I was wondering today when it would be a good idea to start shadowing. I guessed it would do no harm to do it sooner than later but even if I do I still don’t know how much would be enough for now.
I have a part time job (not medical related) and volunteer every weekend at a mission site for needy, giving warm meal, clothes etc. I will also be doing two week medical mission trips to India once a yr.
Sooo does mission work or work with a church ministry, medical or not, do anything for me when applying to schools.
I still have two yrs to go before I complete Bio degree. Should I be looking for an MD or DO to follow or am I fine for now?
Your mission work will definitely be important. It shows commitment to service and community. Speak passionately about it. I would try to get some shadowing in sooner rather than later (so you don’t have to stress about it later when you will have a bunch of other things to worry about). Some people have oddles of hours of shadowing but I shadowed 3 doctors (1 DO, 2 MD - family physicians and a hospice doctor). I think about 10 hours each. You don’t want to be an imposition on the doctors you are shadowing. Since your volunteer work isn’t medical related, you might want to do a bit more shadowing (or get an additional volunteer position in a medical setting). But I wouldn’t recommend going overboard on the shadowing. It’s just to make sure you know what a physician’s day to day life is like and that it appeals to you.
Lynda
I would say the only two things that would really make you a better candidate would be switching part time jobs to something in healthcare (er tech, or something) or adding a volunteer work in a clinical setting (free clinics are pretty good at getting you busy, and there might be one affiliated with your church like my clinic is).
As far as shadowing goes the more you can do it the better so starting early would be great. But if you can only do 20 or so hours, it won’t be that big of a deal. All I have heard is that they want you to see what you are getting into.
I would say the only two things that would really make you a better candidate would be switching part time jobs to something in healthcare (er tech, or something) or adding a volunteer work in a clinical setting (free clinics are pretty good at getting you busy, and there might be one affiliated with your church like my clinic is).
As far as shadowing goes the more you can do it the better so starting early would be great. But if you can only do 20 or so hours, it won’t be that big of a deal. All I have heard is that they want you to see what you are getting into.
The impression I got at this year’s pre-med fair (from various adcoms) was 20-40 hours of shadowing is more than enough, and community involvement was more important. One school actually told me I’d need 500 service hours to be competitive, but most were not quite so strict. 
I think you’re on the right track. Start looking for someone the end of this month, and setup a few days of shadowing during winter break.
ok this is good. i will probably start a couple of hrs here and there so they add up.
The medical part time job is a good idea, but can I really do that without a tech certificate or anything like that? What would be an example of medical job could I get without any certificate. Is there such a job that would provide training? thank u all so much
Just remember that for DO applications in particular you need a letter of recommendation from the doctor you shadow (preferably DO, but some are OK with MD) so make sure whoever you shadow is aware of this and are comfortable with it.
- dkclayton Said:
I have a part time job (not medical related) and volunteer every weekend at a mission site for needy, giving warm meal, clothes etc. I will also be doing two week medical mission trips to India once a yr.
Sooo does mission work or work with a church ministry, medical or not, do anything for me when applying to schools.
Sooo does mission work or work with a church ministry, medical or not, do anything for me when applying to schools.
Absolutely.
This would fall into the category of service - an important attribute adcoms look for. Here is a brief list of some examples of what my school's adcom looks for in terms of an applicant's service:
1. Experience helping underserved and/or disadvantaged individuals through work, school, or volunteer effort.
2. Choice of Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, US military or other service-based work or career.
3. Routine participation in meeting the needs of the less able.
4. Sustained experience as a mentor (ex: Big Brother or Sister).
5. Participation in and contribution to the community (ex: coach, youth group leader, worker in a shelter).
6. Direct service as part of community activity (ex: Habitat for Humanity, post-disaster rebuilding efforts).
A meaningful profile of service - balance in the breadth and depth of chosen service activities and/or sustained or significant level of service is what is key. If you held a leadership role in your church or mission group, even better.