I was always told I was too stupid to get into medical school… I believed it for a long time… Now I dont feel like I am too stupid to get into medical school… I just feel like I am not going to be able to overcome alot of the frankly, classists hurdles this application process entails… I am not rich enough or well integrated into any social heirarchy to get any feedback or feel for how this process should go… Do I really need to have published scientific research to get into medical school? I have no idea…
I cant afford a $600/hr consultant on building my application. I have sent letters to multiple physicians offices asking to shadow… NOTHING… Not like I could afford to take time off work anyway (I also have my debt from undergrad on top of my family to take care of)…
Is shadowing really necessary? Can I not demonstrate my understanding of the role of physician in other ways such as through my personal statement and other writings?
I probably wont be able to afford many of the critical things I need to pay for just to apply this year… which seems to keep getting more and more complicated over time…
Almost none of these application requirements seem to be based on merit or hard work either… not to mention they have ZERO transparency in how they are used or scored (talking about you CASPer) feels like its just a never-ending series of hoops to jump through and that there is no place for someone like me… I really feel like this is a sign I shouldnt do medicine… it seems too high on conformity and obedience… and too low on innovative thinking…
I understand your frustration my friend. I’m also struggling to find any shadowing opportunities. I call a few different offices a week, and have not yet had a single one return my communications. So now I’m doing all the online shadowing I can. It’s obviously not near as good, but if you join a few of these programs you can 3-5 hours a week of shadowing.
I agree with you, this process is excessive in many ways, from the application process all the way through residency. It’s unfortunate, and if you aren’t willing to play that game it’s understandable! But if you want to be a doctor you will have to do the steps they expect you to do.
Good luck!
Hey guys, I also have aspirations of attending medical school and becoming a physician. I am currently a pharmaceutical sales representative. In my opinion, the doctors and their staff are not blowing you off as much as their busy schedules are preventing them from even hearing about you. Most likely the person you spoke to on the phone/received your letter never had a chance to mention you to the doc; The doctor was most likely running around like crazy dealing with billing issues, callbacks from pharmacies, and trying to see as many patients as time will permit while providing the highest quality of care possible in our fee-for-service world.
I’d recommend throwing on a professional outfit (wear a tie), and walking into an office with coffee and donuts. Introduce yourself to the receptionist, let them know who you are and why you’re there. Good chance they’ll let you go back and speak with the doc (you might have to wait a while), or at least get you in touch with the practice manager. You do this with a handful of offices and you’re going to end up getting a few shadowing opportunities.
I’d recommend targeting specialties that practice primarily in an outpatient setting (i.e. Derm and ophthalmology). I can tell you from first hand experience, the docs in those two specialties tend to be warmer and perceive themselves as having more time for things like letting you shadow them.
Hope this was helpful!