Only shadowing after sending in application

[loveoforganic]

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Ideally, I'll have gotten a couple of doctors to let me shadow them sometime this coming (junior) year. However, if that doesn't happen, I won't really have an opportunity to shadow during the summer before applications get sent out due to taking a summer class/being out of the country. Would it hurt my chances at an interview to have no shadowing on the application? I would, I assume, have shadowing by the time of interviews.

 

[jult24er]

Ideally, I'll have gotten a couple of doctors to let me shadow them sometime this coming (junior) year. However, if that doesn't happen, I won't really have an opportunity to shadow during the summer before applications get sent out due to taking a summer class/being out of the country. Would it hurt my chances at an interview to have no shadowing on the application? I would, I assume, have shadowing by the time of interviews.

Can't say for sure, like pretty much everything in this process. First cycled, I only shadowed post-interviews and didnt get in anywhere. They asked if i ever shadowed at a number of interviews.

This year, I did a little shadowing before i sent and my app, with somewhat better results.

In general, i think a minimal amount of "clinical expeience" is very important - if shadowing is the only way you are getting that, i think it could hurt your chances not to have that on your app - although not as much as if you havent done it by interview time.

 

[nick_carraway]

Agreed. I also got poor results from having had minimal clinical prior to application despite working full time at a private practice during the application. I only got one interview, although I did emphasize my clinical experiences during that interview.

I think you'll want to shadow sooner rather than later, but you know that too. The issue is whether or not you have another clinical experience to write on apps if you can't do it until post-app.

 

[flip26]

If you think about the purpose of clinical experiences, it is mainly to inform you about the practice of medicine and to expose you to patients to give you at least some idea of what is involved.

You then take these experiences and they form at least part of the background in your personal statement and essays and interviews.

If you don't do any of this prior to applying, how are you going to convince an adcom that you know what you are getting yourself into?

 

[loveoforganic]

I'll absolutely have clinical experience. Will be volunteering in a hospital fall semester next year, possibly more assuming I enjoy it. Should also be volunteering at a psychiatric hospital with an occupational/recreational therapist this summer. Shadowing, specifically, is my main concern.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[locus000]

You can send medschool an Update Letter after your secondaries are in. The school will put that into your application package that they will review.

Thats what I did, I just started volunteering at an ER and shadow a few more doctors in December so i sent them an update letter telling them what I did. And they asked me about my expriences at the ER during the inteview, so it works!!

 

[nick_carraway]

You can send medschool an Update Letter after your secondaries are in. The school will put that into your application package that they will review.

Thats what I did, I just started volunteering at an ER and shadow a few more doctors in December so i sent them an update letter telling them what I did. And they asked me about my expriences at the ER during the inteview, so it works!!

Good point. I want to add, however, that when I called med schools at the end of the cycle, some advisors were reading my letters for the first time.

Suffice to say different schools treat these updates differently.

 

[locus000]

Good point. I want to add, however, that when I called med schools at the end of the cycle, some advisors were reading my letters for the first time.

Suffice to say different schools treat these updates differently.

Yeah that really suck, if that was me I would be piss off. That's not right that the school is just reading the letter for the first time at the end of the cycle. A lot can chance in the few months when your application is in until you get an interview.
I made a point to call the schools that I like a few weeks after sending the letter and asked if they received the transcript and the update letter. It was my way of asking them what was my status and to tell them I am interested in their school. My friend did this a year before and she told me to do it and it worked for me 😀