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*~*~*~*Official AMCAS "Work/Activities" Tips Thread 2014-2015*~*~*~*
Started by Ismet
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Should I give an overview of the research I assisted with (purpose, what we were trying to accomplish, etc), even if I didn't have my own major independent project?
Yes, then describe your contribution.
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Gotcha, thanks!
Hi gyngyn,
I have been working full-time in clinical infectious disease research for a year now for my gap year (plus I worked a summer before my senior year of college). This is a paid position too.
Should this be categorized as "research/lab" or "paid medical/clinical job"?
I have been working full-time in clinical infectious disease research for a year now for my gap year (plus I worked a summer before my senior year of college). This is a paid position too.
Should this be categorized as "research/lab" or "paid medical/clinical job"?
Are you handling data ,drugs and microbes or humans (both)?
Just to be specific my job entail:
In one of our studies, I conduct household visits where we visit pediatric patient homes who have had MRSA and swab household surface and the people. I am responsible for also growing the cultures and identifying staph as well as conducting antibiogram testing.
I do weekly patient recruitment from the hospital at the MRSA clinic, ER, and inpatient floors.
I have my own independent project analyzing vitamin D levels and patient susceptibility to recurrent SSTIS - currently writing the manuscripts
In one of our studies, I conduct household visits where we visit pediatric patient homes who have had MRSA and swab household surface and the people. I am responsible for also growing the cultures and identifying staph as well as conducting antibiogram testing.
I do weekly patient recruitment from the hospital at the MRSA clinic, ER, and inpatient floors.
I have my own independent project analyzing vitamin D levels and patient susceptibility to recurrent SSTIS - currently writing the manuscripts
I have a quick question:
It's a good idea to group certain activities and awards together to avoid multiple entries, but if you are grouping different activities under the heading "extracurricular activities" for example, how do you give contact information to the different experiences? In other words, if I put volunteering at hospital X and volunteering at the YMCA both under the heading, which supervisor do I put for the contact person?
It's a good idea to group certain activities and awards together to avoid multiple entries, but if you are grouping different activities under the heading "extracurricular activities" for example, how do you give contact information to the different experiences? In other words, if I put volunteering at hospital X and volunteering at the YMCA both under the heading, which supervisor do I put for the contact person?
You could divide this into two activities if you have the space. One for research the other for clinical.
If you have a deficit in a particular category and inadequate space for two entries, fill the deficit.
List them divided with commas after "contacts."
Fantastic. Thank You
It doesn't let me put two email addresses, do you think I should put the second email adresses in the experience description?
That would be fine.
Do you only combine activities if you are running out of space? Currently I have 15 slots, and have combined my work experience but not my tutoring experience. I have 3 tutoring jobs, one private, one public, one online. I have 3 work jobs all in hospitality. There is one job, I have worked for for 3 years that I have a lot to say about but the other 2 are similar restaurant work I have done while in Australia.
Does it look bad to combine and then still have 4-5 blank work/activities spots?
Does it look bad to combine and then still have 4-5 blank work/activities spots?
You want your activities to tell a story, not just fill all the blocks. If it is easier to understand your growth and development by "lumping" lump.
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***IS THIS A REPEATED ACTIVITY?*** QUESTION
Kind of confused on this. For instance, I'm a peer tutor. Do I have to say it is repeated since I go from August-December then January-April and do not tutor during the summer? So I would need to fill out several different start/end dates rather than one start January 2012 and end April 2015?? Hope that makes sense.
Kind of confused on this. For instance, I'm a peer tutor. Do I have to say it is repeated since I go from August-December then January-April and do not tutor during the summer? So I would need to fill out several different start/end dates rather than one start January 2012 and end April 2015?? Hope that makes sense.
It's a repeated activity.
I have a question regarding the hour on my publications. I got a publication out of the research that I did, but I listed the research as a separate experience and listed the total hours. So what should I put for the hours for my publication. Is it ok to overlap in this case?
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For something like "University Seasonal Employment" where I list multiple jobs, I can only have one verifier. How do I go about doing this?
Also, is listing the start and end date encompassing all positions and 1 total hour time allowable?
My description is as follows:
Also, is listing the start and end date encompassing all positions and 1 total hour time allowable?
My description is as follows:
1) XXX (08-09; 160 hours): Blah blah blah.
2) YY (08-09; 840 hours - full-time and part-time): Blah blah blah.
3) ZZZ (11; 110 hours): Blah blah blah.
Etc. etc.
2) YY (08-09; 840 hours - full-time and part-time): Blah blah blah.
3) ZZZ (11; 110 hours): Blah blah blah.
Etc. etc.
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I'm sorry, I came across 2 more quick questions!
If we write full descriptions for activities as opposed to using bullet points, and we're combining activities together (ie: teaching experiences), should I place individual hours at the end of the descriptive sentence for the activity?
For example:
In X activity, I tutored and mentored students in general chemistry (300 hours). In Y activity, I taught students grades 3-12 about... (200 hours).
Also, for awards, should we include a description of the award we won if it was specific to our university?
Thank you again!
If we write full descriptions for activities as opposed to using bullet points, and we're combining activities together (ie: teaching experiences), should I place individual hours at the end of the descriptive sentence for the activity?
For example:
In X activity, I tutored and mentored students in general chemistry (300 hours). In Y activity, I taught students grades 3-12 about... (200 hours).
Also, for awards, should we include a description of the award we won if it was specific to our university?
Thank you again!
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This has probably been asked before and I tried to search for it but couldn't find it. When listing contacts for research/lab activities, is it preferable to put the graduate student/ research assistant that you directly worked with or is it better to put the professor of the lab or the PI who has the more recognizable title but who only knows you at a surface level? If its simply just to confirm that you worked in that lab, then I would put the PI (especially since one I worked with is a big deal), but if they contact people to ask for more personal questions, then I would put the grad students. Thanks!
I believe Catalystik answered this earlier, but I'd like some clarification about how I should include a poster presentation at my local university (I.e. not a national/international conference). I was the first author but the conference only included the universities undergrads who conducted original research. Should I include this with my research description instead of a stand alone "Conference attended" activity? And if so, should I just include a sentence in the research description such as "I was the first author on a poster presented at X Conference" (I don't think including the poster title is relevant - It's long and technical/doesn't add anything of value to my experience). Thanks!
Oh! Really? I'm so used to putting one all-encompassing date range on my resumes (as in Sept 2012-May 2013). I'm guessing we should also count activities that go on for various semesters as repeated activities...
Thank you!
Those are both recognized abbreviations. Ask your PI for a list of accepted abbreviations, if needed.
If you are tutoring the same subject for the same institution it's ok to just give your total hours even if they are discontinuous. Even different subjects of institutions could all be listed in the same activity box to help the reader see the depth and breadth of your tutoring all in one place.
The most important thing is to put them in the same box, if possible. It's just easier to follow that way.
Include them all in the same activity box if they relate to the same research effort.
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I think the PI is a better choice.
As long as you have started by the time you submit the primary and have an end date before school starts, you can give the hours you plan to volunteer/shadow.
Do Senior Capstones count for the research part? I'm wondering if mine is worth mentioning because it wasn't "wet-lab" related.
I helped the send-out/referrals department at the teaching hospital near my school by finding tests that could be integrated into the automated billing and result input information systems. I had to organize the tests by how they could be updated, refer them to the IS teams to see if they could be updated, and calculate how much money the hospital was losing in revenue previously and how much money they'd be getting with these updates.
It wasn't as hands-on, but made a huge impact at the hospital and I had to do a lot of research on CPT coding, ICD coding and information systems. So is it worth mentioning and how would I place it in the activities section?
I helped the send-out/referrals department at the teaching hospital near my school by finding tests that could be integrated into the automated billing and result input information systems. I had to organize the tests by how they could be updated, refer them to the IS teams to see if they could be updated, and calculate how much money the hospital was losing in revenue previously and how much money they'd be getting with these updates.
It wasn't as hands-on, but made a huge impact at the hospital and I had to do a lot of research on CPT coding, ICD coding and information systems. So is it worth mentioning and how would I place it in the activities section?
This sounds more like service than research. Did you have a hypothesis, did you test it, was there a comparator group?
I have 2 research experiences: one paid, one unpaid. I currently do not have the employment 'box' checked, and was wondering whether I should label the paid experience employment, just to have something in the employment category? The paid research is one of my most significant if it matters.
Sounds like a good idea to me.
Does this mean that I can approximate the total hours I plan to do a volunteer activity from when I've started before the primary is due up until the end date before school starts and put that in my total hours? Won't that be suspicious when or if they confirm with my contact?
Thanks.
Not when we see the end date.
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We should rename this the gyngyn official advice column!
Gyngyn, when I need a speaker for my next application workshop, interested? I am forever expressing to students that many dont use the EC as effectively as they could in an application. I am trying for LA/Anaheim next year
Gyngyn, when I need a speaker for my next application workshop, interested? I am forever expressing to students that many dont use the EC as effectively as they could in an application. I am trying for LA/Anaheim next year
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One of my most meaningful activities is working in a cancer lab. For the most meaningful description, is it OK if I incorporate a few sentences about how I'm interested in oncology/radiation oncology specifically and then connect this to a few of my other activities/courses that I have taken? For example, something like: "after working in the cancer lab and being exposed to cancer research, I interacted with cancer patients through this other program and took a graduate cancer course to learn about the biology of cancer..." Or is it better just to focus on the cancer lab specifically? I haven't listed my interest in oncology anywhere else and I think its relevant to put here maybe.
Thanks so much for all of your help!
Thanks so much for all of your help!
You should absolutely expand on how the experience got you interested in CA. Have someone look at your entry after you write it though, that phrase "I interacted with cancer patients" is stilted and awkward. Try something more like "I participated in the care of people faced with cancer and its treatment "
How should I go about putting contacts for some of my non-clinical volunteer work where I am the actual contact? I was an officer for a club at my university for over a year and directed/collaborated on planning volunteering
events. Each officer had equal responsibility in the planning and would trade off organizing/setting up dates. All of my non-clinical volunteering (about 150+ hours) was done with this club and we really didn't have any
faculty supervisor or anything.
events. Each officer had equal responsibility in the planning and would trade off organizing/setting up dates. All of my non-clinical volunteering (about 150+ hours) was done with this club and we really didn't have any
faculty supervisor or anything.
oh great! I'm glad that I asked then because I was concerned that it would be too much of a stretch. Definitely agree that the phrasing was awkward there- that was just to ask the question and I wouldn't write it like that haha. Thanks!!
Is it ok if I split up my research experiences, as they are completely different. My first one was working in spinal cord injury lab on mice and rats, and now I am a clinical research coordinator for a Phase II clinical trial in stroke patients. I also want to mark them both as most meaningful as they both contributed significantly to my interests now.
APA format
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Yes, you may.
Hmm, I had to do a presentation on it and everything, but I guess in that sense then no it wasn't research like that. It was more like a before and after and how the hospital was affected by the changes. Would it be something I put under community service or something else then? Again, is it even worth mentioning?
It is absolutely worth mentioning! It's just not research in the usual sense of the word. Observational studies are sometimes a bit like what you described, though. Was your work submitted for publication?
Oh ok it almost feels like research lol but no it wasn't submitted. One of my teachers tried to get it submitted for a national conference, but it wasn't accepted. It did make a huge difference in the hospital, which I now work at! 🙂
So, where would I place this on my application?
Community Service/Volunteer - Non Medical/Clinical
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