Unconventional Extracirriculars

[Lost Soul in a Fish Bowl]

Hi all,

I am applying this cycle 2018-2019.
I want to know if my extracurricular activities are considered inadequate or unconventional? When I apply in June, 2018, I’ll have:

A. The unconventional part
(1) 7 years as a Cub Scout leader. I directly work with 7-10 kids and manage a pack of 30-50 kids and 3-7 other adult volunteers (other leaders).
(2) 6 years working experience in the veterinary field (as a vet assistant, technologist and manager). I got my state license as a vet tech in 2017.
(3) I took care of my mom for 6 months when she came down with a major illness. I basically communicated her treatment regiment and any of my concern directly with her doctors at a teaching hospital.

B. Conventional portion:
(1) some research experience (3 quarters). And I presented a poster at an undergrad conference.
(2) 200+ Volunteer hours as an Emergency lobby liaison at a children’s hospital.
(3) planning to shadow a pediatrician for about 100 hours.

*none related but other stat:
Taking MCAT in April. Let’s say I do well (keeping my fingers crossed and studying my brain out)
cGPA is 3.70.
Will have very good LoR from professors (vets and Ph.D) and employer (vet).

Does this look good or should I do more? I really can’t squeeze anything in since I’m still taking care of my mom, working full time, volunteering and taking some additional prerequisite classes. Do you guys think my stat isn’t good enough for, say, one of the UCs?

Thanks for your time. I apologize if this was improperly posted or if it was repeated. This is my first time using this site.

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[CloverBale]

I don’t think you can classify A-3 as an ECs. Could be something you talk about in your secondaries. And your A ECs look fine to me.

 

[Lost Soul in a Fish Bowl]

I don’t think you can classify A-3 as an ECs. Could be something you talk about in your secondaries. And your A ECs look fine to me.

I see. Thanks for the super quick answer.

I was just wondering since I saw people listing their “clinical” and I practically have zero clinical exposure. The closest to medicine I’ve seen is either at work (the vet) or when I take care of my mom.

 

[CloverBale]

I see. Thanks for the super quick answer.

I was just wondering since I saw people listing their “clinical” and I practically have zero clinical exposure. The closest to medicine I’ve seen is either at work (the vet) or when I take care of my mom.

Your volunteering at the hospital counts !!

 

[gyngyn]

Taking care of loved ones is not an EC.

 

[Lost Soul in a Fish Bowl]

Taking care of loved ones is not an EC.

I don’t mean to sound like an heartless ass. But I guess it does sound terrible.
In my head “clinical” is “medicine in action”. And I don’t see anything I’ve ever done as EC’s directly involved medicine.
Like by taking care of her, I got to read her CT scan, discuss her treatment regiment, voice my opinion on her treatments (Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not a doctor. I just know her complex medical history better than them). I even got to do the simple neuro exam, respiratory care, physical therapy, etc...

 

[Lost Soul in a Fish Bowl]

1) Why are you not counting the children's hospital volunteering as clinical?
2) For your planned shadowing, 50 hrs would probably be more than adequate and you should shadow multiple specialties, not only a pediatrician.

1. I don’t know if I’m being super honest but All I’ve ever done was administrative work (greeting, helping the parents of the kids, entertaining the kids, helping taking patients to room, etc). The only time it seems “clinical” was when the RNs just grab me and help hold a kid still for IV catheter. And this obviously rarely happens.
2. This is a great advice I didn’t know. Thank you so much. You’re the best

 

[gyngyn]

I don’t mean to sound like an heartless ass. But I guess it does sound terrible.
In my head “clinical” is “medicine in action”. And I don’t see anything I’ve ever done as EC’s directly involved medicine.
Like by taking care of her, I got to read her CT scan, discuss her treatment regiment, voice my opinion on her treatments (Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not a doctor. I just know her complex medical history better than them). I even got to do the simple neuro exam, respiratory care, physical therapy, etc...

Your experience is important. It is not an EC.

 

[candbgirl]

If you think you have no clinical experience and claim to have no time to get any, why have you spent the last six years working as a vet tech?

 

[Lost Soul in a Fish Bowl]

If you think you have no clinical experience and claim to have no time to get any, why have you spent the last six years working as a vet tech?

The job pays well and allows me to have a flexible schedule. I intended to become a specialized vet tech (called VTS). Then when I was almost done with my undergrad, a lot of people (including my boss, my program director and many of my professors) pointed out that I think like a doctor/vet. They recommended me to look into postbac higher education. After lots of thinking and some advising, I decided to pursue pediatrics. That’s my sob story

 

[Lost Soul in a Fish Bowl]

...

 

[Lost Soul in a Fish Bowl]

If you think you have no clinical experience ?

Also,I do have time for the shadowing (I set time aside for it). I just wasn’t sure if it was good enough. The other member recommended me to reduce the amount of hours in one specialty (pediatrics) and make it two or more specialties with less hours.

Btw, I do not regret a single day being a VT. I’ve got to do so much: X-rays, reading X-rays (for fun, not for diagnostic), placing central line, all sort of cool things).

 

[LizzyM]

You could list the care of your mom on the list of experiences you've had and tag it "other", particularly if it took a significant amount of time that you would have otherwise spent on classes or volunteering. It is unconventional but I have seen it done with some success.

 

[#2DerekJeter#2]

.

 

[de Ribas]

Hi all,

I am applying this cycle 2018-2019.
I want to know if my extracurricular activities are considered inadequate or unconventional? When I apply in June, 2018, I’ll have:

A. The unconventional part
(1) 7 years as a Cub Scout leader. I directly work with 7-10 kids and manage a pack of 30-50 kids and 3-7 other adult volunteers (other leaders).
(2) 6 years working experience in the veterinary field (as a vet assistant, technologist and manager). I got my state license as a vet tech in 2017.
(3) I took care of my mom for 6 months when she came down with a major illness. I basically communicated her treatment regiment and any of my concern directly with her doctors at a teaching hospital.

B. Conventional portion:
(1) some research experience (3 quarters). And I presented a poster at an undergrad conference.
(2) 200+ Volunteer hours as an Emergency lobby liaison at a children’s hospital.
(3) planning to shadow a pediatrician for about 100 hours.

*none related but other stat:
Taking MCAT in April. Let’s say I do well (keeping my fingers crossed and studying my brain out)
cGPA is 3.70.
Will have very good LoR from professors (vets and Ph.D) and employer (vet).

Does this look good or should I do more? I really can’t squeeze anything in since I’m still taking care of my mom, working full time, volunteering and taking some additional prerequisite classes. Do you guys think my stat isn’t good enough for, say, one of the UCs?

Thanks for your time. I apologize if this was improperly posted or if it was repeated. This is my first time using this site.

You have to have clinical experiences and shadowing if you want people to take you intentions seriously. I guess most people had to take care of a loved one and be involved in their health care process.

It is an experience but not exactly what medical schools want to see.

If ECs is your week side, you have time to fix that.

 

[Goro]

1. I don’t know if I’m being super honest but All I’ve ever done was administrative work (greeting, helping the parents of the kids, entertaining the kids, helping taking patients to room, etc). The only time it seems “clinical” was when the RNs just grab me and help hold a kid still for IV catheter. And this obviously rarely happens.

You are a good child. But you're supposed to take care of loved ones. Medicine is about taking care of people who you have no relationship with. And not all patients are nice people either.

 

[Lost Soul in a Fish Bowl]

. And not all patients are nice people either.

You’re right. My boss’s wife, an RN at an ER, told me some patients spat in her face while she was helping them

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

You are a good child. But you're supposed to take care of loved ones. Medicine is about taking care of people who you have no relationship with. And not all patients are nice people either.

I was waiting for you to say this. So true. I was going to quote you, but I didn’t want to steal your thunder.