Teaching Experiences

[TheBossDoctor]

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Out of curiosity, what is up with all the hype about gaining teaching/tutoring experience if you're pre-med? I see a lot of people saying its important for your application/looked upon favorably, and it seems like every other pre-med has it or tries hard to get it. Any particular reason?

I guess I got lucky to have tutoring experience, although I mainly did it because I was interested in tutoring and would've done it regardless of how its viewed.

 

[911 Turbo]

Out of curiosity, what is up with all the hype about gaining teaching/tutoring experience if you're pre-med? I see a lot of people saying its important for your application/looked upon favorably, and it seems like every other pre-med has it or tries hard to get it. Any particular reason?

I guess I got lucky to have tutoring experience, although I mainly did it because I was interested in tutoring and would've done it regardless of how its viewed.

and you call yourself premed !?












just kidding... I think adcoms view it favorably because it demonstrates that you know how to communicate effectively to other people

 

[TheBossDoctor]

Yea but I imagine that there's other ways to demonstrate good communication skills. Why specifically would teaching/tutoring be emphasized?

Is it because doctors teach a lot (they teach other residents and med students)?

 

[rfvbnmju]

I think the big idea is that if you can explain a advance concept to someone who has weak knowledge in it and get them to understand, you're able to communicate effectively.

Sent from my phone.

 

[Lya]

Yea but I imagine that there's other ways to demonstrate good communication skills. Why specifically would teaching/tutoring be emphasized?

Is it because doctors teach a lot (they teach other residents and med students)?

As someone who tutored multiple subjects ranging from English writing to differential equations as a TA for over 3 years, I think that it is not just because doctors teach a lot. Sure, they teach a lot to their patients too.

However, good communication does not always lead to good compliance. Sure, patients understand what you are trying to say. But will they comply to what you are trying to recommend? Sure, there are other environmental factors that doctors have no control of, but what about other situations where such factors don't play a role?

TAs often handle difficult, unmotivated students who don't keep up their good work for homework or other assignments. This could happen while every other students understood what you were trying to say. That is when you can tell who is a good TA and who is an extraordinary TA.

It is not just for the sake of teaching, but it forces you to have right attitude and character to take a step further and ensure that even those difficult students listen and comply to you. I think that's far more important than simply good communication skills.

 

[TheBossDoctor]

As someone who tutored multiple subjects ranging from English writing to differential equations as a TA for over 3 years, I think that it is not just because doctors teach a lot. Sure, they teach a lot to their patients too.

However, good communication does not always lead to good compliance. Sure, patients understand what you are trying to say. But will they comply to what you are trying to recommend? Sure, there are other environmental factors that doctors have no control of, but what about other situations where such factors don't play a role?

TAs often handle difficult, unmotivated students who don't keep up their good work for homework or other assignments. This could happen while every other students understood what you were trying to say. That is when you can tell who is a good TA and who is an extraordinary TA.

It is not just for the sake of teaching, but it forces you to have right attitude and character to take a step further and ensure that even those difficult students listen and comply to you. I think that's far more important than simply good communication skills.

This actually makes a lot of sense. I personally have had a lot of experience with the compliance issue, but never thought about how it was kind of related to compliance issues that doctors face. Thanks!