Professional Soccer Player into Med School

[DocSoc]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to start the process for applications. Here's a bit about my history, I'll give the basic rundown.

About myself: Hispanic, adopted into a mixed family, step father was military, first generation to graduate college, from a small town, no one in my family knew a thing about soccer.

Finished college in (2013) in 4 years with 3.61 GPA (would be higher but last semester I was gone after I signed first pro contract). 505 MCAT. President and founder of Caduceus Pre-Med society for 2 years. Organized volunteer hours with Baptist children's home on holidays and worked with Habitat for Humanity building houses. Volunteered to coach under 18s with my team in Australia for the season.
NO CLINICAL OR SHADOWING EXPERIENCE.

Soccer experiences include: COLLEGE: 4x all conference, 3x all region, 3 time all academic, scholar athlete of the year. Signed pro, broke my ankle, then came back and played in australia (won most valuable player, players player) and then played 2 seasons in Sweden. During injury and working back into shape I worked at an under served school as a permanent sub for 6 months as the English teacher. Also started an after school soccer program for students to come play. Also started a company while playing to help other players continue playing and living their dream after college (very few opportunity here in the US).

In the end, I'm thinking about practicing as an EMT-b for a few months to get more clinical hours. Are they necessary? Just want to know thoughts on getting into a medical school somewhere. Moreover, I have considered the D.O. route.

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[SpoiledMilk]

What is your ethnicity? Asking to determine if you will qualify as URM because if you do, your metrics are competitive for MDs and DOs.

However, without clinical volunteering or shadowing (primary care physicians), you won't get much love from medical schools. You will need to have those before you apply.

@Goro is of the opinion that EMT is just a driver. You will need active patient interactions that you will find in free clinics, hospices, and/or ERs, etc...

 

[DocSoc]

What is your ethnicity? Asking to determine if you will qualify as URM because if you do, your metrics are competitive for MDs and DOs.

However, without clinical volunteering or shadowing (primary care physicians), you won't get much love from medical schools. You will need to have those before you apply.

@Goro is of the opinion that EMT is just a driver. You will need active patient interactions that you will find in free clinics, hospices, and/or ERs, etc...

Hi DV-T,
My ethnicity is Mexican-American, so Hispanic in the end. I plan to shadow a PA as well as a Primary physician, I have a connections with someone who's father is a surgeon and another who is a general practitioner. I've read a variety of opinions on this, I'm aiming for 50 hours of shadowing experience. Moreover, would it be more beneficial to look into phlebotomy?

 

[SpoiledMilk]

SDN Adcoms believe that 50hrs of shadowing PCPs are sufficient. Phlebotomy will give you the clinical experience needed. If you can, also look into clinical volunteering to round out your application.

GL!!!

Paging @Faha for help with a school list.

 

[DocSoc]

SDN Adcoms believe that 50hrs of shadowing PCPs are sufficient. Phlebotomy will give you the clinical experience needed. If you can, also look into clinical volunteering to round out your application.

GL!!!

Paging @Faha for help with a school list.

Great! I know a P.A. who went the phlebotomy route.. Any thoughts on a Caregiver for elderly?

 

[SpoiledMilk]

Is that an organization or are you caring for an elder?

Let's ask @LizzyM and/or @Catalystik for their views on this and on shadowing a PA as well as.

 

[DocSoc]

Is that an organization or are you caring for an elder?

Let's ask @LizzyM and/or @Catalystik for their views on this and on shadowing a PA as well as.

It's an organization!

 

[Faha]

Where is your state of residence?

 

[DocSoc]

Where is your state of residence?

I'm from Texas and live here now.

 

[Catalystik]

I plan to shadow a PA as well as a Primary physician

Including PA shadowing on a med school application is fine, but shouldn't dominate the Total Hours of shadowing listed.

Any thoughts on a Caregiver for elderly?

Can you describe your precise role? Some Elder Care would be judged as Clinical and some as NonClinical. It depends on the tasks you perform.

 

[Faha]

I'm from Texas and live here now.

Before you apply you need to accumulate 50+ hours of physician shadowing (including primary care) and 200+ hours of clinical volunteering with patient contact. After that occurs you could apply to all your Texas MD schools and you would be able to receive interviews. Also apply broadly to at least 8 DO schools and include the 2 schools in Texas: TCOM and UIWSOM.

 

[DocSoc]

Including PA shadowing on a med school application is fine, but shouldn't dominate the Total Hours of shadowing listed.
Can you describe your precise role? Some Elder Care would be judged as Clinical and some as NonClinical. It depends on the tasks you perform.

I would be helping elderly at their houses. Helping them move around, shower, change etc.

 

[DocSoc]

Before you apply you need to accumulate 50+ hours of physician shadowing (including primary care) and 200+ hours of clinical volunteering with patient contact. After that occurs you could apply to all your Texas MD schools and you would be able to receive interviews. Also apply broadly to at least 8 DO schools and include the 2 schools in Texas: TCOM and UIWSOM.

Hi Faha, so you would recommend clinical volunteering in a hospital? I thought about going to a family friend who is a physician and seeing if I could help there in a very small, rural, country town.

 

[Faha]

Hi Faha, so you would recommend clinical volunteering in a hospital? I thought about going to a family friend who is a physician and seeing if I could help there in a very small, rural, country town.

Yes, that would be a good choice.

 

[LizzyM]

Before you apply you need to accumulate 50+ hours of physician shadowing (including primary care) and 200+ hours of clinical volunteering with patient contact. After that occurs you could apply to all your Texas MD schools and you would be able to receive interviews. Also apply broadly to at least 8 DO schools and include the 2 schools in Texas: TCOM and UIWSOM.

I don't know about Texas but in general, one does not need clinical volunteering with patient contact if one has paid employment with patient contact.
One does need community service/volunteering which OP has with Baptist children's home, Habitat for Humanity , and kids' soccer program.

Helping elders living at home with activites of daily living (bathing, dressing, feeding, toileting, walking, transferring from bed to chair) is pretty much "hands on" and most people would consider that clinical (similar to what a patient care technician or nurse's aide are responsible for in caring for hospital patients). I'd count it as clinical. If it was more "homemaker" services or instrumental activities of daily living (shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc) then I'd not count it as clinical.

 

[Goro]

I agree with my learned colleagues

 

[DocSoc]

I don't know about Texas but in general, one does not need clinical volunteering with patient contact if one has paid employment with patient contact.
One does need community service/volunteering which OP has with Baptist children's home, Habitat for Humanity , and kids' soccer program.

Helping elders living at home with activites of daily living (bathing, dressing, feeding, toileting, walking, transferring from bed to chair) is pretty much "hands on" and most people would consider that clinical (similar to what a patient care technician or nurse's aide are responsible for in caring for hospital patients). I'd count it as clinical. If it was more "homemaker" services or instrumental activities of daily living (shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc) then I'd not count it as clinical.

Hi LizzyM,

Thanks a ton for the very helpful reply. I think being a caregiver would work a bit more with my schedule as here in San Antonio they are extremely high in demand. I've been told that EMT-B would not be a wise route, but I do need to make some money in order to support myself, pay bills etc etc etc, and EMT-B normally makes a bit more than a caregiver..

 

[LizzyM]

EMT-B is not a bad thing to do depending on where you are stationed. In some cases, you "put the patient in the rig and drive fast" as one appliant told me at an interview. Those patients tend to be sick or injured in their homes or at public events and you provide some first responder care in the field with transfer to the hospital if necessary. I think back to the med school application of someone I know in real life who is a emergency medicine attending. He wrote (>15 years ago) of the experience of going to someone's home as an EMT-B and how it solidified his desire to have a career in medicine and specifically in emergency medicine.

But less challenging is the routine transfers where you are responsible for getting someone who needs to be transferred in a wheelchair or guerney from one facility to another (transfer). These sorts of things are scheduled regularly for people undergoing cancer treatments or dialysis. That's why it is sometimes considered being a glorified taxi driver.
If you want to do this for the money, it does have the extra bonus of being a clinical experience. It shouldn't be your only clinical experience (you should also see patients in a setting where medical care is being delivered by physicians).

EMT-B used to be very common but now we see everyone becoming a scribe instead.

 

[@Hazel-rah]

EMT is great clinical experience IMHO!! CNA & EMT would top the list of potential clinical experiences I'd recommend a pre-med to do.
EMTs who run with volunteer rescue squads in my area of the country can garner a wealth of clinical skills, assessment experience, patient interaction experience, contacts within the medical system, and amazing opportunities. Our EMT's who have gone on to medical school ALWAYS were accepted...

 

[DocSoc]

EMT-B is not a bad thing to do depending on where you are stationed. In some cases, you "put the patient in the rig and drive fast" as one appliant told me at an interview. Those patients tend to be sick or injured in their homes or at public events and you provide some first responder care in the field with transfer to the hospital if necessary. I think back to the med school application of someone I know in real life who is a emergency medicine attending. He wrote (>15 years ago) of the experience of going to someone's home as an EMT-B and how it solidified his desire to have a career in medicine and specifically in emergency medicine.

But less challenging is the routine transfers where you are responsible for getting someone who needs to be transferred in a wheelchair or guerney from one facility to another (transfer). These sorts of things are scheduled regularly for people undergoing cancer treatments or dialysis. That's why it is sometimes considered being a glorified taxi driver.
If you want to do this for the money, it does have the extra bonus of being a clinical experience. It shouldn't be your only clinical experience (you should also see patients in a setting where medical care is being delivered by physicians).

EMT-B used to be very common but now we see everyone becoming a scribe instead.

EMT is great clinical experience IMHO!! CNA & EMT would top the list of potential clinical experiences I'd recommend a pre-med to do.
EMTs who run with volunteer rescue squads in my area of the country can garner a wealth of clinical skills, assessment experience, patient interaction experience, contacts within the medical system, and amazing opportunities. Our EMT's who have gone on to medical school ALWAYS were accepted...

Thanks for that! I'm taking a 3 month EMT class this summer to get things rolling!