*~*~*~*Official AMCAS Work/Activities Tips Thread 2018-2019*~*~*~*

[Catalystik]

I'm trying to organize all of my major presentations, and I am thinking of grouping them all together, somewhat similar to how I have them on my CV. I'm struggling with coming up with a title for this activity ("Selected Presentations"?), and whether or not this is the right approach. The presentations span over my entire post-graduate career (except for one poster presentation when I was still a student that I would like to include if I have space), roughly 5-7 years, and include affiliations with 4 different organizations (i.e. presentations done as part of residency at university X, presentations done as part of employment at institution Y, etc.).

Could you please advise if this is a good way to do this, or if I should break these up in a different way? I have the other 14 slots taken already, but I could try to include the presentations on the description of my work experience, e.g. one of my slots is my PGY1 pharmacy residency experience, and I could include these presentations in the description of my residency experience (although I am a little tight on description space, and want to focus more on the clinical experience I had during my residency).

1) Also, 3 of the presentations ended up becoming publications in peer-reviewed journals, and I plan on listing them in my publications slot - I figure it is worth mentioning that I both published a manuscript and presented my research at national conferences, and that it wouldn't be considered inappropriate duplication?
Although I might take them out anyway because I am running low on space. I also don't have just one contact person that can confirm all of the presentations I list.

Here is a "de-identified" list of my presentations (I'll obviously have to abbreviate a bunch of this, or take some presentations out, because as is they are >1500 characters).

2) Presentations affiliated with [current employment]
“[Presentation on public health leadership stuff]” National presentation at [organization X annual national conference]. 201X
“[Presentation on careers in public health].” Local panel speaker at the [university]. 201X.
“[Poster presentation on public health work-related research].” Poster Presentation at the [organization Y annual national conference]. 201X.
“[Presentation on public health practice stuff].” National continuing education (CME/CPE/CEU) presentation at [institution]; [month], 201X.
“[Presentation on a medication management topic X” National presentation at [institution]. 201X.
“[Presentation on a medication management topic Y.” National presentation at [organization Z national conference]. 201X.
Presentations affiliated with [residency program 1]
“[Poster presentation on pharmacy residency research project 1]” Poster Presentation at [organization Y annual national conference]. 201X.
“[Presentation on medication management topic 1.” National continuing Education (CME/CPE/CEU) presentation at [institution]. 201X.
Presentations affiliated with [residency program 2]
“[Presentation on medication management topic 2].” Local Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE) presentation at [institution. 201X.
“[Presentation on residency research project 1].” Regional presentation at [organization W regional annual conference]. 201X
Presentations affiliated with [school program]
“[Poster presentation on innovative pharmacy practice stuff” Poster presentation at the [school annual symposium]. 201X.

1) That is exactly what I recommended in post #2, item 20 of the FAQ at the beginning of this thread.

A contact person for every published article isn't as critical, since theoretically they can be looked up by interested adcomms, even with a partial citation provided.

2) I suggest you remove any presentation you gave that was not related to your own original research. Unlike a CV that tends to list any educational talk you ever gave, the AMCAS Activities Posters/Presentations tag isn't meant for those. If you must include them, they'd go under Other or Teaching. How much does that mess up your organizational plan? Selected Educational Presentations would be a reasonable name for a space with either of the latter two tags.

Truncating the name of a talk is acceptable, so long as the topic is clear.

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[goldchallenge]

1) That is exactly what I recommended in post #2, item 20 of the FAQ at the beginning of this thread.

A contact person for every published article isn't as critical, since theoretically they can be looked up by interested adcomms, even with a partial citation provided.

2) I suggest you remove any presentation you gave that was not related to your own original research. Unlike a CV that tends to list any educational talk you ever gave, the AMCAS Activities Posters/Presentations tag isn't meant for those. If you must include them, they'd go under Other or Teaching. How much does that mess up your organizational plan? Selected Educational Presentations would be a reasonable name for a space with either of the latter two tags.

Truncating the name of a talk is acceptable, so long as the topic is clear.

1) Thank you for pointing out that item on the FAQ, and sorry for missing that item and asking a question covered by the FAQ.

2) This is a very helpful clarification! I have a slot for teaching activities that I am trying to organize as well, and I can definitely work in some of the presentations into that slot. It actually makes more sense to do it that way now that you mention it, especially the CME/CPE presentations I've done.

 

[goldchallenge]

I've listed my overall organization of activities below (using general terms for activity names in attempts to protect my identity). I'm still ironing out the details and appreciate any feedback on the overall organization (I have a few specific questions in bold). I am a little anxious that I may be leaving important things out or that my experiences aren't well-rounded enough, but I think I'll just need to make peace with not being able to include all relevant experience. I've figured out 2 of the 3 most meaningful experiences, and am thinking of picking one of my pharmacy residency experiences as the third most meaningful experience.

Slot 1: Military Service Awards and Honors
Type: Honors/Awards/Recognitions
Total hours: 0
Description: lists all my individual honor awards, service awards, and unit citations. only individual honor awards have specific descriptions due to lack of space.

Slot 2: Pharmacy School Awards and Honors
Type: Honors/Awards/Recognitions
Total hours: 0
Description: lists all of the merit-based scholarships I received, student awards received, and membership in a pharmacy student honor society

Slot 3: Publications in Peer Reviewed Journals
Type: Publications
Total hours: 0
Organization Name: name of organization I was affiliated with for most recent publication(s) (this is the correct way to do it, right?)
Description: list of all my publications
(a couple of my publications are in journals that are not indexed in PubMed. Is it okay if I list the DOI in lieu of the PMID?)

Slot 4: Military Service Job
Type: Military Service
Total hours: XXXX
Description: my roles and responsibilities in this job (non-clinical). This is one of my most meaningful experiences, and is one of the experiences i discuss in my personal statement.

Slot 5: Staff Pharmacist (current side gig)
Type: Paid Employment - Medical/Clinical
Total hours: XXXX
Description: my roles and responsibilities in this job

Slot 6: Non-clinical job, public health related (current main job)
Type: Paid Employment - Not Medical/Clinical
Total hours: XXXX
Description: my roles and responsibilities in this job, including collateral duties that involve teaching and leadership positions

Slot 7: PGY2 Pharmacy Residency Program
Type: Paid Employment - Medical/Clinical
Total hours: XXXX
Description: clinical rotations completed, emphasizing time spent training with physicians and interactions with medical residents. includes teaching activities. (Haven't finished writing this up yet, so not sure about space). I am thinking of making this one of my most meaningful experiences.

Slot 8: PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program
Type: Paid Employment - Medical/Clinical
Total hours: XXXX
Description: clinical rotations completed, emphasizing time spent training under physicians and interactions with medical residents. includes teaching activities completed. (Haven't finished writing this up yet, so not sure about space). I discuss one of my clinical experiences in this program in my personal statement.

Slot 9: Some specific clinical experiences I had that don't fit in any of the other slots
Type: Paid Employment - Medical/Clinical
Total hours: XXXX
Description: Specific experiences that were clinical. This is one of my most meaningful experiences, and I also discuss these experiences in my personal statement.

Slot 10: Non-clinical job while I was in school, public health related
Type: Paid Employment - Not Medical/Clinical
Total hours: XXXX
Repeated: Yes
Description: this is an organization I worked with while I was in undergrad, and later while in pharmacy school I worked with them over the summers in a leadership role

Slot 11: Volunteer activity
Type: Community Service/Volunteer - Not Medical/Clinical
Total hours: XXXX
Description: this is a volunteer activity I did way back in undergrad (over a decade ago), but it was a profound experience that I think is worth listing.

Slot 12: Grouping of a bunch of volunteer activities
Type: Community Service/Volunteer - Medical/Clinical
Dates: (When grouping several activities that happen over the span of years with different organizations, do I put down the start date of the first activity and the end date of the last activity as the start and end dates, respectively?)
Total hours: XXXX
Description: I voluntarily participated in several different health fairs as a pharmacy student (and a few times as a pharmacist) and was thinking of grouping all of these together under one slot.

Slot 13: Selected Presentations
Type: Presentations/Posters
Total hours: 0
Description: listing of presentations and posters related to research that is not mentioned under the publications slot.

Slot 14: Teaching Jobs and Activities
Type: Teaching/Tutoring/Teaching Assistent
Total Hours: XXXX
Organization: (Should I just put the organization I am currently affiliated with, and mention other organizations in the description?)
Description: grouping of various teaching activities not mentioned in other slots, e.g., TAing gigs in undergrad and pharmacy school.

Slot 15: Leadership program I am currently involved with
Type: Leadership - Not Listed Elsewhere
Total Hours: XXXX
Description: the program and my role in it.

 

[Catalystik]

I've listed my overall organization of activities below (using general terms for activity names in attempts to protect my identity). I'm still ironing out the details and appreciate any feedback on the overall organization (I have a few specific questions in bold).

0) I am a little anxious that I may be leaving important things out or that my experiences aren't well-rounded enough, but I think I'll just need to make peace with not being able to include all relevant experience. I've figured out 2 of the 3 most meaningful experiences, and am thinking of picking one of my pharmacy residency experiences as the third most meaningful experience.

Slot 1: Military Service Awards and Honors
Type: Honors/Awards/Recognitions
Total hours: 0
Description: lists all my individual honor awards, service awards, and unit citations. only individual honor awards have specific descriptions due to lack of space.

Slot 2: Pharmacy School Awards and Honors
Type: Honors/Awards/Recognitions
Total hours: 0
Description: lists all of the merit-based scholarships I received, student awards received, and membership in a pharmacy student honor society

Slot 3: Publications in Peer Reviewed Journals
Type: Publications
Total hours: 0
Organization Name: name of organization I was affiliated with for most recent publication(s) a) (this is the correct way to do it, right?)
Description: list of all my publications
b) (a couple of my publications are in journals that are not indexed in PubMed. Is it okay if I list the DOI in lieu of the PMID?)

Slot 4: Military Service Job
Type: Military Service
Total hours: XXXX
Description: my roles and responsibilities in this job (non-clinical). This is one of my most meaningful experiences, and is one of the experiences i discuss in my personal statement.

Slot 5: Staff Pharmacist (current side gig)
Type: Paid Employment - Medical/Clinical
Total hours: XXXX
Description: my roles and responsibilities in this job

Slot 6: Non-clinical job, public health related (current main job)
Type: Paid Employment - Not Medical/Clinical
Total hours: XXXX
Description: my roles and responsibilities in this job, including collateral duties that involve teaching and leadership positions

Slot 7: PGY2 Pharmacy Residency Program
Type: Paid Employment - Medical/Clinical
Total hours: XXXX
Description: clinical rotations completed, emphasizing time spent training with physicians and interactions with medical residents. includes teaching activities. (Haven't finished writing this up yet, so not sure about space). I am thinking of making this one of my most meaningful experiences.

Slot 8: PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program
Type: Paid Employment - Medical/Clinical
Total hours: XXXX
Description: clinical rotations completed, emphasizing time spent training under physicians and interactions with medical residents. includes teaching activities completed. (Haven't finished writing this up yet, so not sure about space). I discuss one of my clinical experiences in this program in my personal statement.

Slot 9: Some specific clinical experiences I had that don't fit in any of the other slots
Type: Paid Employment - Medical/Clinical
Total hours: XXXX
Description: Specific experiences that were clinical. This is one of my most meaningful experiences, and I also discuss these experiences in my personal statement.

Slot 10: Non-clinical job while I was in school, public health related
Type: Paid Employment - Not Medical/Clinical
Total hours: XXXX
Repeated: Yes
Description: this is an organization I worked with while I was in undergrad, and later while in pharmacy school I worked with them over the summers in a leadership role

Slot 11: Volunteer activity
Type: Community Service/Volunteer - Not Medical/Clinical
Total hours: XXXX
Description: this is a volunteer activity I did way back in undergrad (over a decade ago), but it was a profound experience that I think is worth listing.

Slot 12: Grouping of a bunch of volunteer activities
Type: Community Service/Volunteer - Medical/Clinical
Dates: (When grouping several activities that happen over the span of years with different organizations, do I put down the start date of the first activity and the end date of the last activity as the start and end dates, respectively?)
Total hours: XXXX
Description: I voluntarily participated in several different health fairs as a pharmacy student (and a few times as a pharmacist) and was thinking of grouping all of these together under one slot.

Slot 13: Selected Presentations
Type: Presentations/Posters
Total hours: 0
Description: listing of presentations and posters related to research that is not mentioned under the publications slot.

Slot 14: Teaching Jobs and Activities
Type: Teaching/Tutoring/Teaching Assistent
Total Hours: XXXX
Organization: (Should I just put the organization I am currently affiliated with, and mention other organizations in the description?)
Description: grouping of various teaching activities not mentioned in other slots, e.g., TAing gigs in undergrad and pharmacy school.

Slot 15: Leadership program I am currently involved with
Type: Leadership - Not Listed Elsewhere
Total Hours: XXXX
Description: the program and my role in it.

#0 I am not seeing Shadowing or Hobbies.

Could omit #2

#3 a) That works. b) Yes.

Should merge #7&8 (Sorry)

#12 Yes. But name the activity something that suggests intermittency, like Miscellaneous Short-term Volunteering. Ideally you would then put individual dates before each listed activity, but if you're short on space, just summarize.

#14 Yes.

 

[goldchallenge]

#0 I am not seeing Shadowing or Hobbies.

Could omit #2

#3 a) That works. b) Yes.

Should merge #7&8 (Sorry)

#12 Yes. But name the activity something that suggests intermittency, like Miscellaneous Short-term Volunteering. Ideally you would then put individual dates before each listed activity, but if you're short on space, just summarize.

#14 Yes.

Thank you for the feedback. I am okay with omitting #2. I could probably merge #7 and #8 if I make it my most meaningful experience.

I don't have any shadowing experiences outside of pharmacy residency (i.e. I shadowed several physicians as part of my residency training). I could get creative, and after merging #7 & #8, create a shadowing slot and list the number of hours I spent working with different individual physicians in different clinical settings while as a pharmacy resident. This was 4-5 years ago though, and I honestly don't remember all of the names of the physicians I worked with... I might be able to dig them up somewhere... I realize it would strengthen my application if I got more recent shadowing experience (as you have suggested in an earlier post), but I didn't plan accordingly, and I am hoping my current work experience will help make up for it to some extent.

Hobbies... I honestly don't have any unique hobbies that are worth mentioning (I just do things like read, cook, hike, and spend time with family/friends to relieve stress). I am hoping my military experience and current work experience, which are both fairly unique, will make me stand out a bit.

 

[Catalystik]

Thank you for the feedback. I am okay with omitting #2. I could probably merge #7 and #8 if I make it my most meaningful experience.

I don't have any shadowing experiences outside of pharmacy residency (i.e. I shadowed several physicians as part of my residency training). I could get creative, and after merging #7 & #8, create a shadowing slot and list the number of hours I spent working with different individual physicians in different clinical settings while as a pharmacy resident. This was 4-5 years ago though, and I honestly don't remember all of the names of the physicians I worked with... I might be able to dig them up somewhere... I realize it would strengthen my application if I got more recent shadowing experience (as you have suggested in an earlier post), but I didn't plan accordingly, and I am hoping my current work experience will help make up for it to some extent.

Hobbies... I honestly don't have any unique hobbies that are worth mentioning (I just do things like read, cook, hike, and spend time with family/friends to relieve stress). I am hoping my military experience and current work experience, which are both fairly unique, will make me stand out a bit.

Being ex-military is likely to cut you a lot of slack, actually.

 

[Catalystik]

I really appreciate all your guidance and feedback. One last question (hopefully), the one kind of hobby/unique skill I have that isn't evident in my other slots is I am a bit of a PC gaming enthusiast - I've custom built several of my own PCs, and spend more time then I would like to admit playing video games... But beyond that I am fairly tech savvy and enjoy learning new skills involving computers and have self-taught myself some basic coding skills. I am by no means an expert, but I know more about computer programming than most of the healthcare professionals I work with currently. Would this be worth dedicating a slot to?

Yes, as long as you don't mention the video game aspect, the rest sounds like a good hobby.

 

[acslater99]

I’ve been going to church my whole life but more recently I’ve been getting involved with the church activities (~2.5 years).

I want to know if this would be considered non clinical volunteering to put on my activities section.

The church I attend does a lot of events to help the community. For instance we created a donation site for the victims who’ve suffered from both hurricanes last year in Puerto Rico and Houston. We also help members of the church, if they need to pay off an expensive medical bill, by doing car washes or even selling food made by the members of our church.

I don’t know if I should put this down because we don’t do this very often. Its more like an every month type of activity. When we do have these events they typically run all day.

I guess my question is - should I use as my non-clinical volunteering experience? Should I seek out other non-clinical volunteering options?

 

[Catalystik]

I’ve been going to church my whole life but more recently I’ve been getting involved with the church activities (~2.5 years).

I want to know if this would be considered non clinical volunteering to put on my activities section.

The church I attend does a lot of events to help the community. For instance we created a donation site for the victims who’ve suffered from both hurricanes last year in Puerto Rico and Houston. We also help members of the church, if they need to pay off an expensive medical bill, by doing car washes or even selling food made by the members of our church.

I don’t know if I should put this down because we don’t do this very often. Its more like an every month type of activity. When we do have these events they typically run all day.

I guess my question is - should I use as my non-clinical volunteering experience? Should I seek out other non-clinical volunteering options?

Yes, you can use these activities as community service on your application, but you'd get more mileage from hands-on service to those in need, in environments different from what you're used to. Consider getting out of your comfort zone.

And, it's ok to use more than one slot for nonmedical community service.

 

[alyxxs]

I have a couple of experiences that will be ongoing until next year. In the description should I put "Projected amount of hours:" to detail this?

 

[Catalystik]

Replicated:

for my clinical experience I plan on completely three separate internships at my University for credit. One internship is outpatient clinic based, other is emergency room based, and the last is surgery based.

Would it be okay for me to just have these experiences for my clinical experience which would put me at about 500 hours, also does it matter that I am doing it for school credit

Internships usually include multiple components. I expect that not all these hours will be patient-centered. Those that are would be eligible to "count" toward your clinical experience on a med school application, but the problem would be that it doesn't precisely qualify for either Employment-Medical/Clinical or Volunteer-Medical/Clinical designations, since it's a curricular requirement. Internships are usually listed under Other, if they aren't paid, with a suitable name given to the space to call attention to it.

But some schools will score your application based on certain critical categories being present, so doing some sort of volunteer clinical activity so you can use that tag is a good idea (perhaps about 100 hours). Either that, or call the internships "Volunteer" anyway (one could argue that it was your choice to take on the experience and it's not paid, and some adcomms will agree that is fine to do), even though your participation isn't based on an altruistic act.

And LizzyM added:

You've got "clinical" covered whether volunteer or something else. What you need is something that shows that you are willing to help others who are unable to help themselves. This can be non-clinical. The help can be to those who are hungry, illiterate, homeless, lonely, homebound, etc. Even coaching or tutoring kids can count. See if you can devote 8 hours a month for at least a year.

 

[Catalystik]

I have a couple of experiences that will be ongoing until next year. In the description should I put "Projected amount of hours:" to detail this?

If you are not certain of completing the hours, it's best to list only completed hours in the Total Hours space and add a note like you suggest in the narrative, "Plan to participate an additional XXX hours though May 2019, not included above." This is also the best way to go if you are not engaging in the activity during this summer, in which case you'd add a date span to your note.

An alternative, if you are fairly confident you will complete the projected hours and are currently engaged in the activity, would be to use the Repeated feature, entering the current month for both the end of datespan 1 and the beginning of datespan 2. Then all the hours will appear in the header.

Whatever you choose to do (and there are other ways), just be sure it's clear what is completed and what is projected.

 

[Catalystik]

Replicated

Recently i started a non-paid internship at a clinic where we are determining the efficacy of a new procedure for prostate reduction. My role is conducting questionnaires with patients, being physically present in the surgical rooms and taking notes while the patient undergoes the surgery, and phone calling them at different time intervals post surgery to evaluate their symptoms. While doing all this, I am collecting data and entering it in a spreadsheet that I created myself. We are going to start writing a manuscript soon to present our findings.

Would you consider this clinical research or clinical experience?

P.S. Although I am not the PI of this study, I am right under the PI since I am coordinating the majority of this study. Not sure if this matters when determining this as clinical research or clinical experience.

LizzyM response:

These are patients so it meets my definition of clinical. It is volunteer given that you are not paid. I don't hear anything about randomization or a comparison with usual care or a non-blinded assessment of outcomes so this sounds like you are systematically collecting data about a clinically indicated procedure to prepare a report of a case series. That is a relatively weak type of clinical research but it can be a proof of concept that then gets rolled into a double-blind, randomized trial, perhaps at multiple sites to allow for the variation that comes with multiple urologists with varying degrees of skill.

It is a nice experience although I would recommend being frank about the limitations of the research. You could call it volunteer/clinical or you could call it other/internship. I'd shy away from calling it research unless you have nothing else and really feel that you need to check the box given the schools that you'll be applying to.

 

[alyxxs]

I assisted a physician with her research by noting the time it took between images being ordered in ER and the time the physician received the images. I also created data sheets. Could I consider this as clinical research? If not, what should I list it under?

Same question for an internship I am doing with a hospital research center, I mainly screen and contact patients, shadow the nurses during the exams and compile the info into our database for the PI.

 

[Catalystik]

1) I assisted a physician with her research by noting the time it took between images being ordered in ER and the time the physician received the images. I also created data sheets. Could I consider this as clinical research? If not, what should I list it under?

2) Same question for an internship I am doing with a hospital research center, I mainly screen and contact patients, shadow the nurses during the exams and compile the info into our database for the PI.

1) This is not research. It sounds like a Quality Improvement Project, which would be listed under Other.

2) You don't give enough information. Have you read the original research proposal and IRB application? Do you know the hypothesis that's being tested? What exams are the nurses doing?

Read the post above yours (#1218) and see if the response helps you sort things out.

 

[alyxxs]

1) This is not research. It sounds like a Quality Improvement Project, which would be listed under Other.

2) You don't give enough information. Have you read the original research proposal and IRB application? Do you know the hypothesis that's being tested? What exams are the nurses doing?

Read the post above yours (#1218) and see if the response helps you sort things out.

I have read the research proposal, not the IRB app. We're testing whether or not a drug can help people with sickle cell disease. The nurses usually do regular physical exams, checking vitals, drawing blood, etc.

I read the above response but I'm still a bit hazy because my experience doesn't include the things listed above but I do know what were testing for and interact with the patients.

 

[Catalystik]

I have read the research proposal, not the IRB app. We're testing whether or not a drug can help people with sickle cell disease. The nurses usually do regular physical exams, checking vitals, drawing blood, etc.

I read the above response but I'm still a bit hazy because my experience doesn't include the things listed above but I do know what were testing for and interact with the patients.

#2 is clinical research and can go under a Research tag.

 

[alyxxs]

#2 is clinical research and can go under a Research tag.

Got it. Can I go into detail and state the hypothesis in the meaningful experience slot? Not sure detailing a study is frowned upon.

 

[Sharknad0]

I went on a medical relief trip, who should I use as the contact? No clue.

 

[realitysickness]

The Registrar usually does know about all scholarships applied to your account, unless the cash was handed to you. You might call the office and ask, but if not:

Enter all the academic wards and merit scholarships at the top of the space, then have a second category below that, supertitled:

"Also, Research-Related Recognitions (Contact [PI's name, title, and email)]
[XXX] conference poster award on [subject] date. (Note that this could be added to the affiliated Research space, instead, to keep it in context)
[name of grant, if any] research grant scholarships, (inclusive dates, or general description like So, Jr, and Sr year)" You can name the amount if it was substantial.

Yes, the research grant money was given directly to me (not automatically applied to my tuition account). Thank you this helps!

Another question regarding Publications: I have 2 publications with different PIs, and I was wondering how to group them together under one 'Publication' entry. AMCAS only allows you to enter the date of publication once. Also what contact would I put down for the publications? Should I put down myself? Or one of the 2 PIs? And then in the description list the other PI?

Same question applies for the Posters entry as well. If we are grouping posters together, what date should we put down since AMCAS only allows 1 presentation date? Additionally, who should I put down as the contact if we have 4 posters with 3 different PIs?

Lastly, if we are projecting future hours for an activity, would you recommend writing in the description the number of hours we have already completed up to date?

Thank you!

 

[Catalystik]

Got it. Can I go into detail and state the hypothesis in the meaningful experience slot? Not sure detailing a study is frowned upon.

Yes, unless you work at a secret government installation and signed a nondisclosure agreement. But state the hypothesis in general terms that your grandma would understand. After a non-jargon-y opening line, you can get into technical minutia if you like (but don't drone on and on and on). Keep in mind that the person who screens your application and many adcomms will not have expertise in your area of research (though some schools will pair you with an interviewer who does).

 

[Catalystik]

I went on a medical relief trip, who should I use as the contact? No clue.

What group sponsored it (college club, national org, private endeavor)? Who organized the trip? Who was the lead person on the actual mission? Any of those would be fine, preference given in reverse order.

 

[Catalystik]

Yes, the research grant money was given directly to me (not automatically applied to my tuition account). Thank you this helps!

1) Another question regarding Publications: I have 2 publications with different PIs, and I was wondering how to group them together under one 'Publication' entry. AMCAS only allows you to enter the date of publication once. Also what contact would I put down for the publications? Should I put down myself? Or one of the 2 PIs? And then in the description list the other PI?

2) Same question applies for the Posters entry as well. If we are grouping posters together, what date should we put down since AMCAS only allows 1 presentation date? Additionally, who should I put down as the contact if we have 4 posters with 3 different PIs?

3) Lastly, if we are projecting future hours for an activity, would you recommend writing in the description the number of hours we have already completed up to date?

1) The citation gives the date of the pub, so no need to enter it for the second publication. IMO, same goes for the Contact. The journal itself can be your contact and that's also in the citation. Can also use the PI. Don't use yourself.

2) Enter the last date and then list the posters in reverse chronological order. By that date, all the posters were presented. Here you'll need to enter the PI as Contact for #2 & 3.

3) I recommend making clear what hours are completed and what hours are projected. Here are some alternatives I prefer to your suggestion:

If you are not certain of completing the hours, it's best to list only completed hours in the Total Hours space and add a note in the narrative, "Plan to participate an additional XXX hours though May 2019, not included above." This is also the best way to go if you are not engaging in the activity during this summer, in which case you'd add a date span (eg, Aug 2018 - May 2019) to your note.

Another way, if you are fairly confident you will complete the projected hours and are currently engaged in the activity, would be to use the Repeated feature, entering the current month for both the end of datespan 1 and the beginning of datespan 2. Then all the hours will appear in the header above your description.

 

[mariposas905]

@Catalystik Do these hours or the way I put them in come off as strange to you? Do you think an adcom would call me out on this (it's a truthful entry, but now I'm questioning the low hours and the way I inputted it in considering the time ranges):

Activity 1 - Jan 2016 - July 2018 = 160 hours, July 2018 - May 2019 = 160 hours
Activity 2 - Jan 2014 - Feb 2016 = 140 hours, March 2017 - December 2018 = 150 hours

Activity 2 is my most-meaningful also, so now I'm kind of worried about this.

 

[Sharknad0]

What group sponsored it (college club, national org, private endeavor)? Who organized the trip? Who was the lead person on the actual mission? Any of those would be fine, preference given in reverse order.

It was a national org but their contact page only lists a contact number and email, no name.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[realitysickness]

1) The citation gives the date of the pub, so no need to enter it for the second publication. IMO, same goes for the Contact. The journal itself can be your contact and that's also in the citation. Can also use the PI. Don't use yourself.

2) Enter the last date and then list the posters in reverse chronological order. By that date, all the posters were presented. Here you'll need to enter the PI as Contact for #2 & 3.

3) I recommend making clear what hours are completed and what hours are projected. Here are some alternatives I prefer to your suggestion:

If you are not certain of completing the hours, it's best to list only completed hours in the Total Hours space and add a note in the narrative, "Plan to participate an additional XXX hours though May 2019, not included above." This is also the best way to go if you are not engaging in the activity during this summer, in which case you'd add a date span (eg, Aug 2018 - May 2019) to your note.

Another way, if you are fairly confident you will complete the projected hours and are currently engaged in the activity, would be to use the Repeated feature, entering the current month for both the end of datespan 1 and the beginning of datespan 2. Then all the hours will appear in the header above your description.

1. Okay so then for the first pub I will use my professor as contact since as previously mentioned the first pub was the result of an independent final project for my epidemiology class. For the second pub I will not be inputting contact. Should I enter the total hours spent preparing both manuscripts in the hours slot? Or should I only include the hours of the first pub and then list the second pub's hours in the description?

2. Sounds good. Also since you said poster hours only include the hours spent presenting the poster, should I put 0 hours for the total and then assign 1.25 hours to the poster I actually presented in the description? The other 3 posters I helped create but did not present so I will include the hours that went into preparing the data and designing the poster in the associated research entries, correct?

3. Perfect. I'll put my projected hours in the description. Exactly the answer I was looking for - thank you!

4. If your contact has changed jobs recently and is no longer affiliated with the organization you worked at, would you put down the contact's new title? Or would put down the contact's old title at the organization your experience is associated with?

Thank you once again!

 

[Catalystik]

@Catalystik Do these hours or the way I put them in come off as strange to you? Do you think an adcom would call me out on this (it's a truthful entry, but now I'm questioning the low hours and the way I inputted it in considering the time ranges):

Activity 1 - Jan 2016 - July 2018 = 160 hours, July 2018 - May 2019 = 160 hours
Activity 2 - Jan 2014 - Feb 2016 = 140 hours, March 2017 - December 2018 = 150 hours

Activity 2 is my most-meaningful also, so now I'm kind of worried about this.

Can you share what category you used for each? Were there spans of time when you didn't participate included in the timeframes? Or are there really two repetitions of involvement for each? Are you really planning to get in the same number of hours in ~10 months as you did in 1.5 years for #1? And even more hours in 1.75 years than you did in the first two years for #2? Will a Contact confirm the timespans you've indicated?

Why are you adding more stress by asking this question if you've already submitted? (Did you?)

 

[Catalystik]

It was a national org but their contact page only lists a contact number and email, no name.

Why not call the number and see if someone there can confirm a record of your involvement dates?

 

[Catalystik]

1. Okay so then for the first pub I will use my professor as contact since as previously mentioned the first pub was the result of an independent final project for my epidemiology class. For the second pub I will not be inputting contact. Should I enter the total hours spent preparing both manuscripts in the hours slot? Or should I only include the hours of the first pub and then list the second pub's hours in the description?

2. Sounds good.
a) Also since you said poster hours only include the hours spent presenting the poster, should I put 0 hours for the total and then assign 1.25 hours to the poster I actually presented in the description?
b) The other 3 posters I helped create but did not present so I will include the hours that went into preparing the data and designing the poster in the associated research entries, correct?

3. Perfect. I'll put my projected hours in the description. Exactly the answer I was looking for - thank you!

4. If your contact has changed jobs recently and is no longer affiliated with the organization you worked at, would you put down the contact's new title? Or would put down the contact's old title at the organization your experience is associated with?

Thank you once again!

1) Prep hours go in the affiliated Research space. Generally a 1 or zero is entered for the hours in a Publications space.

2a) Put 1 or 2 hours (I don't think decimals are accepted, but try and let me know) in the Total Hours space, then be sure to make clear who presented each of the posters. Research is a team sport and one should give credit to others when it is due. This does not take away from the fact that you were an author of the poster.
b) Yes.

3) 👍

4) Use the new title and current organization, if you know it. The LOR writer will make clear the context/location in which they knew you.

 

[mariposas905]

Can you share what category you used for each? Were there spans of time when you didn't participate included in the timeframes? Or are there really two repetitions of involvement for each? Are you really planning to get in the same number of hours in ~10 months as you did in 1.5 years for #1? And even more hours in 1.75 years than you did in the first two years for #2? Will a Contact confirm the timespans you've indicated?

Why are you adding more stress by asking this question if you've already submitted? (Did you?)

Both are non clinical service categories. And yeah, there were a few timeframes, but it was like a month or two here and there, and I thought it might be less confusing to just combine them together. For activity 1, this time I am doing a full summer volunteer shift there since I have ample time. I will get 50 hrs in August, 50 hrs in September, and then I'll volunteer the usual until next year. Same goes for activity 2, But also it's 150 for activity 2 since I already started volunteering there from March 2017. The contact will likely be able to confirm the hours, but timeframes? I'm not sure if they will be spot on with that, since the volunteer coordinator's records are a bit iffy (lots of organizational changes in the past four year for both of these).

I submitted, but I wanted to see what your thoughts were. If it is low involvement or strange in the eyes of an adcom, I can try to prepare a good response for it or try to send in an update to make up for it

 

[Catalystik]

Both are non clinical service categories. And yeah, there were a few timeframes, but it was like a month or two here and there, and I thought it might be less confusing to just combine them together. For activity 1, this time I am doing a full summer volunteer shift there since I have ample time. I will get 50 hrs in August, 50 hrs in September, and then I'll volunteer the usual until next year. Same goes for activity 2, But also it's 150 for activity 2 since I already started volunteering there from March 2017. The contact will likely be able to confirm the hours, but timeframes? I'm not sure if they will be spot on with that, since the volunteer coordinator's records are a bit iffy (lots of organizational changes in the past four year for both of these).

I submitted, but I wanted to see what your thoughts were. If it is low involvement or strange in the eyes of an adcom, I can try to prepare a good response for it or try to send in an update to make up for it

What raised my antenna was that you asked about it. I'd have suggested adding the word "Intermittent" to the title of the activity where you participated on and off (or explaining in the narrative), but you're right that taking a month off is not a big deal.

 

[LadyGlen]

I could use some advice. I volunteered at a hospital for a couple of months in 2015. I kept a record of my hours and according to my records had 30 hours. I added time for training, which came out to about 36 hours. I contacted the hospital to verify contact information. It took over a week to hear back so I just went ahead and submitted. When I did hear back (today, over a week after submitting), the volunteer coordinator told me she could only verify 11 hours. There was an issue with my badge for part of the time I volunteered there, so the volunteer coordinator at the time had me letting her know directly when I came in for my shifts. I figured she was logging it somewhere.

All of that to say, the current manager said she can only legally verify 11 hours. She has no way of getting into the previous managers computer files to verify my time. But I already submitted my AMCAS with the higher number. I'm freaking out a bit. I have no intention of being dishonest, and it's so few hours either way. What should I do? I've seen advice to update schools on secondaries of any mistakes. Should I do that? Please advise!

 

[Catalystik]

I could use some advice. I volunteered at a hospital for a couple of months in 2015. I kept a record of my hours and according to my records had 30 hours. I added time for training, which came out to about 36 hours. I contacted the hospital to verify contact information. It took over a week to hear back so I just went ahead and submitted. When I did hear back (today, over a week after submitting), the volunteer coordinator told me she could only verify 11 hours. There was an issue with my badge for part of the time I volunteered there, so the volunteer coordinator at the time had me letting her know directly when I came in for my shifts. I figured she was logging it somewhere.

All of that to say, the current manager said she can only legally verify 11 hours. She has no way of getting into the previous managers computer files to verify my time. But I already submitted my AMCAS with the higher number. I'm freaking out a bit. I have no intention of being dishonest, and it's so few hours either way. What should I do? I've seen advice to update schools on secondaries of any mistakes. Should I do that? Please advise!

First off, there's no need to freak out. No one is going to verify any activities for awhile yet. Even though the current person can only verify 11 hours, is she able to verify true start and end dates (which would match your entries on the application) and your training date? Do you know if it's the early hours or the more recent hours she is able to verify? (I assume it's the later ones.) Can you ask her to append a note to your file that the previous manager's notes are not available about possible additional volunteer hours (or even that 19 additional hours are claimed)? Then that information would be passed on if anyone contacts them.

Do you have other clinical volunteering or work where the contact information is reliable? How many hours and months of involvement did you have there?

 

[LadyGlen]

First off, there's no need to freak out. No one is going to verify any activities for awhile yet. Even though the current person can only verify 11 hours, is she able to verify true start and end dates (which would match your entries on the application) and your training date? Do you know if it's the early hours or the more recent hours she is able to verify? (I assume it's the later ones.) Can you ask her to append a note to your file that the previous manager's notes are not available about possible additional volunteer hours (or even that 19 additional hours are claimed)? Then that information would be passed on if anyone contacts them.

Do you have other clinical volunteering or work where the contact information is reliable? How many hours and months of involvement did you have there?

She can verify start and end date, although I'm not sure about training date. And yes, it is the later hours she is able to verify. I can ask about appending my file. I didn't think of that. If she's not willing to do that, would you recommend updating schools via secondaries?

As far as other clinical volunteering, I have 20o hours at a low-income clinic with reliable contact information (one year of involvement), as well as 100 hours with a program dedicated to health disparities. I also have five years of full-time work experience in education (almost 10,000 hours). This is all verifiable and two of my letters of recommendation came from these five years. There are various other non-clinical volunteering hours, all of which I contacted before submitting.

I'm trying to not freak out. It's so few hours I wish I wouldn't have put it on my application at this point.

 

[Catalystik]

She can verify start and end date, although I'm not sure about training date. And yes, it is the later hours she is able to verify. I can ask about appending my file. I didn't think of that. If she's not willing to do that, would you recommend updating schools via secondaries?

As far as other clinical volunteering, I have 20o hours at a low-income clinic with reliable contact information (one year of involvement), as well as 100 hours with a program dedicated to health disparities. I also have five years of full-time work experience in education (almost 10,000 hours). This is all verifiable and two of my letters of recommendation came from these five years. There are various other non-clinical volunteering hours, all of which I contacted before submitting.

I'm trying to not freak out. It's so few hours I wish I wouldn't have put it on my application at this point.

Your other activities are so strong (and reliably verifiable), that one minor volunteer gig that seems iffy isn't going to affect your chances at becoming a physician. Even if the new volunteer manager won't append the note we discussed, and a contact is made with the hospital, you'd be given a chance to explain.

If you do get a Secondary that gives you a chance to explain via an appropriate essay prompt, it's fine to do so. But briefly, like, "Verification of all my volunteer hours at Xxx Hospital is not possible due to inaccessible computer files of the former Volunteer Manager." For schools that allow update letters, you could add the same line to your fall update letter. Or, you could just not worry about it since the hours in question would make no difference, considering the strengths you have elsewhere. But I understand you'd like to put this worry behind you, if it's possible to do so. And I feel that meticulous attention to detail is a good thing.

 

[meraki_soul]

I have a research gig that I did for about 400 hours. However, I did not honestly learn as much as I wanted to. I might have difficulty expressing myself in regards to this research at interviews. Should I decrease the number of hours I did on my AMCAS? I'm worried that adcoms will see the 400 and think I'm really good at or know a lot about this specific research internship.

 

[Catalystik]

I have a research gig that I did for about 400 hours. However, I did not honestly learn as much as I wanted to. I might have difficulty expressing myself in regards to this research at interviews. Should I decrease the number of hours I did on my AMCAS? I'm worried that adcoms will see the 400 and think I'm really good at or know a lot about this specific research internship.

Don't decrease the hours. Instead change your title to one that suggests less responsibility. Instead of being a Researcher or a Research Assistant, maybe a Research Affiliate, Research Tech, or Lab Animal Wrangler (as examples).

Alternatively, if it wasn't too long ago, you could get ahold of the original research proposal and buff up your knowledge, so that you have a more complete understanding of the project, including maybe, some of the background papers. Or you could check to see if a paper came out of the lab on that topic since you were involved. I'd only go this route if you don't have a stronger grasp of another project elsewhere.

 

[JoyLioness]

Suggestions:
#3,6,7,16 can all go in one Honors/Awards space. Omitting #16 completely would be fine, as your transcript speaks for itself. Or, #3 can be added to your affiliated Research slot.

When I select "Honors/Awards" as the activity category it doesn't let me use the repeat function. Since I'm merging all of my academic honors into one activity how do you recommend choosing an "award date"? All of the awards were from different months in different years. Sorry I keep having follow up questions, thanks again for being so helpful!

 

[alyxxs]

Any suggestions for substituting a contact's email? I only have her phone number.


Also, not sure if this is the right thread but for course work should I enter AP classes I took in high school even if I didn't pass the exam?

 

[Catalystik]

When I select "Honors/Awards" as the activity category it doesn't let me use the repeat function. Since I'm merging all of my academic honors into one activity how do you recommend choosing an "award date"? All of the awards were from different months in different years. Sorry I keep having follow up questions, thanks again for being so helpful!

Pick the date of the most recent award, by which time all the recognitions within the space were conferred. You can note the date of each included award just prior to its title in the narrative space.

 

[Catalystik]

1) Any suggestions for substituting a contact's email? I only have her phone number.


2) Also, not sure if this is the right thread but for course work should I enter AP classes I took in high school even if I didn't pass the exam?

1) You are obliged to list either the email or a phone number, not both. If for some reason using the email is more desirable, call and ask permission to use it.

2) You only enter the credit that appears on your official college transcript. If you didn't pass the exam, credit was not awarded, and it probably isn't mentioned on the formal transcript.

 

[Zac Chen]

Hi! I'm sure this has been asked before but how should I list my research experiences? I started doing research in high school and have worked for 6 different labs through out that time...

 

[Catalystik]

Hi! I'm sure this has been asked before but how should I list my research experiences? I started doing research in high school and have worked for 6 different labs through out that time...

How many spaces remain to be used to list your research and any productivity that resulted (posters/pubs/presentations)? Are you a good candidate for highly-selective, research-oriented med schools or MD/PhD programs? Or are you a more reasonable candidate for schools that aim to produce primary care docs?

 

[Zac Chen]

How many spaces remain to be used to list your research and any productivity that resulted (posters/pubs/presentations)? Are you a good candidate for highly-selective, research-oriented med schools or MD/PhD programs? Or are you a more reasonable candidate for schools that aim to produce primary care docs?

currently only put 1 lab down and I'm already at 10 activities without the publications (3 publications, 1 first author)

Unfortunately I'm not, 3.3 GPA and 508 (130/126/128/124) MCAT(2nd take), really want to take it again though

 

[Catalystik]

currently only put 1 lab down and I'm already at 10 activities without the publications (3 publications, 1 first author)

Unfortunately I'm not, 3.3 GPA and 508 (130/126/128/124) MCAT(2nd take), really want to take it again though

Then I suggest you group as many of the research activities as possible (by time, by topic, chronologically, or whatever. Maybe use one space for the most recent research experience, as it would be presumably the one where you had the most creative control. Omit any where you didn't have significant responsibility (animal wrangler, tech work). Since you did research in college, it's fine to include the HS gig, if significant. Use one space for the publications (I'll assume they were published in an off-campus journal and have a PMID#). As your stats do not make you an ideal candidate for research-oriented schools, you'd want to de-emphasize that part of your CV, and highlight more your volunteering/community service and clinical experience. You want your application to fit the missions of the schools that are most likely to show an interest in you. Read item 20 in post #2 for more details on listing research.

 

[Zac Chen]

Then I suggest you group as many of the research activities as possible (by time, by topic, chronologically, or whatever. Maybe use one space for the most recent research experience, as it would be presumably the one where you had the most creative control. Omit any where you didn't have significant responsibility (animal wrangler, tech work). Since you did research in college, it's fine to include the HS gig, if significant. Use one space for the publications (I'll assume they were published in an off-campus journal and have a PMID#). As your stats do not make you an ideal candidate for research-oriented schools, you'd want to de-emphasize that part of your CV, and highlight more your volunteering/community service and clinical experience. You want your application to fit the missions of the schools that are most likely to show an interest in you. Read item 20 in post #2 for more details on listing research.

Thank you so much!!

 

[Catalystik]

Replicated re: Research Productivity

I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out what is fair game for my AMCAs activities. The PI in charge of the research that I assist in submitted an abstract for our project to be orally presented at the XXXX conference (Oct. 31st - Nov 3rd, 2018). Is this something that I could list on my application, or is it too far in the future to be listed?

Also, is a poster presentation at my university's annual symposium something that is relevant, or is it viewed as insignificant?

I have a lot of experiences outside of research, but not a lot in regards to research, specifically publications. I want to show that I've done research, but I also don't want to seem like I'm grasping for straws and listing insignificant works.

1) A submitted abstract isn't worth listing. An accepted abstract would be, even though the conference presentation is in the future, provided you are listed as an author (not a contributor, nor as an acknowledgement).

2) It's a good experience, and can be mentioned in the same space as the affiliated research. I'd discourage using a Posters space, since a university research symposium inclusion gets little peer-review. Oftn participation is required if you are getting course credit for doing the research.

Thank you!! I am listed as a co-author, so I guess my follow up would be - Should I wait to hear back about the status of the abstract before submitting my AMCAs? I feel like I'm pretty late on submitting, so I don't want to delay any more than I need to. They said that abstract notifications will be emailed no sooner than July 30th, but that's the best case scenario. I guess that I could put it in the description of my research experience instead of listing separately?

I would not wait on this to submit your primary application to AMCAS. Nor would I add it to the research description. An abstract acceptance mentioned on Secondaries (where an appropriate prompt is provided) and update letters (where allowed) will give you some fresh material to provide. The submission alone is relatively meaningless.

 

[Catalystik]

Thank you so much!!

Feel free to ask more questions if they arise.

 

[Catalystik]

Replicated: OK to quit research after a year?

I did research for 2 semesters (both semesters of sophomore year) and hated it. I felt like I was overworked and spread too thin with all of my other obligations (classes, volunteering, clubs) as I was required to come in 12 hours a week and felt like I was wasting my time. I don't want to continue, but I'm willing to stick it out if it will significantly improve my app. My true passion is volunteering. I would love to fill those extra hours I would get from quitting research with volunteering. I am planning on taking a gap year and applying the summer after my senior year. I already have around 200 clinical volunteering hours which should more than double by that time, but I could even triple it if I quit research. I also already have a leadership position in that volunteer organization which I could devote even more time to. I also currently have no non-clinical volunteering as I don't have time with research, but I was planning on fitting it in over next summer. I could pursue that more freely if I quit research during the year too, which is something I would prefer doing over research. My estimated sGPA will be ~3.7 and my estimated cGPA will be around 3.8 when I apply, and my goal is to stay in-state in Florida. Thoughts?

A year's worth of research is about the average listed. A summer or one term of research would have been adequate for general purposes. You are already on a good trajectory to have sufficient clinical volunteering. Ideally, you'd put the extra time into an off-campus nonmedical community service effort for a cause you care about, perhaps rising to take a leadership role eventually. And don't forget to get in physician shadowing; about 50 hours is a good goal if it includes primary care.

 

[Catalystik]

Replicated: Citing a presentation or abstract:

I am a co-author (second) in an oral presentation at the most recent American Laryngological Association Meeting. Is it worth mentioning this? If so, how should I go about inserting the citation (e.g. journal format/just the title/etc.)?

Was the presentation based on original hypothesis-based research for which you have an affiliated entry on your application?
Yes, I have an entry in the experience section of the AMCAS application for the research related to this.

Did you give the presentation personally?
No, the first author did.

Was/Will the abstract be published in the ALA's official peer-reviewed paper journal (as opposed to theConference Proceedings Booklet)?
The project was extended post-presentation, and we are preparing a manuscript for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.

Does it have a pubmed ID#?
No. But for future reference, in the case where the answer is yes to any of the last 3 questions, when would it be appropriate and how should it be done?

I asked the detailed questions as they would make a difference in how to either cite it or if the first question was No, how to present it as a Teaching moment. Just because you didn't present doesn't mean you can't be recognized for your contribution to the project, it just means you need to give credit to the actual presenter after you list your citation (which would be similar to that of a poster and can be truncated if necessary to make it more succinct. A formal style isn't necessary).

If the abstract were published in the ALA or its supplement and had a PMID#, it would be a publication, you would cite it as such (including the word [abstract] after the title), and add as an addendum that the data was presented at a podium at XXX Conference, [date], by the first author. If OTOH it were in the conference proceedings booklet only, it would not be a publication.