What are your thoughts? I need help!

[813459]

Hello guys,

So I will only have about 96 hrs of clinical volunteering by the time I apply this June . I am going to add future/expected hours to that on Amcas, but I am going to specify that I only have 96 hours by june. Will this significantly affect my app? Should I consider a gap year? I have a lot of non clinical volunteering that is related to public health, but doesn’t include direct patient/physician contact.


For context: I’m URM( African American female), Biochem major, 3.82gpa, 517 mcat, 500 + non clinical volunteering one of which is a community service club I founded that works internationally, 100hrs shadowing( outside of US... is this bad?!), three leadership positions, one healthcare administration summer internship, Kidney health coach, 5 yrs of another healthcare administration volunteer position ( I did 3 yrs of this work online because I did high school in a different country, so I had to move to the US for college.). I will have 800hrs of research by June as well.


Thanks so much for taking the time to help me out! Really appreciate it!! (@Goro @gyngyn @LizzyM ... what do you guys think?!)

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[LizzyM]

96 hrs of clinical volunteering
500 + non clinical volunteering one of which is a community service club I founded that works internationally,
100hrs shadowing( outside of US),
three leadership positions,
one healthcare administration summer internship,
Kidney health coach, 5 yrs of another healthcare administration volunteer position ( I did 3 yrs of this work online because I did high school in a different country, so I had to move to the US for college.).

You have 96 hours of clinical volunteering and no clinical employment or shadowing in the US? You are not ready for prime time. Save yourself the misery of an unsuccessful cycle, or worse, the discovery that you hate medicine after getting more exposure while in medical school itself. Take a gap year and get some more clinical exposure.

You could take a chance and apply but you would be taking a chance. Is there any possibility of getting 50 hours of shadowing in the US before you apply in June?

 

[Goro]

Agree 100% with my learned colleague

 

[813459]

You have 96 hours of clinical volunteering and no clinical employment or shadowing in the US? You are not ready for prime time. Save yourself the misery of an unsuccessful cycle, or worse, the discovery that you hate medicine after getting more exposure while in medical school itself. Take a gap year and get some more clinical exposure.

You could take a chance and apply but you would be taking a chance. Is there any possibility of getting 50 hours of shadowing in the US before you apply in June?

What would “some more” look like?

 

[LizzyM]

What would “some more” look like?

Volunteer for at least 250 hours or get at least half-time employment in a setting where you are in close proximity to patients who are receiving care. It could be in a hospital or clinic setting. The point is this: it is unwise to enroll in medical school, and borrow thousands of dollars to do so, if you haven't had adquate exposure to those who are seeking the care of a physician and you have some idea of the environment in the US in which you would be training to be a physician and the environment in the US where you would practice medicine.

 

[chlorocruorin]

It would be wise to shadow, but if you were to apply given your stats, you'd get in somewhere.