<p>When do pre-med students start ECs? (I was told that many do not start until sophomore year to allow for better transition into college coursework) Is this common?</p>
<p>What type of pre-med ECs do they usually start with?</p>
<p>Avg amount of time spent per ec? (Just as a reference point, is there a targeted amount of hours we should be aiming for to gain "adequate" medical exposure)</p>
<p>Hospital volunteering can start anytime. Physician shadowing can also start anytime. Research would be better postponed until you’ve had some basic science coursework with labs.</p>
<p>Is there any guideline to the number of hours for volunteering or shadowing? What about types of volunteering/shadowing. DS is a freshman and looking for summer opportunities but really doesn’t know what to look for.</p>
<p>He’s a freshman in college looking to do something this summer, between his freshman and sophomore years?</p>
<p>He can basically do anything that he wants to do. I had a nearly-full time job that summer. The following summer I studied abroad for half of it and worked the other half. The summer after that I stayed at school and did clinical and bench research. I peppered volunteering and shadowing in as time allowed. My last summer of undergrad I just took it easy, since med school starts in July. This summer (my last one ever!) I’m going on a medical mission trip, going to a conference, and working in a clinic more or less assisting an internal med doc. </p>
<p>If he wants to shadow, contacting family friends who are physicians is a good place to start. If you don’t have any friends who are doctors, you could ask your/his doctor for suggestions. If his school is affiliated with a medical school, he could probably find someone to shadow within the university system (which is often easier than shadowing private practice because in academic settings both the docs and the patients are used to having students around). I personally liked shadowing one person for a long period of time more than shadowing a bunch of people for a short amount of time–but that varies.</p>
<p>If he wants to do research, he should definitely start talking to professors at his school ASAP. He can focus on basically any area and doesn’t necessarily have to limit research to his major or his department. He can email professors directly, talk to professors after class/in office hours, or ask his advisor or honors college or premed advisors for a list/suggestions of who to research with.</p>
<p>If he wants to get some direct patient contact, probably the easiest way to do that is to volunteer at a hospital–but that’s sometimes hard to do as there can be long waiting lists. I would suggest picking a demographic he cares about (eg kids) and then finding a way to volunteer with those people (eg at a summer camp, at an after school program). Even though it’s not medical per se, it’s getting to know a new group of people and a good way to figure out if he’s interested in them.</p>
<p>If he wants to work, anything’s fine. I personally would recommend waiting tables–a somewhat high stress job, thinking fast, juggling multiple things (literally and figuratively), keeping a happy attitude–all of these are great skills for medical school (and life, in my opinion!). Plus it can be quite lucrative!</p>
<p>Then again, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with “just” having fun! School can be stressful and having the unstructured bliss of summer to relax can be such a relief. No need to work himself into the ground!</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
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<p>LOL! D1 had a rather long discussion with a trauma surgeon during one of her med school interviews about how being a trauma surgeon/ER doc is a whole lot like waiting tables. (And the interviewer wasn’t being facetious either.)</p>
<p>And to add to Kristin’s list you’ll be dealing with people who can be impatient, irritable and/or drunk, have long hours standing on your feet and will have plenty of opportunity to exercise your short-term memory skills (for taking orders and knowing the daily specials). Plus both groups (doc and waitpersons) occasionally get stiffed by their clients.</p>
<p>Kristin–thanks for the great information. He’s taking a summer class abroad and is hoping to come home and do some volunteering or shadowing. His school says he needs to have this for his med school resume. </p>
<p>He’s been contacting friends of family (mostly nurses) and gotten a few ideas so I’m hoping he will find something for the summer after his class.</p>
<p>^Sounds like a great way to spend the summer. Seems like he’s definitely on the right track! Keep it up.</p>