working premeds given a break?

[ultraviolet]

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I've worked my entire undergrad career nearly full-time (more weeks a bit under 40 hours, some weeks a bit over 40 hours)... Do you think admission committees might give me break as far as volunteer/community/whatever extracirriculars are concerned?

Also, more specifically, I have four plus years experience as an admissions clerk in an emergency room... Does this count even slightly towards clinical experience? The whole job is based primarily on interacting with patient , just not in the medical treatment sense...

Thanks to everyone in advance!

 

[LizzyM]

I've worked my entire undergrad career nearly full-time (more weeks a bit under 40 hours, some weeks a bit over 40 hours)... Do you think admission committees might give me break as far as volunteer/community/whatever extracirriculars are concerned?

Also, more specifically, I have four plus years experience as an admissions clerk in an emergency room... Does this count even slightly towards clinical experience? The whole job is based primarily on interacting with patient , just not in the medical treatment sense...

Thanks to everyone in advance!

Are you saying that you worked nearly f/t as an admissions clerk in an ED while you were in school? (the politically correct term is Emergency Department (ED), not Emergency Room -- just sayin')

Most adcom members are going to ask: what did this student do beyond the classroom? Adcoms want to see that you've done something. (You've worked.) The adcom wants to know if you have a clue what a career in medicine is all about. One can imagine that working in an ED you've seen some of the problems and aggravations of medical care in the US. If at an interview I were to ask you about your experience with regard to the use of the ED for primary care by uninsured Americans would you have an answer? What do you see as the major health problems in America based on your vantage point? If you can answer those questions, and you can say that from the admissions desk you have "smelled patients", you pass LizzyM's clinical experience test. 🙂

 

[Compass]

Mmm, your work is more than some people I know... you're actually out there helping patients. Some pipeteers don't even know what they're doing.

 

[R.P. McMurphy]

they will be impressed by your workload

the main thing they want to see is if you have been exposed to a clinical environment, the type you will be working in for the rest of your life. If you have not been exposed to any of that, they will probably ask you how you know you want to be a doctor if you have never been exposed to it.

If your 40+ hour a week job had nothing to do with medicine or a clinical environment, then no, they won't give you a break at all.......they will probably be impressed that you worked so much, but will not like the fact that you may not know what you are getting into as far as being a doctor is concerned

 

[GoodDoctor]

I've worked my entire undergrad career nearly full-time (more weeks a bit under 40 hours, some weeks a bit over 40 hours)... Do you think admission committees might give me break as far as volunteer/community/whatever extracirriculars are concerned?

Also, more specifically, I have four plus years experience as an admissions clerk in an emergency room... Does this count even slightly towards clinical experience? The whole job is based primarily on interacting with patient , just not in the medical treatment sense...

Thanks to everyone in advance!

My state school is strict and won't give exceptions. My premed advisor told us that if we're working full time, we should consider quiting if we're serious about med school anywhere. She said Med Schools want to see that you can handle a full academic load (~15 hrs/sem) along with ECs. Since most people can't work 40 hours and take a full load, she said we should make the choice.

I ended up seeing why she said this. I was working 50 hrs/wk and taking 9-12 units for 4 semesters. I finally quit my job to make time to go full time (17-21 units/sem) and add 10 hrs research, 4 hrs clinical, and 6 hrs volunteer per week, along with TAing & Tutoring. This turned out to be more demanding than 50+ hrs of work and 12 units at school, so I see why schools would want to see a full load. If you've been taking a full load and working 40 hrs, and pulled high grades, that's impressive.

I would find a way to squeeze in 3-4 hrs/wk volunteer work, do some shadowing (should be easy for you to find a doc who will let you), and find some research that requires only 4-5 hrs per week. These extra 7-9 hrs/wk may mean you have to take one less class or cut back to part-time at work. If you're applying this cycle, I would think the ADCOM would look favorably on your dedication in doing this, even late in the game.

Of course, these are all IMO. If you've got outrageous numbers with the work experience you've got, we've all heard of folks getting in with just numbers, so you might be ok. (there, did I cover all my bases?)

 

[mam4993]

It really depends on the school. For instance, at one of my state schools it says on the website something to the effect of "The Admissions Committee members all have full-time jobs and as such are likely to be sympathetic to the fact that you worked through school." Or something like that. So maybe check out school webpages.

ETA: I looked it up for you. Here:

"Committee members realize that some applicants have to work, and they generally look at such candidates as having mastered those things that one gets from having a job: being punctual and resourceful, dependable, being able to get along with co-workers, etc. Remember, everybody on the Admissions Committee has a full-time job and they are basically going to be sympathetic."

 

[NonTradMed]

I think they may give you a break when it comes to ECs as long as you have *some* clinical experience. And they won't expect you to be a tip top student. However, you must have competitive stats. No amount of working will make up for poor grades/MCAT score. You sound like you got good experience working in the ER so I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[Kuba]

(the politically correct term is Emergency Department (ED), not Emergency Room -- just sayin')

funny you mention that - so many people reading my PS tried to change ED to ER thinking that I had made a mistake. Darn that TV show 😎