Specifics on necessary clinical experience

[doctor0404]

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I am a nontraditional student: I obtained my BA in Psychology last May and am starting to take premedical classes. I plan to be ready to apply to med school in 2011.

My question is as follows. I have been volunteering at the Psychiatric Unit of a hospital since January of 2009. From Jan to Aug I logged approximately 300 hours working hands-on with patients, psychiatrists and nurses on the unit. In August I got a per diem paid position there as an assistant social worker and have been covering the full-time personnel when they are out.

Additionally, since September I have been working at the ER registering new patients. I have had the chance to observe procedures and talk with patients extensively. I have about 500 hours of experience doing this.

Now that I am going back to school to take classes, I had to take on a different full-time position that will enable me to pay for classes. Unfortunately, this position is not medically related. I am now faced with the difficult decision... In my new job I work 40 hours a week and the job is quite demanding. Additionally I am starting to take classes this summer. Because I will have to work full time and go to school full time starting June, I want to do majority of MCAT preparation before June.

I would love to continue working at the ER because I enjoy the work, however I know that it will be extremely difficult for me to keep up such a busy schedule and still prepare for the MCATs...

I would like to hear from people who are already in med school. How much volunteer or clinical experience did you have? Do you think I should try to squeeze in as many additional hours at the ER as I can or should I rather focus on getting the MCATs and premed done now?

Thank you.

 

[riverjib]

I am a nontraditional student: I obtained my BA in Psychology last May and am starting to take premedical classes. I plan to be ready to apply to med school in 2011.

My question is as follows. I have been volunteering at the Psychiatric Unit of a hospital since January of 2009. From Jan to Aug I logged approximately 300 hours working hands-on with patients, psychiatrists and nurses on the unit. In August I got a per diem paid position there as an assistant social worker and have been covering the full-time personnel when they are out.

Additionally, since September I have been working at the ER registering new patients. I have had the chance to observe procedures and talk with patients extensively. I have about 500 hours of experience doing this.

Now that I am going back to school to take classes, I had to take on a different full-time position that will enable me to pay for classes. Unfortunately, this position is not medically related. I am now faced with the difficult decision... In my new job I work 40 hours a week and the job is quite demanding. Additionally I am starting to take classes this summer. Because I will have to work full time and go to school full time starting June, I want to do majority of MCAT preparation before June.

I would love to continue working at the ER because I enjoy the work, however I know that it will be extremely difficult for me to keep up such a busy schedule and still prepare for the MCATs...

I would like to hear from people who are already in med school. How much volunteer or clinical experience did you have? Do you think I should try to squeeze in as many additional hours at the ER as I can or should I rather focus on getting the MCATs and premed done now?

Thank you.

Can you do your job part-time? When I went back to school full-time, I kept working until it became clear that I couldn't maintain straight A's while working full-time.

You already have over 300 hours of meaningful clinical experience. If you plan to complete your pre-med requirements AND the MCAT in the next year, I'd suggest working per diem if possible. It's better to take out loans than it is to do poorly in pre-req classes or the MCAT.

 

[7starmantis]

If it were me (and I was in a similar situation for a bit) I would focus on the MCAT and your courses and try to just fit in a little clinical EC here and there to keep up the longevity of the experience. You fit in a weekend here or there and you keep your clinical EC current in my mind.

 

[riverjib]

I am a nontraditional student: I obtained my BA in Psychology last May and am starting to take premedical classes. I plan to be ready to apply to med school in 2011.

My question is as follows. I have been volunteering at the Psychiatric Unit of a hospital since January of 2009. From Jan to Aug I logged approximately 300 hours working hands-on with patients, psychiatrists and nurses on the unit. In August I got a per diem paid position there as an assistant social worker and have been covering the full-time personnel when they are out.

Additionally, since September I have been working at the ER registering new patients. I have had the chance to observe procedures and talk with patients extensively. I have about 500 hours of experience doing this.

Now that I am going back to school to take classes, I had to take on a different full-time position that will enable me to pay for classes. Unfortunately, this position is not medically related. I am now faced with the difficult decision... In my new job I work 40 hours a week and the job is quite demanding. Additionally I am starting to take classes this summer. Because I will have to work full time and go to school full time starting June, I want to do majority of MCAT preparation before June.

I would love to continue working at the ER because I enjoy the work, however I know that it will be extremely difficult for me to keep up such a busy schedule and still prepare for the MCATs...

I would like to hear from people who are already in med school. How much volunteer or clinical experience did you have? Do you think I should try to squeeze in as many additional hours at the ER as I can or should I rather focus on getting the MCATs and premed done now?

Thank you.

Give up the job. You have more clinical experience than many applicants, and your job will only benefit you in the short-term. Unless you can find a way to do both, I'd suggest focusing on studying for classes and the MCAT. I worked full-time during my first two years, but I found a way to pay my bills on student loans and per-diem work. Unless you have children, you can definitely dedicate yourself to school and the MCAT full-time, though you won't have much left over for a social life that includes more than Netflix, good conversation, and a bottle of wine 🙂

 

[7starmantis]

Give up the job. You have more clinical experience than many applicants, and your job will only benefit you in the short-term. Unless you can find a way to do both, I'd suggest focusing on studying for classes and the MCAT. I worked full-time during my first two years, but I found a way to pay my bills on student loans and per-diem work. Unless you have children, you can definitely dedicate yourself to school and the MCAT full-time, though you won't have much left over for a social life that includes more than Netflix, good conversation, and a bottle of wine 🙂

I agree with this. If your passion is really medicine, sacrifices are in order...they will come regardless if you go to med school.

Oh, and who needs more than netflix, good conversation, and a bottle of wine? 😀 Sounds like my social life for the last several years. I'm am trying to live it up now before starting med school though!

 

[BPlaysItCool]

Your criteria are too complex. To be a meaningful online stranger encounter.

Just based on your thread title...

There are no specifics on clinical experience. Part of the irony in the absolution of numerical data as the paradigm.

You're essentially asking. How can I quantify experience. There is no answer to that. 300 hours or whatever. Plenty of people get in with less. But that doesn't tell you much either. You see the conundrum...

 

[Catalystik]

If you are working, whether in a medically- or nonmedically-related job and going to school, you still should be contributing some form of community service. If your job doesn't require direct contact with patients, then your volunteer position should. You'd be fine with 3 hours per week (and admittedly a bit less sleep), or at a minimum 4 hours every other week during that entire year prior to application in 2011. It isn't a huge amount of total hours of experience that adcomms prefer to see, rather it is longevity in testing your career interest in medicine that is desirable. I'd consider 1.5 years of this to be average, with a year at the very minimum. You already have te minimum, but you want to keep up some involvement until you apply so it is recent, however small the hours per week.