Research vs. Volunteering

[Maxprime]

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I know that each is important if you're seeking getting into a med school that specializes more in one than the other. Is it safe to say that volunteering & clinical experience is more likely to get you into a school (if you just want to be a doctor) than research?

 

[ClosetNerd]

I know that each is important if you're seeking getting into a med school that specializes more in one than the other. Is it safe to say that volunteering & clinical experience is more likely to get you into a school (if you just want to be a doctor) than research?

My gut reaction is yes for MD programs (not MD/PhD). All of the med school people I have talked to have told me they want to know that you understand what your getting into. I think that clinical experiance on some level is an absolute must.

But your talking to someone who hasn't been accepted by any school. I would give your local med school a call and find out what they say.

Good Luck!

 

[Quix]

I'd also recommend getting your feet wet clinically. Research is compelling, but unless that's the career path you want, you need to get a good understanding of the clinical experience, which means as much patient contact as you can get.

 

[relentless11]

I'd also recommend getting your feet wet clinically. Research is compelling, but unless that's the career path you want, you need to get a good understanding of the clinical experience, which means as much patient contact as you can get.

Depends, there is such a thing as clinical research. If one has access to a med school/teaching hospital, then you should have access to physicians and PhD's who do clinical research. As an undergrad, I spent 3 years doing clinical research, and continued on in the same lab today as a PhD student doing a clinically based thesis project. Over the years, I have had undergrads at the very least consent patients in clinics for a specific procedure and in some cases the undergrad actually performs the minimumly invasive procedure. On the extreme end, my thesis will involve the above, but also determining clinical intervention (e.g., this is a clinical trial). For this study, I plan on at least having undergrads shadowing, so even here, as an undergrad you will gain much clinical experience through research.

However I must digress...in regards to the OP, do what you like to do, but obviously volunteer in a hospital to (1) gain clinical experience, and (2) to volunteer. Both of these combine is required by all med schools, even though they may not say it. Research is NOT required, unless you are doing an MD/PhD program. However it certainly adds to yoiur application. If you are doing an MD/PhD, then you need to have a pretty good solid foundation in research since it makes the PhD program feel confident that you'll finish the PhD😉. Therefore most applicants, I would say volunteering (clinical or otherwise) >> research.

The funny thing is EC's are less important than your interview, letters of rec, and GPA/MCAT. Why? At least initially, there is no way to confirm that your EC's are real. AMCAS doesn't check, therefore a liar can put down thousands of hours of volunteering but in fact they only did 50 hours. Thats why adcoms will just take it as a grain of salt, and see how other aspects of their application go. Come time for interview, then they are in a better position to see if you actually did what you said you did. Take for example research. A person who actually did a research will know their project backwards and forwards, and in some cases have a publication to show for it. So yea, the take home message is to get some amount of volunteering and if you want, research experience. However don't let it hurt other aspects of your application.

 

[Law2Doc]

Depends, there is such a thing as clinical research.

Be careful with this. There are many instances where an interviewee was informed that "clinical research" did not count as "clinical experience/exposure" no matter how patient intensive it was. Clinical research is counted at most places as research. Get your clinical experience via volunteering, shadowing or healthcare employment (EMT, Phlebotomist etc) and you will be on safer footing.

 

[Law2Doc]

Is it safe to say that volunteering & clinical experience is more likely to get you into a school (if you just want to be a doctor) than research?

I wouldn't phrase it this way. No EC on its own is going to "get you into a school". Most schools will require a certain amount of clinical experience/exposure both because it forces you to have seen, at least to some small extent, what medicine is all about, so you are not making a major decision totally blind, and because they like to have a sense that you enjoy working with patients (since medicine is largely a service providing industry). Thus clinical exposure is more or less a prereq for most medical programs. Research is not such a prereq, and you will meet folks at virtually every med school who have done no research. However those schools that tout themselves as research oriented schools will give additional weight to applicants with research experience. Most schools will tell you that the "ideal" applicant will have both clinical and research experience. But again, neither is "more likely to get you into a school" -- you get into a school based on the weight of your entire application, and these are just components, albeit important ones.

 

[obrn]

What if your clinical experience doesn't come from volunteering? I want to be well rounded, but I also don't want to kill myself trying to volunteer if clinical experience is what matters in the end...

 

[Maxprime]

Definitely - was just looking for the best route to take for EC's. I want (and I think people should want) as much patient contact beforehand - otherwise it's a lot of school, effort, time, and money to do something you may not love.

 

[mshheaddoc]

I think this is a great question. My first choice is a DO school but I will have way more research experience than clinical.

Most of my clinical experience will come from shadowing which I hope to have 100 hours or so over the next year and volunteering on a rehab peds floor a few hours a month. My main volunteering resource is tutoring 5th and 6th graders in math as well as I am helping develop their tutoring program (its relative new school).

 

[Maxprime]

Most of my clinical experience will come from shadowing which I hope to have 100 hours or so over the next year and volunteering on a rehab peds floor a few hours a month. My main volunteering resource is tutoring 5th and 6th graders in math as well as I am helping develop their tutoring program (its relative new school).

Dumb question - but is "cold calling" the best way to find opportunities like this?

 

[mshheaddoc]

you mean shadowing opportunities or research? I sort of cold-called on both counts. Research I sent an email out to a dept head at a local med school who in turn sent it out to his department. I only got one response and it turns out its all I've needed. I started working a few hrs a month last february and have been working ever since. I don't get paid but I get to know more about the med school as well as I get to learn "research". Since I have limited science knowledge its a great way to "immerse" yourself.

As for shadowing, I actually made networks at OPM conference and through SDN for two of my shadowing gigs. I utilized AHEC for another experience (I'd see if there is one in your area that might be able to help you, its a national educational organization) and I'm cold calling a Dr. that was suggested to me for some ER shadowing.

 

[relentless11]

Be careful with this. There are many instances where an interviewee was informed that "clinical research" did not count as "clinical experience/exposure" no matter how patient intensive it was. Clinical research is counted at most places as research. Get your clinical experience via volunteering, shadowing or healthcare employment (EMT, Phlebotomist etc) and you will be on safer footing.

True, I can see where they get this. I think as an undergrad, volunteering would be a better option, since it may be hard to qualify clinical research as clinical experience. At the graduate level, I'm actually employed by the hospital, so that just falls into that healthcare employment catagory.

 

[Maxprime]

Which would be better? EMT or just regular volunteering?

Also (pleading ignorance) people have been very specific w/ paid and unpaid - are they filed/treated very different on the AMCAS or something? TIA

 

[mshheaddoc]

EMT might be better if you aren't going to apply for at least a year or two. Since it usually takes a few months to get certification its a waste otherwise.

And paid vs. unpaid, as far as I know, there is nothing different. They are all experience. Of course, dependingon your area, one might be easier than another.

 

[medstudent786]

Hello, this is my first post, i am a junior doing undergrad in the premed field. I needed some help to decide how much volunteering is needed and what kind of volunteering is needed. So far, i have done:

LSU NCI Cancer research for one summer at LSU med school, got paid
Volunteered in the Pharmacy Department, about 20 hrs.
Volunteered with Habitat for Humanity building houses.
Volunteered with church youth group and local church groups

My gpa is 3.8 and science gpa is 3.6. I am taking the MCAT in January. I plan on volunteering in the hospital in the Emergency Room this fall, should i work in the emergency room or some other department, i was thinking about doing 50 hrs or so and then do research for my next goal. Is there somewhere else in a hospital i could volunteer. Does it have to be medical...give me some advice.

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

Hello, this is my first post, i am a junior doing undergrad in the premed field. I needed some help to decide how much volunteering is needed and what kind of volunteering is needed. So far, i have done:

LSU NCI Cancer research for one summer at LSU med school, got paid
Volunteered in the Pharmacy Department, about 20 hrs.
Volunteered with Habitat for Humanity building houses.
Volunteered with church youth group and local church groups

My gpa is 3.8 and science gpa is 3.6. I am taking the MCAT in January. I plan on volunteering in the hospital in the Emergency Room this fall, should i work in the emergency room or some other department, i was thinking about doing 50 hrs or so and then do research for my next goal. Is there somewhere else in a hospital i could volunteer. Does it have to be medical...give me some advice.

You don't seem like a very non-traditional student, maybe this belings in pre-allo?

In any case, I would try to get more clinical experience than just 50 hours in the ED. There's no magic number, but my gut is that you should probably get more.

 

[remo]

Volunteering in a clinical setting is a requirement for all schools. Research is optional except for the top ~20 schools and icing on the cake for the rest. Do your clinical volunteering in a setting where you are working with underserved populations, immigrants, homeless, etc... you get more bang for your buck. ER stuff is like volunteering 101, it's not going to get you noticed. Find a cool doc and do some shadowing to get a nice LOR.