Summer Plans

[dryknat]

Greetings everyone and Happy New Year and Holidays to you!

I guess it may be early to begin thinking about it, but it is on my mind: I am thinking of two options for this summer coming up, and I would perhaps appreciate some feedback on which of these choices would be more attractive on a medical school application.

1. Work 40 hours a week at the local hospital, keeping the position I have there as a Rehabilitation Aide. (Basically just tagging along with the therapists and helping them in any way I am able).

2. Assuming I get accepted, attend an research internship program at penn state university hershey medical center. the website has the details of the program: http://www.hmc.psu.edu/summerresearch/

Along with these options, I would grately appreciate any other opportunities or ideas for this coming summer. If it helps any, I am completing my sophomore year this spring.

Thank you

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[Neelesh]

I am also a sophomore trying to figure out what to do for the summer:

I am definitely taking Physics I & II w/ labs at ASU, in addition one of the following:

1. Working as a mentor in a the Phoenix Indian Med. Center for High Schoolers shadowing doctors. Basically I would do several 2-week rotations with a variety of physicians.

2. Working in a rural health clinic with spanish speaking immigrants working basically as a Nurses Aid taking vitals, histories, etc.

Basically, I want to work with undeserved people and get as much hands on experience as possible even though I have no real training. I've noticed that in more low-income areas, the staff/doctors will give you more responsibility.

 

[BellyDancingDoc]

Greetings everyone and Happy New Year and Holidays to you!

I guess it may be early to begin thinking about it, but it is on my mind: I am thinking of two options for this summer coming up, and I would perhaps appreciate some feedback on which of these choices would be more attractive on a medical school application.

1. Work 40 hours a week at the local hospital, keeping the position I have there as a Rehabilitation Aide. (Basically just tagging along with the therapists and helping them in any way I am able).

2. Assuming I get accepted, attend an research internship program at penn state university hershey medical center. the website has the details of the program: http://www.hmc.psu.edu/summerresearch/

Along with these options, I would grately appreciate any other opportunities or ideas for this coming summer. If it helps any, I am completing my sophomore year this spring.

Thank you

Since it sounds like you've already had a lot of clinical exposure as a Rehab Aide, I'd say go for the research program! You'll want your med school app to show a nice sprinkling of both.

Also, a word to the wise: your Rehab Aide job sounds great in terms of the clinical exposure you get. However, I can betcha anything that the adcom will want to see that you don't just have experience with therapists but also with MDs, since you're applying for your MD. Thus, by all means, stick with the Rehab Aide job if it makes you happy, but just be sure that you've shadowed/volunteered/worked with MDs before you apply. This should allow you to give well-supported answers to the inevitable, "Why to you want to be a doc instead of a therapist" questions that many an adcom will probably ask you.

 

[BellyDancingDoc]

I am also a sophomore trying to figure out what to do for the summer:

I am definitely taking Physics I & II w/ labs at ASU, in addition one of the following:

1. Working as a mentor in a the Phoenix Indian Med. Center for High Schoolers shadowing doctors. Basically I would do several 2-week rotations with a variety of physicians.

2. Working in a rural health clinic with spanish speaking immigrants working basically as a Nurses Aid taking vitals, histories, etc.

Basically, I want to work with undeserved people and get as much hands on experience as possible even though I have no real training. I've noticed that in more low-income areas, the staff/doctors will give you more responsibility.

Provided that you'll get some contact with the doctors there, I'll put in a strong vote for option #2. Work with the underserved = good! The chance to do something clinically useful as opposed to just shadowing = good! The ability to work it with your medical Spanish = awesome! All three together = a clear winner.