Several years ago I was hired by a re-applicant who wanted to better understand why she did not get into medical school the prior year. She had a 3.9 GPA and a 40 on her MCAT (100% percentile). Yet, she had been rejected from all medical schools.

I looked through her materials and discovered the problem. The applicant had no clinical work at all. She had never been in the room with a patient. Many of you know that I like the saying, “No one wants to hire a chef who hasn’t been in the kitchen.” She had fallen prey to exactly that adage.

We talked, and I advised her regarding options she had for obtaining clinical experience. Fast forward a year: The client completed a robust clinical activity and was readily accepted to medical school (and felt more confident about her career choice).

If you are a pre-med, note that robust clinical experience is critical. Working as an EMT, in a good clinical care extender program, formally as a scribe (where you can also make some money), or in a low-income clinic are just some ideas for obtaining excellent clinical exposure. (Although you might think free clinics would be thrilled to have a pre-med volunteer, many understandably require one-year commitments.) Shadowing is a mixed bag: Medical schools don’t know whether you’re second-assisting in the operating room or just standing in a corner being ignored. If you choose to shadow, make sure you highlight any true clinical experiences and skills gained in your written materials. Other popular options for clinical experience include international work (although the activity is usually short-lived, which makes it less robust) and working as a volunteer in a hospital (although it might be more clerical than clinical, depending on the position. Do your research before accepting a “clinical” job). I’ve also had advisees who became certified, practicing phlebotomists and others who worked in veterinarians’ offices to obtain procedural skills.

More important than getting into medical school (gasp), getting robust clinical experience will help you ensure you’ve made the right career choice. Simultaneously, you’ll demonstrate to admissions officers that you can handle the heat.