Curious. Does my 17 years of volunteer service in every position they have in Narcotics Anonymous count as volunteering? There is no “12 step administrator” who can sign off on it and verify it. But I do have a "service resume’ " that catalogues every position I have ever held and still hold. Do I have to try to rack up some more formal and verifiable volunteering? 
That’s volunteering! And will make a great story to tell during interviews. It goes along with a recent article we wrote about volunteering for medical school and talked about quality, not quantity.
The fact that you did that for so long will be very valuable.
I would recommend trying to gather a few key memorable experiences from that time so that you can talk about it during your interviews.
Ryan
Thats great! Yes it will count towards volunteering and show you can commit to something. So that will be a great a sset to your application.
You will probably need shadowing experience as well though. Adcoms really want to know that the applicants have taken a careful look at what medicine is. Best way to show your interest is to go follow some docs around, plus you will need them to write you letters of rec anyways.
Marcia
Work all day long every day here in a Community Health Center and am intimately involved with the day-to-day of the doctors here. I sit on the provider panel and am in all the provider meetings as well. My supervisor and mentor is the Chief Medical Officer - a pediatrician. Does that count as shadowing? I am all over this building every day with the docs…
In that case yes…especially if they will write stunning letters for you. 
For your own benefit, if you do not have experience in the ER or in a hospital it would be worth a day of shadowing of each to see that kind of medicine. Outpatient vs hospital vs ER med are all very different, as I am sure you are aware.
Trying not to put my 30 year resume’ on here, but am a medical social worker as well as a psychiatric social worker. Have been the primary social worker for a small rural hospital - ER, Detox Unit, LTC, and Acute. Have been a social worker for the cardiac unit in a large hospital and worked extensively on the IDU in a large hospital when I was doing AIDS social work. Plus my experiences as a patient - 4 cancer scares and 5 major abdominal surgeries, along with rehabbing from an MVA. Worked on-call for the hospital as well. Have had to walk a family through their son being pronounced in the ER, deal with the acutely psychotic in the ER, and facilitate Grandma’s transfer to a nursing home after her stroke. Actually, I could go on and on with stories…Is that enough hospital experience, or do I still need to shadow?
That should be plenty of hospital experience!!!
maybe Gonnif or Judy will chime in??
Are you coming to the conference?
M
Wish I could, but I live in upstate New York and right now, a trip to Florida is a bit cost prohibitive. I was going to try and make it next year…
- VickiV Said:
Trying not to put my 30 year resume' on here, but am a medical social worker as well as a psychiatric social worker. Have been the primary social worker for a small rural hospital - ER, Detox Unit, LTC, and Acute. Have been a social worker for the cardiac unit in a large hospital and worked extensively on the IDU in a large hospital when I was doing AIDS social work. Plus my experiences as a patient - 4 cancer scares and 5 major abdominal surgeries, along with rehabbing from an MVA. Worked on-call for the hospital as well. Have had to walk a family through their son being pronounced in the ER, deal with the acutely psychotic in the ER, and facilitate Grandma's transfer to a nursing home after her stroke. Actually, I could go on and on with stories...Is that enough hospital experience, or do I still need to shadow?
But what have you done lately? (sorry, couldn't resist)
Under the theory that a medical school application should be a concise, coherent and compelling narrative, showing a strong pattern of motivation, commitment, and achievement, you have plenty of experiences. But as you described before you have so much to include. But that is the wrong question.
what can show/say about yourself and what all these experiences represent? That is one of the opportunities that nontrads need to take advantage of. It isnt the laundry list of things you have done, but what understanding, motivation, commitment and achievement. Think in terms of those concepts and then support those with those from experiences, most of which would have already been explained in EC section.
Also, shadowing is different from volunteering, not that I think you need either. Shadowing shows you have made effort to understand what medicine is all about (more important for a 20 y/o college student) where volunteering can show leadership, compassion, commitment, etc
VickiV - that is indeed “umpteen” experiences, and similarly to my own 30 year history, you would not need to shadow, nor did I. An exception might be if you want to check out some different specialties you have not had the opportunity to observe.
And an important addendum. If you decide to apply to DO schools you need to shadow a DO and get a LOR from them.
Kate
Unless you are planning on applying to MSUCOM as your only osteo school, they do not require any specific recommendations from a DO or your undergrad adviser:
From MSUCOM’s site
Recommendations: As you’re building your portfolio, look for mentors, people who can help you make further contacts and perhaps write recommendations for you. We accept only two recommendations which we ask be submitted on our evaluation forms. We do not require academic/committee recommendations nor do we ask that one of your recommendations be from an osteopathic physician. The most important consideration is that these individuals know you well. They will be asked about your understanding of osteopathic philosophy, your academic potential, your commitment to service, your communication skills and your level of maturity. You may use individuals who have supervised you in a work or volunteer experience, coaches, clergy members, etc. Set aside time to meet with each evaluator so you can look over the questions on the form together. If you’re uncomfortable about asking for such a meeting, this may not be the best evaluator for you.
Something to consider about shadowing…many (most?) med schools view it as “exposure” and not “experience” when determining if you have challenged yourself about knowing what medicine is about. When categorizing shadowing on the AMCAS experiences section on the application, it goes in under OTHER, not VOLUNTEERING-Medical. Following a doc around is not the same as being able to spend time talking with patients who are stuck in bed, or being treated in the ER, etc.
Cheers,
Judy