*~*~*~*Official AMCAS "Work/Activities" Tips Thread 2014-2015*~*~*~*

Applying to Med School? Get In Or Your Money Back
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Aria88997 said:
1) I mean obviously there is significance to the experiences that are going on for a while, but how about ones that started recently? Is there any weight given to these experiences, or do you just pretty much ignore those?
2) Also, how much weight is usually given to students who work full-time for financial stability?
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Let's try not to wander outside the scope of this thread, but for 1) I don't give weight to planned, but not yet completed hours, having seen them come to naught not infrequently. And for 2) full-time work during school is taken into account when evaluating hours of involvement in premed-related activities, but that doesn't excuse one for having extremely-sparse essentials, since there's no requirement to apply directly after college.

Consider starting a What Are My Chances thread where you can give specific information about your activities, if you want to ask questions about how your application will be viewed.
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Looking for some feedback, I had a child during my undergrad (I am the male partner, not the child maker) and it obviously had a profound impact on my life in more ways than I could describe here. As far as talking about it in my med school app I didn't delve into this part of my life much on my PS but am not sure if it qualifies as a work/activity. I did get ample exposure to medicine, the birth, many appointments before, after and currently with check ups but this may also be an obvious assumption for any parent. Essentially I'm leaning to work it into my PS but was curious on the prospect of including it in work/activity section.

Also if anyone could point me to a life experience thread or something similar I would be grateful. Still refining my SDN search skill.
 
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Saltyted23 said:
Looking for some feedback, I had a child during my undergrad (I am the male partner, not the child maker) and it obviously had a profound impact on my life in more ways than I could describe here. As far as talking about it in my med school app I didn't delve into this part of my life much on my PS but am not sure if it qualifies as a work/activity. I did get ample exposure to medicine, the birth, many appointments before, after and currently with check ups but this may also be an obvious assumption for any parent. Essentially I'm leaning to work it into my PS but was curious on the prospect of including it in work/activity section.

Also if anyone could point me to a life experience thread or something similar I would be grateful. Still refining my SDN search skill.
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Parenting as an EC:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=749784
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=530554
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=398775
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=283710
 
Just want to say…. Catalystik, and Goro, and LizzyM, and gonnif, etc. Your help along the way has been immense. I've been here on sdn for awhile, but whoa! Applying this year has been much more complex than I expected. I'm so very grateful to you and all the adcoms for your time and patience.
 
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I have a few questions (sorry if they've been asked but I got tired after reading through the first few pages..)
1.) Is 9 activities/experiences too little (and one of these is honors/awards) to be considered competitive? I'm really worried about this as it seems alot of people have trouble fitting everything in 15 slots....
2.) If I'm currently involved in an activity (started last year), and I recently was chosen for a leadership position for next year, can I mention this in a sentence in my slot for this activity?
 
lawlzi said:
I have a few questions (sorry if they've been asked but I got tired after reading through the first few pages..)
1.) Is 9 activities/experiences too little (and one of these is honors/awards) to be considered competitive? I'm really worried about this as it seems alot of people have trouble fitting everything in 15 slots....
2.) If I'm currently involved in an activity (started last year), and I recently was chosen for a leadership position for next year, can I mention this in a sentence in my slot for this activity?
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1) Nine activities is the average listed. Four would be too few. Five meaty ones would be fine.

2) Yes, and you can add the phrase "& President-Elect" (or whatever) to the title if you wish.
 
I have a question about being a TA

I have been doing the prep work for the Gen Chem labs at my school for about 3 years (diluting stock, gathering chemicals for experiments, etc.) in the fall and spring semesters. Even though I don't have direct interaction with students in this role, I am still considered a TA. However, in the summers, I actually instruct a Gen Chem lab (falling into the more literal definition of the TA category on Work/Activities). I am paid for both and have the same boss for both. Additionally, I was planning to use this as one of my MM because of my extensive time spent doing these jobs. So my question is:

1) Should I list them separately (one as non-clinical employment and one as Teaching) and, if so, would this take away from my MM? Or should I just keep them listed together?

If I keep them listed together, I will only have 7 entries for Work/Activities. I wasn't really a "joiner" so I don't have much else to list but I was highly involved in what I do have listed. Does that play a factor at all?

Sorry if this is a dumb question, I'm new to SDN but I made an account because this thread has been really helpful so far. Thanks!
 
Is there any way for me to list something that is going to start in the fall? I am going to be a TA for one of the classes I took and this is a confirmed thing but AMCAS won't let me add anything that starts after today.
 
Hi,
does anyone know is the coursework has to be in order? What I mean is that all my classes are under appropriate semesters as on my transcripts, but their order is different. Does it matter?
 
Another question regarding shadowing. I am over the 700 character limit on my work/activities for this section. Sometimes I shadowed multiple people in a single field, such as a single main physician and his coworkers. Can I put 'Main Physician & Associates' and give the main physicians contact info?
 
restr21933 said:
I have a question about being a TA

I have been doing the prep work for the Gen Chem labs at my school for about 3 years (diluting stock, gathering chemicals for experiments, etc.) in the fall and spring semesters. Even though I don't have direct interaction with students in this role, I am still considered a TA. However, in the summers, I actually instruct a Gen Chem lab (falling into the more literal definition of the TA category on Work/Activities). I am paid for both and have the same boss for both. Additionally, I was planning to use this as one of my MM because of my extensive time spent doing these jobs. So my question is:

1) Should I list them separately (one as non-clinical employment and one as Teaching) and, if so, would this take away from my MM? Or should I just keep them listed together?

2) If I keep them listed together, I will only have 7 entries for Work/Activities. I wasn't really a "joiner" so I don't have much else to list but I was highly involved in what I do have listed. Does that play a factor at all?
Click to expand...
1) If each separate component is sufficiently substantive to stand on its own, it is fine to split them out into two spaces, one of which is MM. You can use the Repeated button to get spaces for additional time frames and total hours for each period of involvement.

2) Depth and breadth of involvement is valued.

Also, if you don't have a Hobbies and/or Artistic Endeavors entry, be sure to get them in.
 
AamirB said:
Is there any way for me to list something that is going to start in the fall? I am going to be a TA for one of the classes I took and this is a confirmed thing but AMCAS won't let me add anything that starts after today.
Click to expand...
If you have any other activity listed under Teaching or another activity related to that class, you could add at the end that you've "been selected for a TA position for . . . for the fall term 2014". Otherwise, you might save it for Secondaries, update letters, and interview conversations.
 
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ta8901 said:
Another question regarding shadowing. I am over the 700 character limit on my work/activities for this section. Sometimes I shadowed multiple people in a single field, such as a single main physician and his coworkers. Can I put 'Main Physician & Associates' and give the main physicians contact info?
Click to expand...
Yes.
 
How many hours should we list for awards like Dean's Honors?
 
For my most substantial shadowing experience, I shadowed multiple physicians over the course of several months. Unfortunately, I only have the contact info of the main hospital and I don't have enough room to really describe the program in detail. Should I just list the hours, the name of the hospital, and write "multiple physicians" or would there be a better way to go about listing this experience?

Thank you!
 
I plan to list each physician, their title, location, contact information, and procedures witnessed, however, I do not know who to list as the contact.
When listing shadowing experience with multiple physicians in one box, who should our primary contact be (the one whom the form requires- not the information you would put inside the description box)? One of the physicians? Or a clinic manager whose information is not listed in the description.
 
Would it be okay to mention something that you're planning on doing during the application year briefly in a most meaningful essay?

For example:
1. Discussing why the activity was meaningful (majority of essay)
2. Noting areas where there is a lack of help/people willing to do certain jobs
3. Mentioning that you plan to work in that area during the application cycle (and that it would be a meaningful use of time)
4. Stating that you're in the process of obtaining the permit/credentials to do so

I'm not exactly sure if it would be proper to mention planned (and not yet set-in-stone) activities. My reasoning for wanting to do it stemmed from this activity, so I tied it in.


Any input would be appreciated!
 
I want to list my main hobbies, but I keep second guessing the best way to do that. Should I just list the experience name as "hobbies" or should I put the most significant one as the name and then in the description say something like "in addition to surfing, I also enjoy spending my free time...."
 
AndyQC said:
For my most substantial shadowing experience, I shadowed multiple physicians over the course of several months. Unfortunately, I only have the contact info of the main hospital and I don't have enough room to really describe the program in detail. Should I just list the hours, the name of the hospital, and write "multiple physicians" or would there be a better way to go about listing this experience?
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Maybe you could give more detail about 2-3 of the shadowing experiences that were most important to you, and then be more vague about the rest as you suggested.
 
Catalystik said:
Yes.
Click to expand...

Should I consolidate my experiences (even though I'm not going over?) I have:

-2- 8 week 50 hour teaching projects under the same organization, (one as a math mentor, one as a chemistry teacher working with other college students and designing a course) (I have as 2 experiences as of now)
- 1 year teaching MCAT classes for The Princeton Review 10-25 hours/week
- Over last 8 months (after graduating), I started my own tutoring practice 10-20 hours/week
-50 hours shadowing primary physician over a week
-50 hours as part of a program where I shadowed multiple (5) specialists/residents over a week at a top children's hospital
-150 hours clinical volunteering at Veterans Affairs Care Unit over 3 summers
-75 Hours free clinic volunteering over 1 summer
-150 Hours providing health screenings (Bp, blood glucose, pulse) to elderly at my mosque over a year
- Canned Food Drive Project Leader (self-initiated) over 1 month during winter vacation- Led friends and we collected >300 Cans of food to go to inner-city children
- 2.5 years Research at USC Cancer Research Center + poster presentation + abstract + undergraduate grant >500 Hours
- 1 Semester hard science research project as a component of a research course (research was utilizing natural history museum specimens to see if a certain species derived from another location based off morphological trends. 150-200 hours
- Partnership charity walk Health Booth Leader (led a group of students to educate run participants about common diseases/illnesses in third world countries in the hopes of getting a larger influx of tourism/charity)
(Day event + 30-50 hours of planning)
- Fitness as a Hobby (working out for last 5-6 years)
- Quiddich sport as a Hobby =P 2 years
- Have taken formal lessons in Piano, Guitar, and Drums (though I'm not great at any, I enjoy learning how to play music)
-Honors program completion at community college before transferring to university
+ Deans List semesters


Also, are my EC's decent or lacking :/?


Thanks!
 
lbockhorn said:
I plan to list each physician, their title, location, contact information, and procedures witnessed, however, I do not know who to list as the contact.
When listing shadowing experience with multiple physicians in one box, who should our primary contact be (the one whom the form requires- not the information you would put inside the description box)? One of the physicians? Or a clinic manager whose information is not listed in the description.
Click to expand...
Using the office manager is a fine plan.
 
Mayday_ said:
Would it be okay to mention something that you're planning on doing during the application year briefly in a most meaningful essay?

For example:
1. Discussing why the activity was meaningful (majority of essay)
2. Noting areas where there is a lack of help/people willing to do certain jobs
3. Mentioning that you plan to work in that area during the application cycle (and that it would be a meaningful use of time)
4. Stating that you're in the process of obtaining the permit/credentials to do so

I'm not exactly sure if it would be proper to mention planned (and not yet set-in-stone) activities. My reasoning for wanting to do it stemmed from this activity, so I tied it in.
Click to expand...
IMO, it would be better to let schools know about this new initiative when you've accomplished something, perhaps through Secondaries, update letters, and interview conversations.
 
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ZymurgySurfer said:
I want to list my main hobbies, but I keep second guessing the best way to do that. Should I just list the experience name as "hobbies" or should I put the most significant one as the name and then in the description say something like "in addition to surfing, I also enjoy spending my free time...."
Click to expand...
You'd probably want a more inclusive title, like Leisuretime Activities, or Water Sport Involvement, or somesuch.
 
nabilesmail said:
1) Should I consolidate my experiences (even though I'm not going over?) I have:

-2- 8 week 50 hour teaching projects under the same organization, (one as a math mentor, one as a chemistry teacher working with other college students and designing a course) (I have as 2 experiences as of now)
- 1 year teaching MCAT classes for The Princeton Review 10-25 hours/week
- Over last 8 months (after graduating), I started my own tutoring practice 10-20 hours/week
-50 hours shadowing primary physician over a week
-50 hours as part of a program where I shadowed multiple (5) specialists/residents over a week at a top children's hospital
-150 hours clinical volunteering at Veterans Affairs Care Unit over 3 summers
-75 Hours free clinic volunteering over 1 summer
-150 Hours providing health screenings (Bp, blood glucose, pulse) to elderly at my mosque over a year
- Canned Food Drive Project Leader (self-initiated) over 1 month during winter vacation- Led friends and we collected >300 Cans of food to go to inner-city children
- 2.5 years Research at USC Cancer Research Center + poster presentation + abstract + undergraduate grant >500 Hours
- 1 Semester hard science research project as a component of a research course (research was utilizing natural history museum specimens to see if a certain species derived from another location based off morphological trends. 150-200 hours
- Partnership charity walk Health Booth Leader (led a group of students to educate run participants about common diseases/illnesses in third world countries in the hopes of getting a larger influx of tourism/charity)
(Day event + 30-50 hours of planning)
- Fitness as a Hobby (working out for last 5-6 years)
- Quiddich sport as a Hobby =P 2 years
- Have taken formal lessons in Piano, Guitar, and Drums (though I'm not great at any, I enjoy learning how to play music)
-Honors program completion at community college before transferring to university
+ Deans List semesters


2) Also, are my EC's decent or lacking :/?
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1) You could consolidate the Hobbies into one Leisuretime Activities entry if you like. All the Shadowing could go together as well. I'm not saying you should, but you could. If they are meaty enough as they are, leave them be. The Honors/Awards entry might be looked at as redundant/not adding much, considering your GPA would speak for itself.

2) Sounds like a good question for a WAMC post.
 
Catalystik said:
IMO, it would be better to let schools know about this new initiative when you've accomplished something, perhaps through Secondaries, update letters, and interview conversations.
Click to expand...

Great advice! Thank you!
 
I tried to search for a question to similar to mine, but I couldn't find anything so here it is: I was wondering if it was improper to include an explanation of why I stopped volunteering at a health clinic.

It was my main clinical volunteering experience, but earlier this school year, I was involved in a hit-and-run car accident and totalled my car. I was unable to claim insurance since it was a hit-and-run and my insurance only covered personal liability. The health clinic was already 45 minutes away by car (I chose it because of its commitment to an underserved population in southside Chicago), and if I wanted to take public transport, a one way trip would have been almost 1.5 hours, so roundtrip......3 long hours. The excessive commute time and difficulty in finding daylight hours to go in (it would have been dangerous to walk from the clinic to the train stop after dark) kept me from continuing volunteering there this past year.

Typing that all out makes me realize that it's a fairly lengthy explanation, so if I end up including anything, I would definitely have to shorten it.
 
wenbinbin said:
I tried to search for a question to similar to mine, but I couldn't find anything so here it is: I was wondering if it was improper to include an explanation of why I stopped volunteering at a health clinic.

It was my main clinical volunteering experience, but earlier this school year, I was involved in a hit-and-run car accident and totalled my car. I was unable to claim insurance since it was a hit-and-run and my insurance only covered personal liability. The health clinic was already 45 minutes away by car (I chose it because of its commitment to an underserved population in southside Chicago), and if I wanted to take public transport, a one way trip would have been almost 1.5 hours, so roundtrip......3 long hours. The excessive commute time and difficulty in finding daylight hours to go in (it would have been dangerous to walk from the clinic to the train stop after dark) kept me from continuing volunteering there this past year.

Typing that all out makes me realize that it's a fairly lengthy explanation, so if I end up including anything, I would definitely have to shorten it.
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It isn't necessary to explain, but if you wish to, I agree, all the verbiage needs to be put into more succinct language. Or just, "Further participation impacted by loss of transportation."
 
I have a question regarding formatting for the work/activities. I made a 'list' for my shadowing subsection but it all came in one paragraph like thing which looked horrible to look at when I clicked 'showdetails' in my work activities. Is this what the adcoms will see? is there any way to fix this?
 
So, I know that Artistic Endeavors are meant to be things that are presented publicly. This is probably a silly question, but I paint and draw. I have been doing this since Jr High and in high school I recieved a lot of recognition and won an art show, but since then I haven't done anything public with my work. Should I list it as a hobby then or an artistic endeavor and reference the high school stuff?
 
ta8901 said:
I have a question regarding formatting for the work/activities. I made a 'list' for my shadowing subsection but it all came in one paragraph like thing which looked horrible to look at when I clicked 'showdetails' in my work activities. Is this what the adcoms will see? is there any way to fix this?
Click to expand...
Adcoms will see the PDF version.
 
EyesOfTheWorld said:
So, I know that Artistic Endeavors are meant to be things that are presented publicly. This is probably a silly question, but I paint and draw. I have been doing this since Jr High and in high school I recieved a lot of recognition and won an art show, but since then I haven't done anything public with my work. Should I list it as a hobby then or an artistic endeavor and reference the high school stuff?
Click to expand...
I think using the Hobby designation is more appropriate in your case, with reference to the HS achievements.
 
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I currently have a full-time job and intend to continue at this full-time job until I 7/2015.
As one might expect, I don't want my supervisor getting a call from AMCAS or various medical schools, since that would very likely jeopardize my employment.
Is there a way I can make sure no one contacts my boss?
Should I leave my current work out of the application entirely?
Will schools look poorly upon me not wanting them to contact my supervisor, for not telling my supervisor that I hope to quit in a little over a year, or any other reason related to this situation?
 
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When I select "show details" on the work/activities summary page, all my formatting is reduced. Are how the descriptions appear on "show details" going to be the same way they'll look to the schools receiving our application?
 
HealthHare said:
When I select "show details" on the work/activities summary page, all my formatting is reduced. Are how the descriptions appear on "show details" going to be the same way they'll look to the schools receiving our application?
Click to expand...
It'll look like the PDF you can print from the home page.
 
For my most meaningful activities I discussed how the activities affected me, taught me stuff, and what I gained from them, but I didn't mention how that transformation would contribute to the goal of being a doctor.

Should the most meaningful entries be tailored to that message (how this will aid me in being a doctor)? I've been reading other posts and that is the vibe I have gathered
 
giraffesuptop said:
For my most meaningful activities I discussed how the activities affected me, taught me stuff, and what I gained from them, but I didn't mention how that transformation would contribute to the goal of being a doctor.

Should the most meaningful entries be tailored to that message (how this will aid me in being a doctor)? I've been reading other posts and that is the vibe I have gathered
Click to expand...

The answer depends on your overall application. My application was relatively light on "why medicine" so I did my best to tie as many of my non-medical activities to my path to medicine as I could without seeming too forced. If you have your bases covered in other parts of your application, I don't see why you need to tie it back to medicine all the time. Adcoms want to learn about who you are, the most meaningful essays give you an opportunity to paint a more accurate picture.
 
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I volunteered in the Emergency Room of one hospital for 30 hours, and in the Oncology Department of another hospital for 50 hours. Truth be told, I didn't learn much from either position as my responsibilities were stocking shelves and transporting paperwork.

I am considering not including this experience in my work/activities section. I left within a few months of starting because I didn't feel like I was getting anything out of the experience, nor giving anything back to the hospital. If the experience was brought up in an interview, I wouldn't have much to say except that I became somewhat more familiar with the dynamics of working in a hospital. The hours were very short, and I'm sure it would come up that I didn't feel like I was able to contribute much because of the limitations on hospital volunteers.

I have significant volunteer experience in other areas, including 600+ hours as a Hospice volunteer, 400+ hours at a homeless coalition, two weeks volunteering abroad, and 250 hours on various volunteer activities including Habitat for Humanity, the Humane Society, and a food pantry. I also shadowed a pediatrician for 150 hours.

What do you guys think... should I include the hospital volunteering or skip it and focus on my other activities?
 
Irish Luck said:
I volunteered in the Emergency Room of one hospital for 30 hours, and in the Oncology Department of another hospital for 50 hours. Truth be told, I didn't learn much from either position as my responsibilities were stocking shelves and transporting paperwork.

I am considering not including this experience in my work/activities section. I left within a few months of starting because I didn't feel like I was getting anything out of the experience, nor giving anything back to the hospital. If the experience was brought up in an interview, I wouldn't have much to say except that I became somewhat more familiar with the dynamics of working in a hospital. The hours were very short, and I'm sure it would come up that I didn't feel like I was able to contribute much because of the limitations on hospital volunteers.

I have significant volunteer experience in other areas, including 600+ hours as a Hospice volunteer, 400+ hours at a homeless coalition, two weeks volunteering abroad, and 250 hours on various volunteer activities including Habitat for Humanity, the Humane Society, and a food pantry. I also shadowed a pediatrician for 150 hours.

What do you guys think... should I include the hospital volunteering or skip it and focus on my other activities?
Click to expand...
I'd leave it off.
 
Submitted my app about a week ago and realized I didn't list any hobbies or anything that didn't fall under leadership/volunteer/medical/research/etc.... Are they all gonna think I'm a robot? Perhaps on secondaries I can add some things about hobbies....
 
dorian baltar said:
I currently have a full-time job and intend to continue at this full-time job until I 7/2015.
As one might expect, I don't want my supervisor getting a call from AMCAS or various medical schools, since that would very likely jeopardize my employment.
Is there a way I can make sure no one contacts my boss?
Should I leave my current work out of the application entirely?
Will schools look poorly upon me not wanting them to contact my supervisor, for not telling my supervisor that I hope to quit in a little over a year, or any other reason related to this situation?
Click to expand...
Use a coworker, friend, or family member as contact.
 
Do returns show up in our actual application when they are sent?

For example, if I enter:

Blah Blah:

Blah blah, 10 hours, blah
-blah

------------
it seems to show up as:

Blah Blah: Blah blah, 10 hours, blah -blah

when I look at it in the work/activities section... is this how it will look to adcoms too?

Does that make sense?
 
On the home page/main menu of AMCAS, you can click the "print application" button that appears towards the right of your screen. You will have the option of just saving as a PDF- here you will see the formatting layout. Yes, your returns should still stay intact.

fifm said:
Do returns show up in our actual application when they are sent?

For example, if I enter:

Blah Blah:

Blah blah, 10 hours, blah
-blah

------------
it seems to show up as:

Blah Blah: Blah blah, 10 hours, blah -blah

when I look at it in the work/activities section... is this how it will look to adcoms too?

Does that make sense?
Click to expand...
 
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DrPibble, thank you! You just changed my life! That's SO helpful!! :)

DrPibble said:
On the home page/main menu of AMCAS, you can click the "print application" button that appears towards the right of your screen. You will have the option of just saving as a PDF- here you will see the formatting layout. Yes, your returns should still stay intact.
Click to expand...
 
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I have a question regarding the final space on my work/activities section; input would be appreciated.

I'm debating whether or not to use it for Hobbies, as I have some interesting and unique long-standing hobbies and commitments (horseback riding for 10+ years, certified SCUBA diver, hosting free dog obedience lessons, blog contributor...). I know @Catalystik has mentioned that adding your hobbies is a good thing, if space permits, and I do believe that my application could benefit from doing so.

OR would it be wiser to use the last space for volunteer awards I have been given? More specifically, my commitment to volunteerism and excellence was recognized at two different organizations (however, both are non-medical/clinical organizations). One was Volunteer of the Month recognized by a state senator, the other was a President's Volunteer Service Award. I have discussed both of these volunteer commitments in their own spaces, but do not have room to add that I was awarded for my service.

Thank you!
 
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