What should someone do during the summers?

WayOutWestMom
Fri, 19 Aug 2016 15:53:23 +0000

Summers are for doing ECs–physicians shadowing, clinical volunteering, community service, working–or some combination of the all of those.

Summers are an excellent time to get a job, particularly one the requires working with the public. Waiting tables, , counter service/sales, sales clerk, summer camp counselor–all these jobs teach you real life skills (dealing with difficult individuals, being part of team, negotiating/dealing with bosses good & bad, among many others) that are valuable for physicians.

Or you can look for a clinical exposure job–nurses’ aide, dietary aide, home healthcare aide, patient transporter–and get paid while gaining clinical experience.

FWIW, all jobs (even non-medicine related ones) are included when you fill out your AMCAS application just like other ECs.

IMO, it’s not a productive use of time to shadow a single physician for an extended period of time–e.g. one doctor everyday for an entire summer. There’s a limit to what you can learn. You should try to shadow several different doctors in a variety of specialties (especially in primary care fields) and at a variety of practice sites (hospital, public clinic, private office).