Opinions/guidance on my EC's

[Sequoioideae]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Long time lurker, finally decided to make an account and start seeking more guidance on my journey to med school.

I am a 28 y/o currently wrapping up my med school pre-reqs. I cant say what my final GPA or MCAT will be yet but I would like opinions on my EC's and if there are any areas I need to bolster before application time comes around this spring. I decided to go to med school only ~18 months ago, but have been involved in the medical world for a while.

- I've been an registered EMT since 2014 and have 3 years of full time (~40hrs wk) 9/11 experience within a county based fire/ems system.
- was a scribe in a busy level II ED for ~6 months 24-32 hrs a week.
- was a full time Trauma/surgical technician at a level I TC for ~2 years in a severely underserved community that fluctuates in the top 3 for homicide rate in the nation. Worked hands on with trauma surgeons and other specialties, as well as many other medical professionals from DoD/DoJ.
- Currently full time ED tech at a premiere Children's Hospital

lots of random volunteering over the years since high school; Environment/resource conservation work, CPR instructing, volunteer at local community college, various autism awareness events/fundraisers, and currently trying to get on board with a local food bank that serves my current city of residence.

What I lack is shadowing/research hours and I am wondering if I should prioritize gaining some, given that I've worked very closely with docs for over two years? I am just really pressed for time right now with full time work and full time school. My interests are EM and PC/rural medicine, and definitely will do some military medicine time. Should I worry about research? Whats a reasonable goal for shadowing hours I should try to gain between now and May?

Any other ideas for EC's I haven't thought of would be much appreciated!

 

[paradoxic_toxic]

Your EC's and work experiences are stellar. I would obtain shadowing hours in a primary care setting to drive in the fact that you're interested in primary care/rural med. Given your work experience, it shouldn't be hard to find a doctor to shadow for 2 weeks. It doesn't have to be a crazy amount of hours. Around 50 hours would do.

Lack of research won't break your app. If you plan on getting research experience, just make sure it is research you're passionate about because it's a huge time commitment. It should be treated as a learning experience more than anything, i.e., learning how to form and test hypotheses. Don't worry about getting published.