Religious organizations and ERAS

[NFKB]

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I was president of the Catholic Medical Students Association during my 2nd year of medical school. Much of our work focused on community service. We did no proselytize and made it our goal to include people of all beliefs. I am proud the experience, but am unsure of how others viewing my application will see it. And advice?

Thanks

 

[notdeadyet]

I was president of the Catholic Medical Students Association during my 2nd year of medical school. Much of our work focused on community service. We did no proselytize and made it our goal to include people of all beliefs. I am proud the experience, but am unsure of how others viewing my application will see it. And advice?

I'd be a lot more nervous about it had you not layed it out beautifully in your description here. Service, no prostelytizing, and all-inclusive. It would be hard to find fault in that.

You always run the risk of prejudice, but with roughly a quarter of the country Catholic, it's a pretty hefty minority. I say go for it.

 

[atsai3]

I was president of the Catholic Medical Students Association during my 2nd year of medical school. Much of our work focused on community service. We did no proselytize and made it our goal to include people of all beliefs. I am proud the experience, but am unsure of how others viewing my application will see it. And advice?

Thanks

Medicine is a pretty liberal field. Depending on what specialty you choose, some people might recommend that you stay in the closet.

-AT.

 

[notdeadyet]

Medicine is a pretty liberal field. Depending on what specialty you choose, some people might recommend that you stay in the closet.

Good point.

But if my religious faith was strong enough that I was president of a religious club, I probably wouldn't be a good fit at a residency program that would discriminate against me based on my religion.

 

[atsai3]

Good point.

But if my religious faith was strong enough that I was president of a religious club, I probably wouldn't be a good fit at a residency program that would discriminate against me based on my religion.

That is very true.

All that being said -- in medicine, from what I have observed being Catholic is probably not as 'bad' as being an evangelical Christian (in terms of its effect on how you are discriminated against). So perhaps it may not 'hurt' to be outed by your CV.

-AT.

 

[NFKB]

It had been my thought that if anyone had questions or concerns about it, they could ask me at an interview. In which case, I am confident I could represent myself well. On the other hand, I suppose if it were a big enough concern, it could potentially keep me from getting the interview.

Thanks for your insights.

 

[Steiner]

If being involved in church is a big part of who you are then put it in. Better to know you're getting interviewed at a place where it isn't an issue.

Side note: I think it's embarrassing that being a Christian would be a negative if you listed it. I wonder what the thinking is concerning other beliefs. What if someone was a member of a Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Muslim, etc... medical student group? Would the advice be the same?

 

[atsai3]

If being involved in church is a big part of who you are then put it in. Better to know you're getting interviewed at a place where it isn't an issue.

Side note: I think it's embarrassing that being a Christian would be a negative if you listed it. I wonder what the thinking is concerning other beliefs. What if someone was a member of a Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Muslim, etc... medical student group? Would the advice be the same?

Embarrassing to whom?

The other faith systems you mention do not have prominent public figures who are associated with evangelical Christianity and are as polarizing as Falwell, Bush, Palin, Prop 8 backers, etc etc. Even though these polarizing public figures may not, strictly speaking, hold to theologically correct beliefs about what Jesus preached about in the Bible, people think of these names when someone brings up the word "Christian".

-AT.

 

[DoctaJay]

I've done a lot of local and overseas missionary work which included evangelism and humanitarian work. I was told to take out the evangelism sections and focus on the humanitarian. That's fine with me to be honest and it doesn't change to uniqueness of that aspect of my application. I did mention that while in medical school I mentored various inner city kids teaching them how to obey their parents, help around the house, stay out of trouble at school, and various Biblical principles. That's my only mention to religion; the fact that I go to the only overtly religious med school in the u.s should cue them in but if that tid bit hurts me then oh well. I wasn't meant to be there.

 

[atsai3]

I've done a lot of local and overseas missionary work which included evangelism and humanitarian work. I was told to take out the evangelism sections and focus on the humanitarian. That's fine with me to be honest and it doesn't change to uniqueness of that aspect of my application.

Everybody does that. In the first volley of articles about the missionaries who were killed in Afghanistan several days ago, they were described as "aid workers" or "humanitarian workers". Very few articles described them explicitly as "missionaries" even though that is what they were.

the fact that I go to the only overtly religious med school in the u.s should cue them in but if that tid bit hurts me then oh well. I wasn't meant to be there.

Agree with this. Residency is about fit. If a program is going to negatively discriminate against you because of your faith, then you probably didn't want to go to that program anyway.

-AT.

 

[mcl]

Religion is one of the topics programs avoid bringing up during the interview process (also legally off limits according to the interview training my institution provided: ethnicity, marital status, sexual preference, physical handicap, attitude toward abortion, family planning, or child-rearing practices). However, if you include these elements in your application or mention them at some point during the interview, the topic raised is on the table for the interviewer to explore. If you don't want to run the risk that a topic might become the focus of an interview, it's risky to include it in your application.

My exerience has been that few interviewers have issues with an applicant's personal faith practices--they just want to make sure that there wouldn't be proselytizing to patients, staff, or colleagues which could lead to discomfort in working with that person.

 

[DartosDO]

I am a member of CMDA - Christian Medical and Dental Associations. I honestly didn't do a lot of my volunteer work through them, so should just avoid the topic all together and not put that under the member organization tab?

 

[atsai3]

I am a member of CMDA - Christian Medical and Dental Associations. I honestly didn't do a lot of my volunteer work through them, so should just avoid the topic all together and not put that under the member organization tab?

See previous comments in this thread: if a program is going to discriminate against you because of your faith, then you probably didn't want to go there anyway.

-AT.

 

[Coastie]

I'm sure that putting down a pro-life organization would be offensive, but med students for jihad may be acceptable.

LOL, what has our country become? The ideals which brought us to greatness our denigrated while those which actively seek to destroy us are elevated.

Thanks Chairman Maobama and fellow liberals! Destroy America? Yes we did!

 

[sebsvenmdc]

Some things are more important than residency. My faith is one of them. I'm not coercing anyone to believe anything I say...people have free will. I work extremely hard and I'm definitely professional.

My faith endorses this:

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile."
Romans 1:16 (NIV)

I study apologetics and my worldview is shaped upon sound logical principles, science, and philosophy, none of which are inconsistent with my theological beliefs.

Just a FYI, guys. When I interviewed for a med school, I was asked what was one recent book that I had read. I replied: "Finding God at Harvard"...I was then asked a series of questions that related to this that resulted in elaboration about my faith. I did not hide it in the closet. This med school accepted me!

But seriously, if residencies want to discriminate against me because I'm an evangelical Christian, bring it on. I would rather get rejected and please the God that I believe in.

Somethings are worth more than being politically correct.