I’m wondering how much shadowing and/or volunteering to do. I’m back in school right now doing the premed requirements.
I have about 100 hours shadowing Doctors so far:
3 Radiologists
2 Neurologists
2 Surgeons.
I have family and friends that are Doctors that I talk to regularly.
I have a few Doctors who would give me a nice letter of rec and I am absolutely sure that there are many specialties I would be happy practicing.
How much experience in hospitals are med schools looking for?
I work at a medical school right now doing research in a lab plus run a business and am going to school, so I don’t really have much time.
Is volunteering necessary as well or is shadowing enough?
- HeyEveryone Said:
Is volunteering necessary as well or is shadowing enough?
Volunteering is definitely required; shadowing does not substitute for it, In addition to volunteering in a clinical setting (hospital, nursing home, out patient, similar), volunteering elsewhere, especially in an active, long-term, and/leadership capacity should also be considered, in any charitable, community, or other organizations. Medical admissions committees are looking for committed, motivated, and purposeful individuals. Even something as trivial as belonging to a model railroad club could apply. Seems not applicable? But you have been a member for 10 years, president of the club for 2, have organized their annual christmas display for 4 year, it adds a piece to the picture of yourself.
Not to hijack the thread, but how much volunteering is enough? With four school-age kids, my volunteering has been limited to donating blood every 8-10 weeks for the last few years and now mentoring at the local middle school an hour a week.
Do med schools take into account the fact that some of us are working full time, taking pre-req’s AND trying to raise our own kids well enough that they don’t need outside mentors?
I still intend to shadow several docs with different specialties (hospitalist, intensivist/pulmonnologis t, surgeon, nephrologist, etc), but I’m not doing any medical volunteering or anything else outside of what I’ve already listed. I’ve already shown “commitment to the medical field” as an ICU nurse the last 10+ years (and I’m not cocky about that…the reason I want to go to med school is because I am sorely lacking the knowledge that I need/want to go further).
- sevenwheels Said:
Not to hijack the thread, but how much volunteering is enough? With four school-age kids, my volunteering has been limited to donating blood every 8-10 weeks for the last few years and now mentoring at the local middle school an hour a week.
Do med schools take into account the fact that some of us are working full time, taking pre-req's AND trying to raise our own kids well enough that they don't need outside mentors?
I still intend to shadow several docs with different specialties (hospitalist, intensivist/pulmonnologis t, surgeon, nephrologist, etc), but I'm not doing any medical volunteering or anything else outside of what I've already listed. I've already shown "commitment to the medical field" as an ICU nurse the last 10+ years (and I'm not cocky about that...the reason I want to go to med school is because I am sorely lacking the knowledge that I need/want to go further).
Do med schools take into account the fact that some of us are working full time, taking pre-req's AND trying to raise our own kids well enough that they don't need outside mentors?
I still intend to shadow several docs with different specialties (hospitalist, intensivist/pulmonnologis t, surgeon, nephrologist, etc), but I'm not doing any medical volunteering or anything else outside of what I've already listed. I've already shown "commitment to the medical field" as an ICU nurse the last 10+ years (and I'm not cocky about that...the reason I want to go to med school is because I am sorely lacking the knowledge that I need/want to go further).
It isn't simply a commitment to medicine but rather committed, motivated, and purposeful individuals shown by consistent, repeating, patterns, and overall involvement in life. So how do you show that with a busy parent, 4 children, and full-time ICU nurse?
An medical school application is your chance, is your job really, to present a concise, coherent and compelling narrative of how these factors above show your commitment. Remember that nontraditional implies atypical. So while it is considered a requirement to have hospital volunteering, you must show how by being a parent and a nurse, how you are consistently achieving standards not only in your premed prep, in your position as an ICU nurse, and as a parent, thus show a pattern of being committed, motivated, and purposeful.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply…it gives a more rounded framework for presenting my experiences and looking at what I bring to this endeavor.
Annette