I found this short piece, “A Call for Sleep” to be an interesting and honest read. Throughout my life, I’ve had non medical people tell me that I should be used to a lack of sleep because of my training and night shifts (which I, thankfully, no longer do). If someone has fasted before, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t get hungry when she doesn’t eat!
For applicants, I’ll again say that it’s critical to consider lifestyle and priorities when choosing a specialty.
A few years ago, a medical school applicant told me the following story:
This pre-med decided to write follow up notes to all the schools at which he had interviewed, usually a good idea. However, he was upset to receive a brusque note from one of the institutions telling him that a) he should have read their policies; they do not allow post-interview contact and b) he was rejected from the school.
I found the school’s note pretty severe, and I strongly suspect the post-interview contact was not related to his rejection. (As an aside, he successfully and happily matriculated at another school.) But this story is a reminder that it’s important to read institutions’ policies about post-interview contact. Most places welcome written updates, but it’s essential to confirm before you send.
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.
I have a thoughtful advisee who told me about an interesting plan she made for herself: As she rotated through different specialties during medical school, she read a book appropriate to each field. For internal medicine, she read “Being Mortal,” by Atul Gawande. For neruology, she read the classic “The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat,” by Oliver Sacks. For surgery, she read “When Breath Becomes Air,” a beautiful book by Paul Kalanithi. The list goes on.
I was impressed by this contemplative approach to third and fourth year. So many of us are understandably focused on Shelf Exams and letters of recommendation that we don’t give ourselves a chance to comprehensively reflect on our subject matter and patients’ experiences.
If you have a moment, please check out a few book recommendations I have for those in the medical field. Perhaps my advisee’s stellar plan can be one that other medical students adopt.
Last week I posted about happiness. Unfortunately, I have recently spent a lot of time at an academic medical center with a sick family member. The hours I’ve spent there have made me think further about contentment in medical school and residency.
What I noticed about this highly academic hospital is that the care is outstanding, but the atmosphere is much more collegial than the setting in which I trained. The doctors and nurses are extremely bright and competent. They are also kind and approachable.
The institution at which I trained (and it may have changed in the 12 years since I left) did not have this culture. I experienced unchecked sexism, arrogance, and standoffishness. As I interacted with the physicians and nurses recently, I realized that I probably would have been much happier at an institution that better matched my personality. (Having said that, I met many of my dearest friends and my husband during medical school, residency, and as an attending, and I would not change any of that.)
Bottom line: Yes, reputation is a factor, but culture is really key. You can oftentimes train at an equally excellent place where you will happily fit in.
After all, we’re talking years of your life here.
Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more
