2 answers
Hiba
Student
Ormond Beach, Florida
2
Questions
Asked
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What are some of the best out of school experiences you would recommend for students who want to get into a medical school?
I'm currently in 12th grade, and want to make sure that I don't waste my undergraduate years. #medicine
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2 answers
Richard A.
physician
2153
Answers
Updated
Richard’s Answer
Try to find opportunities to pursue research.
Volunteer at your local hospital or low-income clinic. Ask physicians, PAs or other clinical providers if you can shadow them.
Volunteer at your local hospital or low-income clinic. Ask physicians, PAs or other clinical providers if you can shadow them.
Lindsey Manning-Djabbari
Entrepreneur & Community Builder
131
Answers
Irvine, California
Updated
Lindsey’s Answer
Hi Hiba- here are a few answers from professionals in medicine. I hope it helps!
If you can afford it, volunteer. It looks great on your resume and if you volunteer at a hospital you will learn more than you can imagine. If you need money, take a CNA course and start working in the hospital as a patient care tech. You will learn a lot and have lots of great material for applications and quora. -Franklin Jones, BS, MD from University of Southern California (2005)
If at all possible, try to shadow some physicians, especially in specialties that you may be interested in. Realize also that some specialties (especially the more competitive ones) allow you a lot more time to spend with your family (if that is at all important to you) while others demand a lot more of your time and energy. Make sure that you resolve these issues before you choose a specialty, especially if you plan on having a family. For instance, I had a OB/GYN colleague who elected to limit her practice to GYN because she didn’t have enough time to spend with her growing family. The key I believe is to know yourself. -Enoch Brown, studied at University of Hawaii at Manoa
I think it’s really important to pursue your enthusiasm, wherever it lies. I began a lay pastoral care ministry at my church a few years before I started medical school - not with med school in mind, just because it was a natural step in the sort of thing I was doing in my parish and community. It led me to return to school to explore other options for what I thought of at the time as ministry. I also had kids, so I spent a lot of time enjoying them - when you love what you are doing and pursue it, you will end up in the right place. I think it’s important to keep it open-ended. Medical school was not my endpoint. Consider that it might not be yours. It was a good fit for me, but an unexpected one. -Karen Shackelford, MD Emergency Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center (1995)
Be involved in your community. Church, Scouts, volunteer. Do something other than just go to school. In school be in extra curricular activities, be a leader or an active follower. -Alan Gunsul, former Retired Family Physician & Surgeon of 43 Yrs Prac (1966-1999)
Source: We're trying something new! There are tons of medical professionals on Quora who we're using to get you the info you need: https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-of-the-best-out-of-school-experiences-you-would-recommend-for-students-who-want-to-get-into-a-medical-school
If you can afford it, volunteer. It looks great on your resume and if you volunteer at a hospital you will learn more than you can imagine. If you need money, take a CNA course and start working in the hospital as a patient care tech. You will learn a lot and have lots of great material for applications and quora. -Franklin Jones, BS, MD from University of Southern California (2005)
If at all possible, try to shadow some physicians, especially in specialties that you may be interested in. Realize also that some specialties (especially the more competitive ones) allow you a lot more time to spend with your family (if that is at all important to you) while others demand a lot more of your time and energy. Make sure that you resolve these issues before you choose a specialty, especially if you plan on having a family. For instance, I had a OB/GYN colleague who elected to limit her practice to GYN because she didn’t have enough time to spend with her growing family. The key I believe is to know yourself. -Enoch Brown, studied at University of Hawaii at Manoa
I think it’s really important to pursue your enthusiasm, wherever it lies. I began a lay pastoral care ministry at my church a few years before I started medical school - not with med school in mind, just because it was a natural step in the sort of thing I was doing in my parish and community. It led me to return to school to explore other options for what I thought of at the time as ministry. I also had kids, so I spent a lot of time enjoying them - when you love what you are doing and pursue it, you will end up in the right place. I think it’s important to keep it open-ended. Medical school was not my endpoint. Consider that it might not be yours. It was a good fit for me, but an unexpected one. -Karen Shackelford, MD Emergency Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center (1995)
Be involved in your community. Church, Scouts, volunteer. Do something other than just go to school. In school be in extra curricular activities, be a leader or an active follower. -Alan Gunsul, former Retired Family Physician & Surgeon of 43 Yrs Prac (1966-1999)
Source: We're trying something new! There are tons of medical professionals on Quora who we're using to get you the info you need: https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-of-the-best-out-of-school-experiences-you-would-recommend-for-students-who-want-to-get-into-a-medical-school