WAMC- CA/522/3.9 ORM with covid interrupted activities

[qnd123]

Hi! I'm planning on applying next cycle and would love some input on a school list!
1) cGPA 3.9x, sGPC: 4.0
2) MCAT: 522 (132 127 131 132)
3) State: CA
4) ORM female
5) BS in Neurobiology and Physiology from a mid tier UC, taking a gap year during the application cycle and graduating in march before the application cycle (hopefully can begin my gap year activity then)
6) Clinical volunteering: 40 hours, assisted in casting patients, also just joined a club with clinical volunteering (hoping to add 30-40 hours by the time I apply)
7) Paid Clinical work: hopefully starting in march
8) Shadowing: 8 hours in person and 100 hours zoom
9) Non-clinical volunteering: 200 hours with the crisis text line (some people are calling this clinical with covid, not sure if it really is?), 300 fostering kittens and assisting with their medical care (over 3 summers), 90 hours mentoring at my university, 50 hours volunteering for pre health conference
10) Research: bioengineering research with some clinical applications, 2 poster presentations, applied for a fellowship at my university and received funding for my independent project, about 1000 hours over 3 years
11) Other extracurricular activities: 300 hours working for doordash in covid, 300 hours tutoring/TAing elementary schoolers at a math camp, 300 hours working at a bakery, 800 hours doing a club sport
12) Relevant honors or awards: was on a US national sports team and demonstrated at a Pan-American conference as an ambassador for the sport (not super relevant to school/medicine, but maybe could show public speaking/communications skills), Dean's Honor list at my university

My current school list:
Stanford
All UCs
NYU
Michigan
Cornell
Northwestern
Case Western
Kaiser
Oregon
University of Iowa
University of Colorado
Vanderbilt
Mayo
Quinnipiac
USC
Dartmouth
Boston University
Vermont
Brown

I'm eventually probably looking to apply to about 30 schools. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

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[MyOdyssey]

Making a US national team or Olympic team is a pretty big deal and that's definitely how it'll be viewed by medical school admissions committees.

That could be the X factor that separates you from the remainder of the high stats crowd.

Don't be afraid to add more high fliers, especially schools that appreciate high stats:
Wash U in St. Louis
Penn
Yale
Harvard
Mt. Sinai
Columbia

And a few midtiers:
Cincinnati
Tufts

 

[MyOdyssey]

Making a US national team or Olympic team is a pretty big deal and that's definitely how it'll be viewed by medical school admissions committees.

That could be the X factor that separates you from the remainder of the high stats crowd.

Don't be afraid to add more high fliers, especially schools that appreciate high stats:
Wash U in St. Louis
Penn
Yale
Harvard
Mt. Sinai
Columbia

And a few midtiers:
Cincinnati
Tufts

Also add Wash U in St. Louis. They like high stats applicants.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Crisis text line work can be classified as non-clinical volunteering/employment as you are engaged in a direct working relationship with a customer/patient. It does require some level of training from a professional. It could be considered clinical depending on the level of supervision you have (if a bona fide health care provider directly supervises your work).

 

[MyOdyssey]

Hi! I'm planning on applying next cycle and would love some input on a school list!
1) cGPA 3.9x, sGPC: 4.0
2) MCAT: 522 (132 127 131 132)
3) State: CA
4) ORM female
5) BS in Neurobiology and Physiology from a mid tier UC, taking a gap year during the application cycle and graduating in march before the application cycle (hopefully can begin my gap year activity then)
6) Clinical volunteering: 40 hours, assisted in casting patients, also just joined a club with clinical volunteering (hoping to add 30-40 hours by the time I apply)
7) Paid Clinical work: hopefully starting in march
8) Shadowing: 8 hours in person and 100 hours zoom
9) Non-clinical volunteering: 200 hours with the crisis text line (some people are calling this clinical with covid, not sure if it really is?), 300 fostering kittens and assisting with their medical care (over 3 summers), 90 hours mentoring at my university, 50 hours volunteering for pre health conference
10) Research: bioengineering research with some clinical applications, 2 poster presentations, applied for a fellowship at my university and received funding for my independent project, about 1000 hours over 3 years
11) Other extracurricular activities: 300 hours working for doordash in covid, 300 hours tutoring/TAing elementary schoolers at a math camp, 300 hours working at a bakery, 800 hours doing a club sport
12) Relevant honors or awards: was on a US national sports team and demonstrated at a Pan-American conference as an ambassador for the sport (not super relevant to school/medicine, but maybe could show public speaking/communications skills), Dean's Honor list at my university

My current school list:
Stanford
All UCs
NYU
Michigan
Cornell
Northwestern
Case Western
Kaiser
Oregon
University of Iowa
University of Colorado
Vanderbilt
Mayo
Quinnipiac
USC
Dartmouth
Boston University
Vermont
Brown

I'm eventually probably looking to apply to about 30 schools. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Try to get your face to face clinical volunteering hours up to at least 150 hours before you apply to medical school. Shadowing should be at least an additional 50 hours.

 

[qnd123]

It could be considered clinical depending on the level of supervision you have (if a bona fide health care provider directly supervises your work).

The supervisors are licensed professional mental health counselors. They also directly supervise all conversations. There also was about 40 hours of training before starting to become a "Crisis Counselor." Do you think this counts as clinical volunteering?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

The supervisors are licensed professional mental health counselors. They also directly supervise all conversations. There also was about 40 hours of training before starting to become a "Crisis Counselor." Do you think this counts as clinical volunteering?

No because I hope you actually get PAID to do this work. (Clinical experience/employment.) Please don't tell me you DON'T get paid. These are people's lives.

 

[MyOdyssey]

No because I hope you actually get PAID to do this work. (Clinical experience/employment.) Please don't tell me you DON'T get paid. These are people's lives.

Medical schools care about clinical exposure whether via volunteering or paid employment. It all falls under "clinical."

 

[qnd123]

No because I hope you actually get PAID to do this work.

I'm sorry I'm a little confused. It seems like you think this experience should fall in the clinical category. Am I interpreting that correctly?

 

[MyOdyssey]

I'm sorry I'm a little confused. It seems like you think this experience should fall in the clinical category. Am I interpreting that correctly?

There are well respected ad coms on here who believe clinical experience has to be in person. Can you chime in on @qnd123 and her crisis text line volunteering? @LizzyM

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I'm sorry I'm a little confused. It seems like you think this experience should fall in the clinical category. Am I interpreting that correctly?

This is my interpretation which reflects the committees I have worked with. Not every faculty member agrees. Many do think that all clinical experiences must be done in the presence of a physician (not even a licensed health professional), while others are more flexible. COVID-19 has made it possible for people to consider tele-networking such as crisis text or phone lines as clinical experiences provided you are under appropriate supervision where you can observe or experience the doctor-patient relationship.

 

[qnd123]

This is my interpretation which reflects the committees I have worked with. Not every faculty member agrees. Many do think that all clinical experiences must be done in the presence of a physician (not even a licensed health professional), while others are more flexible. COVID-19 has made it possible for people to consider tele-networking such as crisis text or phone lines as clinical experiences provided you are under appropriate supervision where you can observe or experience the doctor-patient relationship.

Thank you for your input! I totally understand how not everyone will agree, especially when taking into consideration the past couple years.

 

[LizzyM]

In my opinion, at least some of your experience should be face-to-face with patients. In 2022 there will be little excuse for a lack of close proximity to patients in a clinical setting. The tele-activities are fine as a supplement but you need to have some exposure to the sick, injuried, dying or those who are seeking preventive services.

 

[qnd123]

In my opinion, at least some of your experience should be face-to-face with patients. In 2022 there will be little excuse for a lack of close proximity to patients in a clinical setting. The tele-activities are fine as a supplement but you need to have some exposure to the sick, injuried, dying or those who are seeking preventive services.

Thank you for your input! I do have some experience volunteering in the hospital before covid (volunteering is still not offered at the hospitals near me), and will be volunteering in some free clinics this year. Hopefully these experiences can help balance the virtual activities from the past year.

 

[MyOdyssey]

Thank you for your input! I do have some experience volunteering in the hospital before covid (volunteering is still not offered at the hospitals near me), and will be volunteering in some free clinics this year. Hopefully these experiences can help balance the virtual activities from the past year.

Are free clinics in your area allowing in person volunteering at this time?

 

[qnd123]

Are free clinics in your area allowing in person volunteering at this time?

Most of them are having most of their volunteers virtually. The free clinics I was referring to are more pop-up style clinics that are offered only about once a month by clubs at my school and involve doctors and nurses but are not in typical hospital environments or permanent physical locations.

 

[MyOdyssey]

Most of them are having most of their volunteers virtually. The free clinics I was referring to are more pop-up style clinics that are offered only about once a month by clubs at my school and involve doctors and nurses but are not in typical hospital environments or permanent physical locations.

I live in a big city that has a huge medical complex and plan to move to a different big city that also has a huge medical complex. Hospitals in both cities have largely suspended their once thriving volunteer programs.

 

[qnd123]

Do you have any advice for me? @Goro @Faha @gyngyn I would greatly appreciate it!

 

[greg129]

In 2022 there will be little excuse for a lack of close proximity to patients in a clinical setting.

I certainly get your point but is it really that? When I was looking for mine I spent most of this year asking (albeit for a DO specifically) and I heard only "no, HR policy" everywhere. I was often told that while physicians itself are ok with shadowing administrations are not and their policy is naturally superior. Even my own PCP couldn't take me.
In contrary my friends were able to secure shadowing by having their parents, who are in healthcare, pass a word or two for them...

 

[LizzyM]

I certainly get your point but is it really that? When I was looking for mine I spent most of this year asking (albeit for a DO specifically) and I heard only "no, HR policy" everywhere. I was often told that while physicians itself are ok with shadowing administrations are not and their policy is naturally superior. Even my own PCP couldn't take me.
In contrary my friends were able to secure shadowing by having their parents, who are in healthcare, pass a word or two for them...

Health care settings are hiring people for face-to-face work with patients. Some clinics have volunteers engaging face-to-face with patients. For applicants in 2022-2023, I expect that having some work or volunteer experience in close proximity to patients will be expected of applicants.

Some people (but not others) being unable to find shadowing experiences with DOs is an aside in this conversation