Unsure what to do now

[colloquialgoth]

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Hello everybody,

I just finished my third-year at university and I'm feeling lost about how to make my application the best it can be.

I have a 3.97 GPA (3.91 my first year at a CC and then 4.0 after I transferred to a state school. I've taken all my prerequisites minus intro to psych and sociology at my 4-year). I have an MCAT date of this august and will take a diagnostic soon and begin that grind.

I spent the last year as an officer of a student org where we helped collect and sort donated medical supplies. Over the last two years I have ~250 hours volunteering in this role. I plan to continue next year but I didn't run to be an officer again because I had internal disagreements with the priorities of the club after I saw how it was run from the inside. I'm feeling pretty dissatisfied with spending so much time on this and not sure how I can talk about this experience in my application - I definitely learned a lot about it isn't all positive and I don't want to come off negative.

I've worked in a research lab with Zebrafish since I transferred and it's been great. I have a lot of freedom in experimental design and analysis, which I've fallen in love with. The lab has prestige for being from an average state school and I expected to have my name on something once I leave, maybe first author on a methods paper. I also have about ~250 hours of this since I haven't worked over the summer.

I'm starting work on my thesis research project for next year, which is in psychology and will be about transgender healthcare, which I really care about since I'm transgender. The faculty I'm working with also seem confident this could lead to publication, which I'm ecstatic about.

I have about 20 hours shadowing and I'm looking to expand that this summer, I've heard ~50 is a safe mark at least with primary care included.

I'll be TAing organic chemistry next year (just helping students in recitation and holding office hours) because I really enjoy teaching.

But besides some hobbies (I've taken up ballet and i'm working on very, very poor arabic, lol) that's about all I have. I know the big hole is clinical experience and I've had a real issue finding something. I was just rejected from two different clinical jobs which I thought I had great interviews at and would have covered it, and now I'm not sure what to do. I was certified as a phlebotomist last summer and I'd love to do that, but the jobs that aren't in plasma centers have been hard to find.
I know my community service is also low. I applied to volunteer at the big local hospital to work in the medical library, which I see as definitely community service (big, varied population unlike myself) but medically themed, at least.

I know a lack of clinical service makes my application moot, so I'm making that as much of a priority as I can. I planned to apply after graduation (1 gap year) to really flesh out the afformentioned research and teaching, but now I'm concerned I'll have to work after I graduate and have a full year of doing that before I apply (2 gap years). I'm already an older applicant because I had no clue what I was doing after highschool and was struggling, so the idea of pushing my application back even more is a bit painful.

I don't really care about school prestige as long as I feel like the research opportunities will be there. My goal all of undergrad has been surgery (I like general, maybe plastics for gender care) and I really, really enjoyed the research I've done and would hate to feel like i'm stifled when I want to contribute. I prefer MD or DO for these reasons but the letters don't matter to me if I felt like surgery was still realistic.

Am I right that a big fat clinical experience would get me most of the way there, assuming my MCAT goes well? Am I missing something else?

Any direction or advice or warnings would be really appreciated.

Thank you and good luck to everybody applying this cycle!!!!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

First, what advice have your prehealth advisors given you about this?

Second, you have no physician shadowing? Have you asked the physicians you already shadowed for help getting a job? Who is your reference for these phlebotomy jobs?

Yes, you should get clinical exposure, and it would be great to use your phlebotomy certification. But otherwise, getting patient care experience, especially in a traditional academic medicine/hospital setting, would be desirable.

 

[colloquialgoth]

Second, you have no physician shadowing? Have you asked the physicians you already shadowed for help getting a job? Who is your reference for these phlebotomy jobs?

Apologies for not making it clearer, my 20 hours is physician shadowing (but mostly in the OR, which I know is not very general) For this same reason I don't think this physician would be very helpful in finding me something at the hospital but I didn't think to reach out which does seem like a good idea.

I don't have a reference for the phlebotomy jobs. I just applied. I think there's a low amount of hospital based jobs in the rural area I am because even the very serious other premeds I know don't generally experiences in hospitals.

I've been really active in talking to the prehealth advisors and mostly they've told me yes you need clinical experience but otherwise you're fine, and they haven't been able to give me much direction on specific jobs.

I guess what's worrying me now is that even if I take the time I need to get these experiences I'll still end up with below average numbers and the times I haven't been able to find opportunities will be evident.

 

[wysdoc]

Apologies for not making it clearer, my 20 hours is physician shadowing (but mostly in the OR, which I know is not very general) For this same reason I don't think this physician would be very helpful in finding me something at the hospital but I didn't think to reach out which does seem like a good idea.

I don't have a reference for the phlebotomy jobs. I just applied. I think there's a low amount of hospital based jobs in the rural area I am because even the very serious other premeds I know don't generally experiences in hospitals.

I've been really active in talking to the prehealth advisors and mostly they've told me yes you need clinical experience but otherwise you're fine, and they haven't been able to give me much direction on specific jobs.

I guess what's worrying me now is that even if I take the time I need to get these experiences I'll still end up with below average numbers and the times I haven't been able to find opportunities will be evident.

Some students are ready to apply between their junior and senior year in college, and some haven't built all the important experiences to be ready to do that.
There is no shame or harm in continuing to add to your experiences and applying after you graduate.
my suggestions are:
Study hard for your MCAT date in August.
Also get a phlebotomy job that you can do this summer to build those clinical hours. You could probably do shifts on winter break too.
Use your personal contacts to find more shadowing hours. Your doctor, your mom's, grandma's, friend's doctor, etc. It is usually easier to get permission for shadowing in a clinic than in a hospital.

Don't rush this, you are not ready to apply this year. It would be a waste of $$ and a source of frustration for you.

 

[colloquialgoth]

thank you both for taking the time to read and reply. I'll be talking with my advisor team later today to see what they suggest.

I'll keep at what I'm currently doing (trying very hard to find a job in a hospital with patients). But I suppose more time studying for the MCAT never hurt anybody. I reached out to my PCP and a local clinic as well that I've volunteered (briefly) at about shadowing.