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Jul 28 2016

Pre-Med 101: Why should I shadow a doctor? (And why you absolutely need to!)

Pre-Med 101: Why should I shadow a doctor?
(And why you absolutely need to!)

So you want to be a doctor, thats great! But do you really know what you are getting yourself into and what the life of a doctor is actually like outside of Grey’s Anatomy? This is why you absolutely must get shadowing experience as a pre-med and why it is so important to many medical schools. Shadowing a doctor is one of the most important things any pre-med can do. In fact I could argue its more important than your MCAT or GPA! Let’s go into all the reasons why you should shadow a doctor:

It will let you know if this is the right career for you (This is real important!)
You can ask an actual doctor all the questions you have and gain valuable wisdom
Test level of commitment
Discover likes and dislikes
Enhance your motivation

It will let you know if this is the right career for you:

This is probably the most important reason to shadow a doctor. You want to know for sure that this is what you want to spend your life doing and this is the best way to find out. Shadowing a doctor is like test driving the career you might end up doing. The road to that MD is not an easy one. While shadowing you may end up seeing many things that disturb you and change your mind about going into medicine. There are many things you will never expect about being a doctor and some that you may not like, but you will never know that unless you actually go out there and see. You don’t want to find out that this is not the right career for you after getting into medical school. The time to find out is now! While you are a pre-med!

You can ask an actual doctor all the questions you have and gain valuable wisdom:

One of the greatest perks to shadowing a doctor is that you will have access to a physician who has the time to answer your questions and concerns about becoming a doctor. These are the people who are doing what you want to do and they have plenty of experience and wisdom they can pass down to you. Make the most out of that!

Test level of commitment:

Shadowing is one of the greatest ways to weed out pre-meds. Many people go into premed thinking about how cool it will be to become a doctor, how much money they will make, etc. Most of the people like that arent prepared to handle the hardships that come with the life of a physician. The hospital is very humbling place and shows no mercy to the pre-med. You will see things that are quite disturbing and will really test your level of commitment to this career path. Often the hospital can make or break a pre-med. You either come out of it more inspired to become a doctor or just out right never want to be one ever again.

Discover likes and dislikes:

The hospital is another great place to discover exactly what it is you like and dislike about a career in medicine. There might be unexpected things which you enjoy , such as the interaction with the patients and nurses. And there might be things which you might dislike, perhaps the smell or something you didn’t expect. Shadowing a doctor is an opportunity to learn more about the career you are interested in.

Enhance motivation:

Often the experience of shadowing a doctor can improve motivation for the pre-med. This will help result in a stronger work ethic and ultimately better grades and commitment to the pre-med path.

Recommendation letter:

Lastly there is one more perk to shadowing a doctor. That is the recommendation letter. I left this as the last thing to mention because I believe the reasons mentioned before are more important. However it is no lie that a recommendation letter from a doctor is highly sought after and very valuable to getting into medical school. So if you shadow a physician you have a strong chance of receiving a powerful recommendation letter that could help boost your chances of acceptance into the medical school of your choice.

There are many great things about becoming a doctor, but there are also many difficulties that most pre-meds have not considered yet. Shadowing a doctor allows you the opportunity to see first hand if this is the right career for you. After all becoming a doctor is a serious commitment. It is time consuming, stressful, and at times financially difficult. Being able to shadow a doctor will provide you the chance to see for yourself if this is what you want to spend your life doing.

More helpful premed resources:

Get our free ebook , “The Pre-Med Beginner’s Guide”, which summarizes everything that every premed must know!

Bonus:

Also get free access to our comprehensive lists of medical school rankings! Click here to download

Good luck on your journey to medical school! Premed Community is here to make that a reality!

Jun 19 2016

Pre-Med 101: Should I give up on pre-med because of one bad semester?

Being pre-med is tough! It is expected if you want to become a doctor you will have a hard road ahead of you. And with that, things will not always go your way. But what happens if you have a bad semester? Does that mean your dream of getting into medical school stops here? Let’s talk about that in this article.

Medical school is tough to get into. There are tons of competitive applicants fighting for the same spot you are. This means that having a bad semester could make the difference between getting accepted or not. This is why it is best to avoid the situation and stay on top of your studies, however life happens and that things don’t always go your way. So what if your semester doesn’t go the way you want and you made some bad grades? Is there still any hope for getting accepted?

The short answer is.. Yes!

While it does make it more difficult if you had a bad semester, it does not have to be the end of your medical career. Think about how many other pre-med students have had a bad semester or two and still can get accepted. It goes without saying that many pre-meds have had a few hard semesters and not every student makes straight A’s. It’s worth noting that you are not the only one in this situation, there are many in the same boat as you. So take a deep breath! There is definitely still is hope!

What you can do to improve your chances of getting accepted into medical school:

So now you are probably wanting to know how you can boost your chances of getting accepted despite having a bad semester or two. There are two main ways to compensate for doing poorly academically. The first is by making sure all the other aspects of your application shine. Such as having extra shadowing experience, more clinical experience, more volunteering, research experience, strong letters of recommendation, high MCAT score, etc. Medical schools want someone who is well rounded and has what it takes to be a doctor, this is more than just having good grades. The second method, which can be combined with the first, is finding a post-bac program to help you and/or considering going to a Caribbean medical school. For help finding a post-bac program, click here.

If you have a bad semester as a pre-med it doesn’t mean that it is game over. It means that you will have to work a bit harder and make other aspects of your application shine. Really focus on getting a lot of clinical experience and you will find many medical schools are still interested in you. There have been plenty of people who have had a bad semester or two and still got accepted. Don’t give up hope. Instead, focus on trying extra hard to make up for it. Also, consider looking into post-bac programs and going to a Caribbean school. If you give it your all, you will be surprised with how well you can do!

For more information check out our other article:

5 Ways to stay competitive with a low GPA

More helpful premed resources:

Get our free ebook, “The Pre-Med Beginner’s Guide”, which summarizes everything that a Pre-med must know!

Bonus:

Also get free access to our comprehensive lists of medical school rankings! Click here to download

Good luck on your journey to medical school! Premed Community is here to make that a reality!

Did you find this article helpful? Let us know!

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Jun 02 2016

The Pre-med guide for finding a physician to shadow

Finding a doctor to shadow can seem like an impossible task at times. Many pre-meds don’t know how to find a doctor who would be willing to be shadowed. Shadowing is super important for having a strong and competitive application. Medical schools want to see that you understand what it is like to be a doctor, how the medical environment is, and you are still willing to proceed into medicine despite seeing and hearing first hand the hardships a physician will face. The difference between getting accepted into medical school or not could depend on whether you have shadowing experience. So how do you find a doctor who will let you shadow them? What are the best methods for finding a doctor to shadow? We will go over all the best methods to help ensure you find that physician to shadow!

Methods for finding a doctor to shadow:

Ask your personal physician. Or get a referral from them.

Network with family and friends to see if they can contact a physician they may know

Volunteer at a hospital or clinic and build connections with physicians there

Work as a scribe

Ask your personal physician. Or get a referral from them:

This one seems like a no brainer. You already have access to a doctor that knows you pretty well, your general practitioner. Why not start there? Tell them that you are a premed and you want to learn what it is like to work as a physician. Since you are one of their patients and they already know you, they might be more likely to agree. If they don’t then ask them if they know any other doctors that wouldn’t mind you shadowing them.

Network with family and friends to see if they can contact a physician they may know:

You might be surprised to learn that your family or friends know several physicians that may let you shadow them. Ask your friends and parents if they know any doctors that might let you shadow them. Doctors are still regular people who make friends with non-doctors, so it shouldn’t come as no surprise that your family or friends might know one or two! If you ever go to a formal party with your family, you could casually mention that you are a premed and looking for a doctor to shadow. If the other person happens to know a physician they will try and help you out.

Volunteer at a hospital or clinic and build connections with physicians there:

If you want a place where you know there will be doctors then there is no better place than a hospital or clinic. This is a pretty tried and true method for finding a doctor to shadow. Volunteer at a hospital or clinic and try and network with the physicians and nurses there to see if they know anyone who will let you shadow them. Remember, its important to let people know your intention of finding a doctor to shadow so they can help you! Try and build a relationship with the people who work there so they are more likely to help you.

Work as a scribe:

This is another great method for finding a physician to shadow. Working as a scribe has merits of its own. But this is another highly effective method as it allows you to work closely with a doctor and build a relationship with them. To become a scribe you must go through training first. But on the plus side you get paid! Getting paid, getting medical experience, and potentially finding a doctor to shadow isn’t too bad!

Click here to learn more about being a scribe.

The most important thing to remember when it comes to finding a doctor to shadow is the word, “networking”. Building connections is the best method for finding someone who will let you shadow them. Ask anyone who might know a doctor that will you shadow them and ask for contact information. I was able to find a doctor to shadow because my dad met a doctor while playing soccer and told him that his son was a premed! It can all happen in the most unexpected circumstances! You will have an even easier time if you are networking in a hospital or a clinical environment. Immerse yourself into the medical environment and start asking around and building connections and I assure you that you will find a physician to shadow in no time!

I hope you found this advice helpful! Tell us what you think by leaving a comment down below! For more pre-med tips and advice, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, twitter, and pinterest!

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May 13 2016

How a Pre Med should spend summer to boost their medical school application

How a Pre Med should spend summer to boost their medical school application

While most students see the summer as an opportunity to relax and kick back, the pre-med should see it as an opportunity to boost their medical school application. Summer provides a great chance to boost your med school application and do things which can separate you from the average pre med. During the school year there isn’t always enough time to get done all of the many things a pre med should do. Making good grades usually takes priority over volunteering, shadowing, and research. Thats the great thing about summer, it gives the busy pre med time to get things done. And over the course of 3 to 4 summers , you can easily do everything you need to build up an amazing application. So what should you be doing during your precious summer if you want to get into medical school?

Six ways you can productively spend your summer to help make an awesome med school application:

Do a lot of volunteering
Shadow a physician
Get medical experience
Do research
Study for MCAT
Take summer classes

Do a lot of volunteering: One of the most underrated aspects of medical school applications is how many volunteering hours you have done. This is actually a huge deal to whether you get accepted or not. Applicants who have great GPA and MCAT scores don’t get accepted because they don’t have enough volunteer hours. This is great news for those who have lower and less competitive GPA’s because it helps even the playing field. Use summer as an opportunity to rack up a huge amount of volunteer hours and help give yourself a big boost to your application. Click here for help finding volunteering opportunities.

Shadow a physician: Every pre-med knows that shadowing a physician is very important for having a good medical school application. It is often very difficult to find a physician to shadow and also just as difficult to find the time during the week to shadow a doctor. Often most doctors start work early in the morning and a round can last several hours, which might interfere with your classes. If you have a busy school schedule then you might not have time to shadow during the school week and summer becomes the only viable time to do it. (Find out some of the best ways to find a doctor to shadow)

Get medical experience: Even if you can’t shadow a physician, just getting experience in a medical environment is definitely better than none. Working in the hospital doing almost any job, whether that is just desk work still counts towards medical experience in the eyes of the medical school. If you are doing desk work try to have a proper ergonomic office chair so that you take care of your posture. Most importantly , medical colleges want to know you have been exposed to the medical environment. Summer is a great time to get experience in the medical field while also earning some money. Things like being a tech or an EMT can be very rewarding but also hard to get into.Search online for possible job opportunities near by that will look good on your application.

Do research: This is another thing you can do to help spice up your medical school application. While it is not necessary to do research to get into medical school it is always welcomed and looks good. This could be what separates you from the other applicant they are considering. You can do research for one of your professors at school or you can find summer research programs. Check here for help finding research programs.

Study for MCAT: This might not be for everyone since some of you may have already taken the MCAT but for those of you who haven’t, summer can provide a great opportunity to prepare for it. The MCAT covers a lot of material so summer is a great because it provides the opportunity to really focus on the MCAT. There are many great resources for studying for MCAT and prep books that can really help. If you have the MCAT ahead of you , don’t waste this opportunity! (I will be posting a thorough guide on how to prepare for MCAT soon!)

Take summer classes: Summer classes are great for two main reasons. First, they will help you graduate and move through your pre-med program faster. This is important because it allows you to become a doctor that much sooner but also it might make a difference when you take the MCAT or you apply for medical school. It could mean the difference between getting in one year or the next. Second, summer classes provide a great chance to boost your GPA. Taking a class during summer is usually a lot easier than taking it during the semester. This is because during the semester you have to focus on about 5 different classes, while in summer you only have to focus on one or two. This gives you much more time to study and not be overwhelmed by too much coursework. Taking a class during summer can help give you an edge in making an A.

These are my recommendations on how you should spend your summer if you want to boost your med school application. I don’t recommend trying to do everything in one summer, while you certainly can, if you just focus on one or two things from this list you will do yourself a great favor. I hope this helps!

Tell us what you think by leaving a comment down below! For more pre-med tips and advice, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, twitter, and pinterest!

Did you find this article helpful? Let us know!

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Apr 22 2016

Pre-Med 101: What is the best major for getting into medical school?

Pre-Med 101: What is the best major For getting into Medical school?

This is a common question that many new pre-meds have. What is the best major for getting into medical school? As mentioned in our other premed 101 article (Is there a premed major?) , you don’t need to major in any specific degree as long as you get the premed required classes done. But even though you don’t need a specific major to get accepted into medical school there still might be some things worth looking into before deciding what you want to major in. There isn’t a “best” major but there are pros and cons to the different types of majors you can take. So let’s take a look at that, and you can decide for yourself what the best major for YOU is!

Generally speaking there are two types of majors you can major in if you are a premed. Science major or non-science major. So I will discuss the benefits of both.

Science major:

Pros:

– Helps prepare you better for MCAT and the rigors of medical school

– Will give you a headstart in medical school

Cons:

– More difficult curriculum, can hurt your GPA

– There are many science majors applying to medical school

Non-science major:

Pros:

– You can take a major on something you are really interested in and enjoy
– Will be better for your GPA
– Shows well roundedness and helps make you more unique on your application

Cons:

– Won’t prepare you as well for MCAT or rigors of medical school

These are the general pros and cons associated with either being a science major or non science major when it comes to being a premed. Science majors are better trained for doing well on the MCAT and in medical school because of the rigor involved in a science curriculum. However that same difficulty involved in studying the sciences can make it harder to maintain that great GPA. But it will prepare you best for medical school. On the other hand taking a non-science major might be a bit easier academically and thus be good for your GPA. But also it will not prepare you as well for the rigors involved with medical school and taking the MCAT. That being said its also important for you to consider what you would enjoy studying. And if medical school doesn’t work out and you chose a science major even though you don’t actually like science, that would be a bad position to be in. So you also have to consider what happens if you don’t get into medical school. But that won’t happen because you got premed community here!

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