<p>The roles of a nurse and a doctor in a healthcare setting are distinctly different. I think too many premeds mistake “clinical experience” as 'doctor experience." That must explain why so many of them think being a EMT, MA, CNA, phlebotomist is valuable for med school applications. To be fair, hospital volunteering (which is what most premeds do to get clinical experience) is largely a waste of time too but I’d rather waste 100 hours than 3 years (nursing is a “waste” only if you’re looking to become a physician). I think most med school adcoms would rather you spend your time learning about something intellectual. If you want to help people, there are plenty of extracurricular things you can do to help people.</p>