<p>Hey guys, what are some extracurricular activities that deem meaningful to medical schools? In other words, what are some activities in the to-get-into-med school list?</p>
<p>I hate answering questions like these, because the right answer is, "Things that you love", but it's not quite specific enough.</p>
<p>So I'll try to be as nuanced as possible in discussing this, but I must be frank that I feel guilty about answering questions for somebody who would appear to be seeking a formula where - and rightfully so - none exists. Furthermore, I believe these questions have been addressed numerous times elsewhere in this forum. But I'll try and elucidate despite this.</p>
<p>The first answer is that you must spend time in a clinical setting. This might be shadowing, it might be volunteering in a free clinic or helping AIDS patients in Ghana. At a (much) higher commitment level, being an EMT is also a good path to take. This is huge in medical school admissions, but it is also an important thing for you to do personally as well: how else can you know if you are actually interested in being a doctor? If these activities prove to be unenjoyable for you, then it will be a good and well-worth-it career lesson.</p>
<p>Second, many medical schools strongly emphasize research. This varies substantially, but the schools on USN's "Research" list, not surprisingly, value this highly - again, as well they should. Upwards of 85% of their students perform research as undergrads, and many schools are 90%+. Research is not merely about credentialing; it is about patience, persistence, intellectual pursuits, curiousity, and the scientific method.</p>
<p>Third, of course, anything else you do will be valuable, too - leadership in campus organizations, writing for the newspaper, volunteering, ballroom dance - all of these things are important as well. From what I can gather, it seems that 2/3 or so of accepted premedical students have some form of non-clinical community service.</p>
<p>Now, here is the important thing. Medical schools have extensive secondary essays and interviews precisely because they know that many students simply treat these activities as a checklist. They will probe you to see what you learned and how they changed you. They will want to know why you became involved in them, what you feel like you accomplished, and how these things helped you want to become a doctor. If you are treating these things as a checklist, then you will find yourself struggling at these junctions. You must really, intently find the meaning involved in what you are doing, and why it matters to you, or you run the risk of having spent your time doing things that didn't matter to you and don't help you get admitted to medical school.</p>
<p>Really want to echo and sift out the three points:</p>
<p>Clinical experience
Research
things important to you/personal enrichment</p>
<p>Of the three, research will have the highest variability in relevance to med schools. I did no research during undergrad, and while one of my interviews didn't bring it up, the other asked why I hadn't. So I did have to explain myself (coincidentally if I remember correctly I believe I said something to the effect that I didn't want to do research simply for the sake of my resume, and I couldn't find a project that combined my interests well enough).</p>
<p>The other thing I want to emphasize is doing things FOR YOURSELF. Don't do things simply because you think they will look good on a resume, do them because you feel that you will enjoy them. If your heart is in them, then they will be worth it and you will know how and why they will make you a better doctor.</p>
<p>what is EMT?</p>
<p>Emergency Medical Team?</p>
<p>They usually appear during sports game, large activities etc. It's the same thing as if you were to call 911, they would send an ambulence with a few EMT that can quickly do a diagnosis to see what's up and tranport you to the hospital.</p>
<p>EMT emergency medial tech. - great thing to be, but it usually takes about two years to get in technical school.</p>
<p>This study explores the value of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) experience for students applying to medical school.
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12357566&dopt=Citation%5B/url%5D">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12357566&dopt=Citation</a>
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The median rating for the consideration given to EMS experience was "some consideration" for both EMT and paramedic experience.
...</p>
<p>CONCLUSION: EMS experience receives at least some consideration during the admissions process at most of the responding institutions in the United States and Canada. Experiences at either the EMT or Paramedic level are viewed similarly. None of the responding institutions viewed EMS experience negatively.
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if you were to call 911, they would send an ambulence with a few EMT that can quickly do a diagnosis to see what's up and tranport you to the hospital.
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<p>EMTs are not allowed to diagnose</p>
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EMT emergency medial tech. - great thing to be, but it usually takes about two years to get in technical school.
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</p>
<p>i dont know what you are talking about at the end there...you can usually get your EMT certification in 3-6 months.</p>
<p>"Quote:
if you were to call 911, they would send an ambulence with a few EMT that can quickly do a diagnosis to see what's up and tranport you to the hospital.</p>
<p>EMTs are not allowed to diagnose"</p>
<p>No, they're not allowed to make the official diagnosis that determines how they are treated at the hospital, but I think what tangents meant is that they make the preliminary diagnosis to see how to treat you in the ambulance. I mean obviously the EMTs do more than transport - they'll make the initial determination of "this person's heart is stopped, I will give them CPR." Shraf, you don't need to correct every little thing people say just to make them feel stupid. When you do, you get a taste of your own medicine!</p>
<p>There is a difference between diagnosis and stabilization. </p>
<p>An EMT is able assess in order to stabilize a patient. Diagnosis has a very distinct definition in medicine of what is the cause of a problem. A stopped heart is not a diagnosis.</p>
<p>Thank you bigredmed....</p>
<p>VelaenOscuridad, none of my responses to any threads are meant to make anyone feel stupid...there is no need for me to waste my time doing that, I have much better things to do. I just thought I'd correct a misstatement to give people reading the thread a better idea of what being an EMT is like. The fact that EMTs do not "diagnose" patients was one of the first things I was told in my EMT class and one that you must always keep in mind during calls.</p>
<p>Quote:</p>
<p>"EMT emergency medial tech. - great thing to be, but it usually takes about two years to get in technical school."</p>
<p>"i dont know what you are talking about at the end there...you can usually get your EMT certification in 3-6 months."</p>
<p>EMT training ranges from 2-week in-class programs (+internship/job training) up 2 years+</p>
<p>This depends on the level of EMT certification you wish to achieve (which in turn effects what you are allowed to do/ will do). </p>
<p>It varies by states, but the most common types of certification are:</p>
<p>EMT-B (or Basic): Which is the fastest to get, generally 3-6 months. (This is probably the most likely choice for an extracurricular). </p>
<p>EMT-I (many states have two levels of this EMT-I/85 or -I/99... EMT-'Intermediate'): Takes longer; generally 1-2yrs.</p>
<p>EMT-P (Paramedics): This is what usually takes 2 years of technical school. (A paramedic certification would probably not be something that you would get as an extracurricular.) It is essentially a professional/associates degree, and many EMT-P programs offer it as such (they include an AA/AS). (For more information on paramedics: Paramedic</a> - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)</p>
<p>For more information on EMT-Certification levels et cetera:</p>
<p>Emergency</a> Medical Technician - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</p>
<p>National</a> Association of Emergency Medical Technicians - NAEMT</p>
<p>How do summer internships look on college/medical school applications? I am a sophomore in high school and am looking for an internship. Please advise where I can find a science/medicine summer internship.</p>
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Please advise where I can find a science/medicine summer internship.
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