How can a pre-med get clinical experience that demonstrates to admissions officers that the applicant knows what being a practicing doctor entails? Here are three ideas:
1. Work in an Emergency Department, particularly one that is academically-associated. (Doing so can offer the opportunity to get a letter of recommendation from a better-known physician. See my blog entry called “Selecting Your Letter of Recommendation Writers.”)
2. Volunteer at a clinic. Volunteering at a low-income clinic often affords the opportunity to take vital signs and patient histories and assist those in need.
3. Work at a veterinarian’s office (a client’s great idea): This is an excellent way to get real hands-on experience that you cannot get with humans as a pre-med.
Please consider contacting me early for your med school applications. Remember the admissions are rolling at most institutions.
