For those undergraduates who are starting to think about their medical school applications, I will tell you a secret: One of the biggest weaknesses I advise candidates on is their lack of clinical experience. I’ve seen students with outstanding MCAT scores who did not get into medical school on their first try. They had little or no patient experience.

So, ensure your application has robust clinical activities. Some suggestions:

Scribe
Clinical Care Extender
EMT
Low Income Clinic Volunteer
Hospice Volunteer
Veterinarian’s Assistant (a great way to get hands-on procedural experience)
Phlebotomist

If you are not excited about getting clinical experience, it is time to question your interest in a career in medicine… which is exactly what admissions committees will do if they don’t see that experience :).

Take a look below at my Guru on the Go© Video about this topic.