insinuating that these are all first-author projects. I'll also abbreviate conference name/month/location so they could be looked up.

1) You shadow to gain clinical exposure and affirm your career choice. Everyone does it for the same reason and gets the same thing out of it. You could use more space to write about it more descriptively ("I watched in amazement as the tiny sliver of steel opened up a new and exciting world"), but I would guess that most of these people just skim the section and glance at the hours. It seems phony to me to shadow someone for a few hours or days and then make any sort of declarations about the profession. No matter how closely you paid attention, you probably missed 75% of what was going on behind the scenes just because you don't have enough work experience in that environment.

2) Sounds good to me.

 

[okokok]

Do you guys have any thoughts on including a web address where people reading your app could see a pdf of your poster or published article? I understand it'd be rare for them to take the time to actually look at it, but maybe if they were trying to decide between you (ie me) and another applicant?

 

[TheShaker]

If I've done independent tutoring, what should I do about the references? I don't think any of the people I tutor want to be put on as contact info so if they are not an option, what should I do? List myself as the contact??

 

[Oldenuff2nobetr]

Had the same questions! would mentoring be considered non clinical volunteering or leadership

For both, list the categories in order of importance to an ADCOM (your best guess). Then put your most valuable experience in the most important field. For example, if you rank leadership higher than Teaching/tutoring, and you don't yet have a leadership entry, put mentorship there and focus on all the leadership aspects of this position. If you already have a good leadership experience, then put this in teaching if you don;t already have a good one. IMHO

 

[indianjatt]

If I have a decent amount of space left on my works/activities section, is it ok to list my awards separately? I.e. one for dean's list, and separate entries for say two other awards. Or does this seem like I'm fluffing my activities and just trying to fill space? If not, should I just lump all of the awards together?

 

[riseNshine]

For merging different honors/awards, whose contact info is most important? Should we list the contact info for all awards in the body(how about for honors like dean's list-list the dean's number?).

Also, isn't it repetitive if we choose "Honors/Awards/Recognitions" and then title that group "Honors/Awards" again if we're combining several awards?

Also, would it be a good idea to include federal scholarships like the Federal Smart Grant? I'm not planning to apply with the disadvantaged status, but I wonder if it will be important for medical schools to know that my entire undergraduate fees were covered by federal/state aid.

 

[gobigorgohome22]

If I have a decent amount of space left on my works/activities section, is it ok to list my awards separately? I.e. one for dean's list, and separate entries for say two other awards. Or does this seem like I'm fluffing my activities and just trying to fill space? If not, should I just lump all of the awards together?

If you have a lot to write about one of them than you could list them separately. Otherwise its just going to look like fluf.

 

[riseNshine]

If you have a program position, for instance, "American Medical Students Asssociation" President, do you put President for Experience Name and AMSA for organization name? What is the best way to go about this?

Thanks

 

[imperfectluck]

I did an internship with a public health non-profit abroad where I worked in villages. Could I list that as volunteering-non medical, or should I list it as an internship? Thanks!

 

[MedGrl@2022]

AMCAS has posted an answer to the 999 dilemma on their FAQ https://www.aamc.org/students/services/336138/morethan1000hours.html

It looks like they want you to use the repeated option up until you have 3996 hours of an activity. If you have over 3996 hours, then they recommend putting 999 in all 4 fields of the repeated activity and explaining in the description.

It could just be me but the link is not working... is it working for other people?

This is what the webpage says "Page Not Found

The AAMC Web site has been restructured. The page you were trying to visit does not exist, or has been moved.

Please visit the AAMC home page and navigate to your destination, or use Search.

If you received this error after following a link on aamc.org, please send [email protected] information about the referring page."

 

[pepes1lv1a]

'

interesting tidbits are NOT interesting to the adcom. what the activity says about the applicant to being a physician is. So framing the above near disaster as a harsh learning experience yet one that did not dissuade from learning more about cooking would be appropriate. A creme brulee is not easy to do, that is for sure.

With all due respect, doesn't that seem a tiny bit over the top? I don't think adcoms would really give two shiiii...poops about how a creme brulee incident in your work/activities is a metaphor for your potential success as a physician. You address that in your PS, interviews, and secondaries; enough is enough! Do you really think they would be burdened by reading a single extra sentence that is a break in the monotony?

 

[MedGrl@2022]

I'd still put down the contact info for all of them like in the FAQ. It is unlikely they'd try to call a contact for something that short and that long ago IMO, but it may be slightly suspicious if you don't have anything for it. Remember, the purpose of the contact is just to verify that you did the activity, not a character reference. So they don't need to remember you well. Here's the AMCAS FAQ that talks about part of your question https://www.aamc.org/students/apply...anlistasacontactforanactivity-experience.html Just my $0.02

If we are listing multiple jobs in a box should we list a contact for all of them? I am a non-trad so the first two jobs wouldn;t have the same contact info. Should I just list myself and provide my phone number? For instance:

Barnes and Nobles, Manchester, CT * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *2007-2008
Barista and Bookseller
Bookstore/Café
*Top promoter of Barnes and Nobles Membership Cards
*Prepared beverages and food for top café in district
Contact: my name here

Farmington Club, Farmington,CT 2005-2008 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Server and Hostess ***
Banquet Hall ***
Preparing the kitchen and facilities for all activities and events (ie. cleaning, food prep, setting up facilities)
Taking meal orders, serving and clearing tables for guests
Contact Person: Rhonda C*** 898-243-3423

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Manchester, CT * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *2006-2006
Hostess ***
Restaurant ***
Welcoming and greeting guests to restaurant
Organizing floor plan to effectively seat guests
Maintained communication with servers to keep the restaurant running smoothly

***
American Eagle Outfitters, Manchester, *CT * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **
Sales Associate 2004-2005 ***
Clothing Store ***
Top promoter of American Eagle Credit Cards *
Maintaining and selling clothes in the fitting rooms
Contact: my name here, 343-234-2342

 

[pepes1lv1a]

Hi SDNizens,

For extracurricular activities, I got involved in a few different clubs, just as a member, short-term:
-a school bellydance ensemble that had a few performances throughout the year
-2 semesters' (since it's only active 1 semester/year) worth of recreational ski and snowboard club
-3 years' worth of participation in hatha yoga club
-1 semester of intramural volleyball
-(last summer, post-graduation) Kickball League of Rochester team member


Would including these shorter-term things be a detriment because I didn't commit to them over a longer period of time? Would it be more OK if I explained that I was just eager to try new things?

 

[pepes1lv1a]

Farmington Club, Farmington,CT 2005-2008 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Server and Hostess ***
Banquet Hall ***
Preparing the kitchen and facilities for all activities and events (ie. cleaning, food prep, setting up facilities)
Taking meal orders, serving and clearing tables for guests
Contact Person: Rhonda C*** 898-243-3423

Nitpicking, but I think you want "e.g." here. "i.e." implies these were your only duties. I only say something because I've seen it a few times here and...I guess I'm THAT guy.


Protip: Sub "in other words" for "i.e." and "for example" for "e.g." to determine which one is appropriate

 

[MedGrl@2022]

Nitpicking, but I think you want "e.g." here. "i.e." implies these were your only duties. I only say something because I've seen it a few times here and...I guess I'm THAT guy.


Protip: Sub "in other words" for "i.e." and "for example" for "e.g." to determine which one is appropriate

Thank you!!! 🙂

 

[apples5]

I searched this thread and I'm still not sure, so I'll ask: What exactly is a poster/presentation? Does it count if it's something you did as part of a class? For example, my public health class held a conference where we had posters and had to present our research projects.

 

[Caveman7]

I'm in a occupational therapy for special needs children (autism, down syndrome, physical disabilities) where we teach them karate and social skills. Would you guys consider this to me non-medical or medical? Sometimes we refer to them as being patients, but it seems like a gray area to me.

 

[caereax]

Another question: I did some undergraduate research which resulted in a poster presented at a conference. It is not anything special (and I'm the sixth author). Is this worth mentioning as a separate slot (I am woefully lacking research)? Also, is there a proper way to cite it?

Thanks a lot for your advice (really--it's a godsend, so thank you)

 

[MedGrl@2022]

I have way too many work and activities... since I am a non-trad... I graduated in 2007... I have had 10+ jobs since beginning college... been part of multiple activities (a lot of health outreach volunteering)... worked 5 different research jobs... published 3 abstracts... done like 15 posters/presentations... worked on 7 different research projects...

I was originally going to put all my research activities with each job but I don't have enough space...

For instance in my current job:

Clinical Research Coordinator
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD August 2011-Present
Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Studies, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Supervisor: V A. R, Ph.D.
Program Director: M H M.D., Ph.D.
• Work as a research assistant and coordinator for various clinical research protocols including "Genetics of the acute response to alcohol in humans", "Screening evaluation for NIAAA protocols"; and project: "Influence of serotonin (5-HT) receptor polymorphism on the subjective response to alcohol in non-dependent drinkers".


Screening evaluation for NIAAA protocols
• Coordinate and conduct recruiting, interviewing and phone-screening of potential participants for clinical studies in the laboratory.
• Coordinate appointments for participants with medical (physicians, nurses) and scientific staff (investigators, technicians); and diagnostics (phlebotomy, EKG station).
• Administer psychiatric diagnostic assessment using structured clinical interview for DSM-IV Diagnosis (SCID); and IQ using Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI).
• Administer assessments including behavioral evaluations to determine drinking history, family history of alcoholism, smoking and adverse childhood experiences.
• Compile screening assessment reports to evaluate subject eligibility for future study participation.
• Conduct entry, validation and quality control procedures for data collected in this study.

Genetics of the Acute Response to Alcohol in Humans
• Coordinate and conduct clinical study to investigate the genetics involved in the acute response to alcohol in non-dependent drinkers.
• Developed and implemented process for tracking subject pre-screening and recruitment into study.
• Collect behavioral, physiological, psychomotor and questionnaire data for the study via computerized tasks, scales, and clinical instruments.
• Conduct entry, validation, electronic transfer and processing, as well as quality control procedures for data collected in this study.

Influence of Serotonin (5-HT) Receptor Polymorphism on the Subjective Response to Alcohol in Nondependent Drinkers
• Examined single nucleotide polymorphisms serotonin genes (5HT3A/B) for association with subjective measures to assess if they may significantly influence the subjective response to alcohol in non-dependent healthy drinker.
• Conducted statistical analyses, including analysis of variance, on genetic and subjective response as well as drinking history measures.
• Developed poster summarizing initial results for presentation at the Research Society on Alcoholism Annual Meeting.
• Currently, conducting additional analysis and developing plan for publication of results.

Abstracts (these were also presented as posters... but heard published abstracts are more prestigious/important)
names; "Characterization of Hangover Following Intravenous (IV) Alcohol in Social Drinkers: Effects of Family History, Drinking History and Sex." Clinical and Translational Science, 6(2): 136, 2013.

Names; "Subjective and Motor Responses to Acute Intravenous (IV) Alcohol: Comparison of Clamp and Oral-Mimic Infusion Paradigms." Investigative Medicine,61 (3): 663, 2013.

names; "Influence of Serotonin (5-HT) Receptor Polymorphism on the Subjective Response to Alcohol in Non-Dependent Drinkers: Preliminary Findings." Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research,36 (6): 175A, 2012.


Posters/Presentations
names; "Influence of Steady-State and Biphasic Exposure Profiles on the Pharmacodynamics of Acute Intravenous (IV) Alcohol in Young Adults." Nature Press Conference: American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Indianapolis, TN, March, 2013.
names; "Detrimental effects of Alcohol Drinking on Family and Social Paradigms; Misconceptions and Safety Measures." Perry Street Preparatory Public Charter, Middle School Science Exploration Day, in Washington DC, February, 2013.
names.; "Neurobehavioral and Neurobiological Effects of Alcohol Consumption; and other Negative Systemic Manifestations." Perry Street Preparatory Public Charter, Middle School Science Exploration Day, Washington, DC, May, 2012.

There is also more for this job at is my current one and I worked there full-time since 2011... I also worked there since 2010 but in a different role and only part-time... I suppose I will have to break that up...

How the heck am I supposed to fit everything in? Should I call someone from AMCAS and get an opinion? Although I am a non-trad is it important to indicate that I worked part-time in undergrad. Therefore, I can still show that I was an awesome student while being involved and working... as we all were I am sure... (I graduated in 2007)

 

[EugeneF]

Hey SDN,

So Freshman and Sophomore year of college I was very involved in activism to repeal the don't ask, don't tell policy in the military as well as support for lgbt servicemembers. I know that schools like to see who we are outside of the application process, my only concern is that telling a school about this will introduce a wild card (because of homophobia etc) which may hurt me depending on the interviewer.

Thoughts?

 

[gobigorgohome22]

Hey guys,

So while going through the AMCAS manual I saw this quote "A maximum of 15
total experiences may be entered; however you can enter up to 4 occurrences for each experience"
.
Does this mean that we can only have 4 items under each activity? For example, I have shadowed about 6 docs. Am I allowed to put all 6 under the same "activity"?

 

[hvairline]

I have way too many work and activities... since I am a non-trad... I graduated in 2007... I have had 10+ jobs since beginning college... been part of multiple activities (a lot of health outreach volunteering)... worked 5 different research jobs... published 3 abstracts... done like 15 posters/presentations... worked on 7 different research projects...

I was originally going to put all my research activities with each job but I don't have enough space...

For instance in my current job:

Clinical Research Coordinator
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD August 2011-Present
Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Studies, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Supervisor: V A. R, Ph.D.
Program Director: M H M.D., Ph.D.
• Work as a research assistant and coordinator for various clinical research protocols including “Genetics of the acute response to alcohol in humans”, “Screening evaluation for NIAAA protocols”; and project: “Influence of serotonin (5-HT) receptor polymorphism on the subjective response to alcohol in non-dependent drinkers”.


Screening evaluation for NIAAA protocols
• Coordinate and conduct recruiting, interviewing and phone-screening of potential participants for clinical studies in the laboratory.
• Coordinate appointments for participants with medical (physicians, nurses) and scientific staff (investigators, technicians); and diagnostics (phlebotomy, EKG station).
• Administer psychiatric diagnostic assessment using structured clinical interview for DSM-IV Diagnosis (SCID); and IQ using Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI).
• Administer assessments including behavioral evaluations to determine drinking history, family history of alcoholism, smoking and adverse childhood experiences.
• Compile screening assessment reports to evaluate subject eligibility for future study participation.
• Conduct entry, validation and quality control procedures for data collected in this study.

Genetics of the Acute Response to Alcohol in Humans
• Coordinate and conduct clinical study to investigate the genetics involved in the acute response to alcohol in non-dependent drinkers.
• Developed and implemented process for tracking subject pre-screening and recruitment into study.
• Collect behavioral, physiological, psychomotor and questionnaire data for the study via computerized tasks, scales, and clinical instruments.
• Conduct entry, validation, electronic transfer and processing, as well as quality control procedures for data collected in this study.

Influence of Serotonin (5-HT) Receptor Polymorphism on the Subjective Response to Alcohol in Nondependent Drinkers
• Examined single nucleotide polymorphisms serotonin genes (5HT3A/B) for association with subjective measures to assess if they may significantly influence the subjective response to alcohol in non-dependent healthy drinker.
• Conducted statistical analyses, including analysis of variance, on genetic and subjective response as well as drinking history measures.
• Developed poster summarizing initial results for presentation at the Research Society on Alcoholism Annual Meeting.
• Currently, conducting additional analysis and developing plan for publication of results.

Abstracts (these were also presented as posters... but heard published abstracts are more prestigious/important)
names; ”Characterization of Hangover Following Intravenous (IV) Alcohol in Social Drinkers: Effects of Family History, Drinking History and Sex.” Clinical and Translational Science, 6(2): 136, 2013.

Names; “Subjective and Motor Responses to Acute Intravenous (IV) Alcohol: Comparison of Clamp and Oral-Mimic Infusion Paradigms.” Investigative Medicine,61 (3): 663, 2013.

names; “Influence of Serotonin (5-HT) Receptor Polymorphism on the Subjective Response to Alcohol in Non-Dependent Drinkers: Preliminary Findings.” Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research,36 (6): 175A, 2012.


Posters/Presentations
names; “Influence of Steady-State and Biphasic Exposure Profiles on the Pharmacodynamics of Acute Intravenous (IV) Alcohol in Young Adults.” Nature Press Conference: American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Indianapolis, TN, March, 2013.
names; "Detrimental effects of Alcohol Drinking on Family and Social Paradigms; Misconceptions and Safety Measures." Perry Street Preparatory Public Charter, Middle School Science Exploration Day, in Washington DC, February, 2013.
names.; “Neurobehavioral and Neurobiological Effects of Alcohol Consumption; and other Negative Systemic Manifestations.” Perry Street Preparatory Public Charter, Middle School Science Exploration Day, Washington, DC, May, 2012.

There is also more for this job at is my current one and I worked there full-time since 2011... I also worked there since 2010 but in a different role and only part-time... I suppose I will have to break that up...

How the heck am I supposed to fit everything in? Should I call someone from AMCAS and get an opinion? Although I am a non-trad is it important to indicate that I worked part-time in undergrad. Therefore, I can still show that I was an awesome student while being involved and working... as we all were I am sure... (I graduated in 2007)

I would cut down and introduce the most important stuff. Unfortunately you may have to select and be picky about what you want to include in that case. Try to think about what would be most significant to an adcomm. Hope this helps.

 

[MedGrl@2022]

If it is an activity or work experience that you will continue in the future or just began... do I report the hours that I will spend on it? Is this information in the instructions somewhere? Did I miss it?

Thank you for your help.

 

[MedGrl@2022]

I would cut down and introduce the most important stuff. Unfortunately you may have to select and be picky about what you want to include in that case. Try to think about what would be most significant to an adcomm. Hope this helps.

Do you think that I should try to condense some stuff and make a separate category for my publications and presentations?

 

[hvairline]

Yes make a separate category for all publications/posters and cite them. If they do not all fit just remove the less significant ones and you can always mention during interviews that you had additional publications

 

[TRSTme]

It could just be me but the link is not working... is it working for other people?

This is what the webpage says "Page Not Found

The AAMC Web site has been restructured. The page you were trying to visit does not exist, or has been moved.

Please visit the AAMC home page and navigate to your destination, or use Search.

If you received this error after following a link on aamc.org, please send [email protected] information about the referring page."

Here's the updated link!

https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/amcas/faqs/336138/morethan1000hours.html