Volunteering help.

[acslater99]

I'm not in college yet but If I work/volunteer/shadow in the medical field how would I be able to document?

And should I create a AMCAS application now?

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[I'm No Superman]

I'm not in college yet but If I work/volunteer/shadow in the medical field how would I be able to document?

And should I create a AMCAS application now?

You don't put things you did in high school on your Med school application.
Exceptions are things like becoming an Eagle scout.

No. I believe that AMCAS applications open around May and only for people applying that year.

 

[acslater99]

You don't put things you did in high school on your Med school application.
Exceptions are things like becoming an Eagle scout.

No. I believe that AMCAS applications open around May and only for people applying that year.

Got it thanks man

 

[sector9]

This is a good question. Let me expand a little bit on I'm No Superman's answer:

High school activities are pretty irrelevant when it comes to med school applications. Sure, if you went to the Olympics when you were 16, then you'd include that even though it was in high school. But in general, most of the admissions advice I've read has been not to include them. [The topic is sometimes controversial however with some people feeling that some large extracurricular activities from high school should be included]

Here's the relevant info about your activities for your med school application: When you apply, you'll fill out the application online. The AMCAS app opens on May 1 a year and a half before you want to start med school. You can't input the information beforehand. The app will ask you to input some basic info about your activities, including a title, a description, the time span, the hours per week, and contact information for each activity (meaning a name and either a phone number or an email address). I have bolded the things that would be good to keep track of somewhere (on a piece of paper, on a word document, whatever).

 

[wpierce118]

Really, so even if you had many hours shadowing in, say, senior year you wouldn't include them?

What if you were shadowing someone in college, but started shadowing that person while in high school. Would that be relevant?

 

[sector9]

Really, so even if you had many hours shadowing in, say, senior year you wouldn't include them?

What if you were shadowing someone in college, but started shadowing that person while in high school. Would that be relevant?

The traditional wisdom on this issue is that if you continue an activity from high school and into college, then you're free to include your high school time when writing about your involvement with the activity. If you stop the activity while in HS, then it probably isn't very relevant.

The theory is this: Your activities from high school helped you get into college, and quite frankly, by the time you apply to med school are pretty long ago. Hopefully you've been active enough while in college that including HS stuff will seem pretty laughable.

There are definitely exceptions. I'm just expressing my own thoughts about it after doing research about this on SDN and various med school websites

Keep in mind that with shadowing, it isn't a competition to amass the highest number of hours. Most premeds only have like 50 hours of shadowing, which is easy enough to obtain in a few weeks over a summer. If you have 300 hours, adcoms are going to wonder why you spent so much time standing in a corner watching someone else work instead of volunteering! Shadowing is important to obtain but a great deal of hours isn't so important

 

[Arijos0222]

Just do volunteering because you enjoy it. I am SO anxious to get into college and finally view a surgery in the O.R. However, i'm just taking it a day at a time and I visit the hospital every weekend. It's pretty cool, and I love the environment. No other place I would want to go.

 

[wpierce118]

The traditional wisdom on this issue is that if you continue an activity from high school and into college, then you're free to include your high school time when writing about your involvement with the activity. If you stop the activity while in HS, then it probably isn't very relevant.

The theory is this: Your activities from high school helped you get into college, and quite frankly, by the time you apply to med school are pretty long ago. Hopefully you've been active enough while in college that including HS stuff will seem pretty laughable.

There are definitely exceptions. I'm just expressing my own thoughts about it after doing research about this on SDN and various med school websites

Keep in mind that with shadowing, it isn't a competition to amass the highest number of hours. Most premeds only have like 50 hours of shadowing, which is easy enough to obtain in a few weeks over a summer. If you have 300 hours, adcoms are going to wonder why you spent so much time standing in a corner watching someone else work instead of volunteering! Shadowing is important to obtain but a great deal of hours isn't so important

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense. I'm just anxious to start really, but I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunities in college.

Just do volunteering because you enjoy it. I am SO anxious to get into college and finally view a surgery in the O.R. However, i'm just taking it a day at a time and I visit the hospital every weekend. It's pretty cool, and I love the environment. No other place I would want to go.

That's my plan, to start just by spending time in clinical settings. How did you get started going to the hospital/what do you do when there?

 

[sector9]

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense. I'm just anxious to start really, but I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunities in college.

Well don't let me dissuade you from getting involved or anything! I just wouldn't expect to have it mean much come med school application time

 

[wpierce118]

Well don't let me dissuade you from getting involved or anything! I just wouldn't expect to have it mean much come med school application time

Don't worry, I'm still going to do some before college, but more now for the experience than for applications. I've got a great opportunity to shadow an ED doctor over my Thanksgiving break, and start college only 2 months after that.