What did you do if you had a year or two "off" before attending medical school?

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streudels

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Hi everyone,
I just graduated and won't be sending in my app for med school until next June 2010 (which gives me a little under two years before going to med school -- provided that I get accepted). I'm currently volunteering and doing research at the moment, but I wanted to get more information on how others have used their "break" before medical school? Or for others -- how would you use this time before medical school? (perhaps to give insight on what activities *I* could change or add to with the time I have) I'd like to make sure that I'm not wasting these two years, as I know that once I go to med school my life will change dramatically.

(I'm just using "break" as a loose term to encompass the period before med school, whether you thought of it as a vacation, or did grad school, etc.)

I also invite anyone to comment on my mdapps profile.

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Hi everyone,
I just graduated and won't be sending in my app for med school until next June 2010 (which gives me a little under two years before going to med school -- provided that I get accepted). I'm currently volunteering and doing research at the moment, but I wanted to get more information on how others have used their "break" before medical school? Or for others -- how would you use this time before medical school? (perhaps to give insight on what activities *I* could change or add to with the time I have) I'd like to make sure that I'm not wasting these two years, as I know that once I go to med school my life will change dramatically.

(I'm just using "break" as a loose term to encompass the period before med school, whether you thought of it as a vacation, or did grad school, etc.)

I also invite anyone to comment on my mdapps profile.

I worked. My BS is in Allied Health - Medical Technology, so I worked in the clinical laboratory. When I decided that medicine was a likely option, I shifted my work interests to smaller community hospitals where I gained 1:1 Doctor time and 1:1 patient time while still doing my original job.

So, make the most of your time! Work with doctors, nurses, & patients while doing your job. You may need to get creative and find a niche: work with HIV+ or schizophrenic patients in your community and ensure they take their meds and get adequate nutrition. Volunteering is great stuff, but you can always take it to another level. You could also draw blood as a phlebotomist or become an EMT and get great clinical experience.
 
I work full time in research (my BS and MS are in microbiology) and have been volunteering just about every saturday at a local free clinic. Also, did some traveling and got married...
 
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I worked. My BS is in Allied Health - Medical Technology, so I worked in the clinical laboratory. When I decided that medicine was a likely option, I shifted my work interests to smaller community hospitals where I gained 1:1 Doctor time and 1:1 patient time while still doing my original job.

So, make the most of your time! Work with doctors, nurses, & patients while doing your job. You may need to get creative and find a niche: work with HIV+ or schizophrenic patients in your community and ensure they take their meds and get adequate nutrition. Volunteering is great stuff, but you can always take it to another level. You could also draw blood as a phlebotomist or become an EMT and get great clinical experience.


Like you I am a MT...I have been working as a medical technologist since 2006 when I graduated undergrad...and I got my masters degree in forensic science as well.
 
I worked as a reserve EMT. So I had no guarenteed hours and picked up work when full-timers went on vacation, called in sick, did stand bys, etc. It worked really great, because I didn't have to take time off to go on interviews - I just didn't pick up work. Plus, I could sometimes work more than full-time some weeks and then take the next to relax. :)
 
I worked as a reserve EMT. So I had no guarenteed hours and picked up work when full-timers went on vacation, called in sick, did stand bys, etc. It worked really great, because I didn't have to take time off to go on interviews - I just didn't pick up work. Plus, I could sometimes work more than full-time some weeks and then take the next to relax. :)

I've been asking around a bit if this helps, working in a medically related field, during the interview/application process.

I haven't got a consensus answer.

If a person works to make $ in an unrelated field OR works for much less $ in a medically related (e.g. EMT) does this look really good in the interview process or do they not care (neurtral)?
 
I strongly suggest an SMP if you have already completed your pre-medical reqs. If you want any chance of getting MD schools to look at you, youll have to do at least a year of medical coursework to make up for that GPA.
 
I'm in a similar position (graduated in May, taking 1 maybe 2 years off). I also have similar numbers to you, but I've taken the MCAT already.

Currently I'm in an SMP and applying to a short list of med schools. I'm giving it my best shot to get in this cycle, but I don't have huge hopes for it. If it doesn't work out, I'll re-apply next June, hopefully with kick-ass grades in the SMP and a couple extra recs to boost my app.

I think for you, your first priority should be to ace the MCAT. Study all day, everyday, for 3-4 months, and take it in March. That way if it doesn't go as you hope, you can take it again in May or June. Other than that, I'd suggest finding a job. If you can find a job doing research or something clinical, awesome, but take what you can get - you can always volunteer to get the clinical exposure.

There's also the option of doing an SMP during your 2nd year off, but I don't know how helpful that'll be to you unless you're willing to take a 3rd year off. It can't hurt though. Look into it.
 
I've been asking around a bit if this helps, working in a medically related field, during the interview/application process.

I haven't got a consensus answer.

If a person works to make $ in an unrelated field OR works for much less $ in a medically related (e.g. EMT) does this look really good in the interview process or do they not care (neurtral)?

it seems to me like they dont care. i'm taking this year off and working in a completely non-medically related job. a friend who's in med school now told me i'd never get in because of this and it really scared me, but that hasn't been the case. my best advice is to get whatever job you want whether it's medical or not.

edit: i forgot to say that how much medical experience you already have makes a difference. i had quite a bit of shadowing/volunteering already, but if you dont some people use a year off to "catch up" and show med schools they know what they're getting in to.
 
I've been asking around a bit if this helps, working in a medically related field, during the interview/application process.

I haven't got a consensus answer.

If a person works to make $ in an unrelated field OR works for much less $ in a medically related (e.g. EMT) does this look really good in the interview process or do they not care (neurtral)?

I don't think they care what you do with your time, where you work, etc. I don't think they care whether or not you have any job, frankly, as long as you have all your ducks in a row.

Think about it another way - a huge percentage of matriculants go straight from college to med school having never held a job. If having a medically related job mattered, these folks wouldn't get accepted at pretty much the same rate as people who have held jobs after college.
 
i did a year of service through an americorps-affiliated program. now i am working at the same job i had during that time, only i'm getting paid like a real employee instead of a volunteer :D

(it's a public health related job)
 
Get a job. Any job, preferably the highest paying one you can find. You can always have your medically-related ECs on the side but if you're making a lot of money it will be useful for when you have to move for med school and you will enjoy yourself more if you have lots of cash to throw around.
 
I got a phlebotomy certification, and then started working. My biggest gap in my application was definitely my clinical experience, so I really tried, and eventually got, a job in a hospital.

Since it's hard to see what made up your GPA, make sure you've taken some advanced science courses. Do well on the MCAT. Otherwise, just do something that you'll enjoy. You don't want to go into medical school already burnt out.
 
During the two years between college and med school, I was a construction worker and a waiter and bar tender in training. Good experiences.
 
I used the time to expand my shadowing and volunteer experiences, published my research, and taught biology at a university. And, most importantly, relaxed :)
 
Wasted a year. Got a Master's. Got a job. Started prereqs.
 
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