Unintentional Shadowing?

[deleted947805]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi all! Thank you for viewing my question.

So I used to live in another country before I came here to the U.S. My mom is an ophthalmologist in my previous country, and when I was younger I used to be in the surgery room assisting her with cataract and various types of surgeries. I used to hand her all the things needed for the surgery, assist her with adjusting the microscope, get patients dressed, transport patients (being with them in a cab since they come from rural parts of the country), and just do every single thing a nurse does. I did this for about two years with one or two, sometimes three patients every weekend. This was in a third world country and it was totally fine with the government and the clinic knew about it. I know in American rules it is totally against the regulations. I will not do such a thing anymore no matter where I practice medicine. Can I add this on my application, or is it going to look bad since I had no certifications except from the clinic’s approval?

I forgot to mention I started doing it when I was in 8th grade and stopped when I started my sophomore year of high school.


Please don’t criticize me, I did an excellent job and every patient loved the service I gave them. They even brought me fruits from their farms just to thank me. And my mom is a very known surgeon for her good outcomes.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[JeSuisUnDoc]

If it’s during high school, it doesn’t count so no don’t talk about it.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[jarednogeek]

1. only college stuff counts 2. foreign shadowing counts for a lot less 3. dont list it. however you could talk about it somewhere on your app in an essay or during an interview on what brought you to medicine

 

[ciestar]

This would be okay to mention in your PS. It happened when you were like..14, it does not belong in your activities on your app

 

[wholeheartedly]

I disagree with the "never discuss if it happened in high school" mindset. That's a good guideline, but not an absolute rule. The reason people generally say that is because you have people trying to fluff up their app with more hours or activities for stuff that isn't really all that significant.

However, if it was a major activity started before college and sustained during, like a music or sport hobby, it's fine to include those HS years plus college years in your activities section.

If you played volleyball your freshman year of HS and that's it but you want to put it in so you appear more well rounded, it's probably not going to look great.

Also, if it's something in your life that was really formative (which this sounds like) you can definitely put pre college experiences in your personal statement to help illustrate why medicine. It wouldn't hurt to mention your level of participation was appropriate for the setting if you can do it in a way that flows well.

 

[deleted480308]

Do things you aren’t medically qualified to do (scrub teching as a kid) isn’t something that I would put in my app, but you do you

 

[deleted947805]

I disagree with the "never discuss if it happened in high school" mindset. That's a good guideline, but not an absolute rule. The reason people generally say that is because you have people trying to fluff up their app with more hours or activities for stuff that isn't really all that significant.

However, if it was a major activity started before college and sustained during, like a music or sport hobby, it's fine to include those HS years plus college years in your activities section.

If you played volleyball your freshman year of HS and that's it but you want to put it in so you appear more well rounded, it's probably not going to look great.

Also, if it's something in your life that was really formative (which this sounds like) you can definitely put pre college experiences in your personal statement to help illustrate why medicine. It wouldn't hurt to mention your level of participation was appropriate for the setting if you can do it in a way that flows well.

I definitely agree with this. It should not be something that is the main focus on my extracurricular, but I will make sure to share my experience being in the surgery room and how it has impacted me in making me more aware of medicine. Thank you for the insightful thought. Happy new year.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[wholeheartedly]

Do things you aren’t medically qualified to do (scrub teching as a kid) isn’t something that I would put in my app, but you do you

If she was a resident of that country at the time and it was legal for her to do those things in that country, there shouldn't be an issue.

 

[studentdoctor2040]

I grew up running around hospitals and clinics my entire life as both my parents are docs. Other than one sentence in my personal statement, I chose to leave my parents completely out of my app. Compared with all of my other patient, personal, and extracurricular experiences, for me, growing up in that environment had hardly any visible influence on my choice to pursue medicine, even when I was "helping my parents out". Something like ~50% of matriculants at every med school have at least one immediate family member who is an MD. Separate yourself with experiences that show you have chosen this path for yourself.