Questions about Clinical Experiences/Letters of Recommendations

[mucophagy]

Next semester, I will be studying for the MCAT.

I was wondering if it would be worth picking up a part-time job as a scribe/MA, or if the clinical volunteering would be enough?
The clinical volunteering experience includes:
- "tea time" with patients where you offer patients food/drink, and confirm with nurses any dietary restrictions before giving them food/drink
- helping around the hospital with various tasks, maybe data entry in lab or helping in understaffed nurse stations by picking up calls from patient rooms/asking & delivering patients what food/drink they want as well as checking dietary restrictions w/ nurses
- delivering paperwork
- escorting patients to surgery appt
- discharging patients
- escorting visitors to wherever they need
- help with paperwork (sometimes the nurses ask to help organize it) when needed

Another question I have is about letters of recommendations from professors.

My professor asked me to tell him what I would like emphasized in my letter of recommendation. What would be appropriate to ask? Good grades? My research lab experience (he is not my PI)?

Thank you all

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[chilly_md]

A part-time job let’s you pick up hours faster and have an easier time finding shadowing opportunities (it is built-in for scribing). Volunteering is fine but many applicants end up with <200 hours by the time they apply (and thus end up becoming reapplicants).

For the LOR, I do not see why he should write about your research if he is not part of that (hopefully you get a good PI letter). Provide them these AAMC guidelines:

https://www.aamc.org/system/files?file=2019-09/lettersguidelinesbrochure.pdf

 

[mucophagy]

A part-time job let’s you pick up hours faster and have an easier time finding shadowing opportunities (it is built-in for scribing). Volunteering is fine but many applicants end up with <200 hours by the time they apply (and thus end up becoming reapplicants).

For the LOR, I do not see why he should write about your research if he is not part of that (hopefully you get a good PI letter). Provide them these AAMC guidelines:

https://www.aamc.org/system/files?file=2019-09/lettersguidelinesbrochure.pdf

Great, thank you so much for the help!

So from what I'm understanding, if I'm able to get 200+ hours as a clinical volunteer as well as find shadowing opportunities from PCPs for at least 50 hours, I would be okay doing clinical volunteering?

Also, got it - thank you for that resource. It is very helpful.

 

[chilly_md]

Great, thank you so much for the help!

So from what I'm understanding, if I'm able to get 200+ hours as a clinical volunteer as well as find shadowing opportunities from PCPs for at least 50 hours, I would be okay doing clinical volunteering?

Also, got it - thank you for that resource. It is very helpful.

Yes, that would be correct. Do keep in mind that successful applicants generally have several hundred hours in one of the categories (either clinical experience, research or non-clinical volunteering). That is one reason why students with about 200 hours for each major category often struggle to get interviews (these are usually juniors trying to avoid a gap year).