Personal Training on Med School Application

[mdocfuture]

So I have been a personal trainer for almost 4 years now. I initially got into it because I was boxing and it fit in with my active lifestyle, I wanted to do something where I would be on my feet, and I thought it related to medicine. I thought personal training was a great wedge into medicine given that it's about helping others lead a health lifestyle.

Any other personal trainers out there? Have you applied to medical school? Was your experience as a trainer well received?

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[tantacles]

So I have been a personal trainer for almost 4 years now. I initially got into it because I was boxing and it fit in with my active lifestyle, I wanted to do something where I would be on my feet, and I thought it related to medicine. I thought personal training was a great wedge into medicine given that it's about helping others lead a health lifestyle.

Any other personal trainers out there? Have you applied to medical school? Was your experience as a trainer well received?

What makes you think it would be received negatively? If I were an interviewer, I'd praise your dedication to a job that has many challenges that parallel medicine: Encouraging change, interactive socially, and having a long-term commitment to any activity are always good things. The rare exception to this rule is if you work in a field you would never want to talk to your parents about (and I imagine you can infer what these fields might be), in which case you should absolutely not disclose.

But four years in a profession that requires you to be social and supportive? Should go pretty well if you can relate that to medicine in any way.

 

[dcamkl1]

What makes you think it would be received negatively?

Maybe the OP is worried that ADCOMS might look at his PT experience and think he/she is better suited for a DPT program, or similar field. This obviously shouldn't be an issue if the OP has significant clinical experience and can tie the PT experience into explaining 'Why medicine?'

 

[mdocfuture]

I'm not thinking it will negatively be perceived. I'm just wondering if it will be considered "good related experience."

I do of course plan to do other things and have other things I have done.

 

[tantacles]

I'm not thinking it will negatively be perceived. I'm just wondering if it will be considered "good related experience."

I do of course plan to do other things and have other things I have done.

I think it would be perceived as a good experience, but not necessarily related to health care, at least not unless you elaborated it as such in your application and someone actually specifically read that portion.

In your activity description, you can make the relationship clear, especially since physicians need to counsel obese patients on weight loss, exercise, and smoking cessation, something you probably do in your personal training job.