Getting clinical experience
before you apply for a medical school is like taking a test drive. Working in
hospitals is going to be physically and emotionally draining. Medical schools
are also rigorous and time-consuming. Admission committees use your clinical
experience to determine if you will be a good student and a good physician in
the future or not. You can determine if you have what it takes to be a
physician. This also reflects your competitiveness. This experience can be the
perfect anecdote for your personal statement.
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| How To Gain Clinical Experience Before Applying To Medical School |
Knowledge, skills and experience
you gain will be valuable in your medical school application, medical school
and later in clinical practice. In case you don’t know how to gain that
experience, you can take advantage of
medical school admission consulting services. The following are the five
ways you can gain clinical experience.
Health Clinic Or Hospital
When you are volunteering, your
duties will not be the same as the duties of a medical student or a physician.
However, you will get opportunities to:
● Provide customer services
● Answer phone calls
● File paperwork
● Help make patients comfortable
● Interact with doctors
● Observe doctors, nurses and
other healthcare professionals
● Experience the real-world
environment
You will do it on a regular
basis.
It is not difficult to find
volunteering opportunities at hospitals and clinics. You can approach a medical
school admission consulting services provider for help. Visit the website of
local hospitals and health clinics where you want to volunteer. Volunteer
program details are available on their websites. If you cannot find any details
about such programs, get contact details and make a call.
Internship Or Research Program
Look for medical colleges, and
universities offering research and internship positions for students. Duties
and experiences in such opportunities vary. Research and internship programs
include:
● Hands-on practice of skills
● Job shadowing
● Research alongside medical
professionals and scientists
You have to apply for these
highly competitive internship or research programs. You can do online research
to find such opportunities. List all the programs aligned with your interests
and career. Here is what you need to consider while searching for such
programs:
● Cost
● Travel
● Living arrangements
Is this program in a different
state or your home state? Will you get any housing help? Will you have to find
a place to stay? Also, see the deadline of the program and apply on time. This
experience will be extremely valuable and impressive in your medical school
personal statement.
Summer Medical Program
Summer medical programs are less
competitive. These programs are essentially for students interested in
medicine. These workshops include:
● Meeting with medical students
and/or professors
● Learning medical examination
and surgical techniques
● Participation in research
investigations and simulation labs
Keep in mind that summer medical
programs are not as impressive as competitive internship or research programs.
However, you can get valuable experience. You get exposure as you get to meet
students with similar interests and goals.
Shadow A Doctor
If you want to observe doctors
and other healthcare professionals in actual clinical settings for several days
then you should look for shadowing opportunities. You can perform some basic
duties of a physician, discuss your career with them and see their
responsibilities and day to day experiences. Get advice from a medical school
admission consulting services provider to shadow a doctor. You may get contact
details of doctors and clinics offering shadowing opportunities. You can also
email or make a call to a physician or hospital. If you get a positive
response, prepare a list of questions you will ask, such as:
● Why did you choose medicine as
a career?
● What are your likes and
dislikes about this profession?
● What are the qualities of a
successful doctor?
● What is your advice to a
student who wants to be a successful physician?
● How can I prepare for a medical
school?
Volunteer At A Homeless Shelter Or A
Nursing Home
In your medical school
application, you need to show that you are compassionate and empathetic. The
admission committee also wants to see your communication skills. They want to
know that you can work with people from all walks of life. Your volunteering
experience can be very valuable. Even if your volunteering experience is not
aligned to the field, you can develop and practice the qualities of a
successful doctor.