Someone asked me this and I didn’t know what the answer would be. Never heard them being mentioned as a possible activity.
That said, with addictions, etc, being so prevalent, I can see why attending several OPEN meetings (NA and AA) might be beneficial.
Although not really on point I found old posts by LizzyM (#13,17,20) responding to a question from an applicant who was actually a member of AA, sober for 5 years. IMO like other ECs if applicant could explain why he/she was at AA/OA meeting (eg supporting family member/friend who was recovering alcoholic/eating problem), what role was at meetings (ie observer, volunteer, etc) what he/she got out of experiences, how it relates to their future plans, and if a lot of time had been devoted to activity, then yes why not include it as EC.
Is this person attending these meetings because he or she, or a relative, has an addiction? If so, I see this more akin to therapy and would not list it as an EC. If the person is attending out of academic interest, then yes, I can see that as an EC.
It’s not volunteering-medical/clinical (no doctor-patient interaction), nor is it community service (volunteering, non-medical/clinical) because they as an observer (and even as a participant) are not providing any service to others, but it could be listed as “other/category not list” together with a description on AMCAS if a person has devoted a great deal of time to this and the person has found value which they could describe/explain including relevance to future plans in the short space allotted on AMCAS.
If the person were attending in support of close friend of family member–then it shouldn’t be listed. There’s been a great deal of discussion on SDN recently about whether or not caring for a medically needy family member should be listed as a EC/ medical EC. The consensus from the adcomms was-- no, it isn’t because the societal expectation is that we take care of our family. Admission committees are looking for evidence of altruism or caring for strangers in applicants.
I’m no adcom (or AA member) but I personally would feel uncomfortable about a student’s desire to go to open AA meetings (i.e. seeing it listed as an EC) if there is no personal connection to alcoholism (ie. self, friend, family member). Going “just because” or “to learn academically” strikes me as inappropriately voyeuristic. There is plenty of literature one can read about AA if one wants to learn about it academically.
I should have been more clear. No family/friend association with AA/OA.
The premed is a psych major and doing this is an optional activity
That said, my sister is a licensed clinical therapist and she was required to attend a number of these open meetings…not to be snoopy, but to learn.
Personally, I think it could be helpful because it would dispel some of the stereotypes that we have that addicts “look” a certain way. It can be helpful for healthcare providers to realize that the nice-looking person in their office can certainly be an addict.
Still not “community service/volunteering-clinical/medical”
Still not “community service/volunteering–non clinical/medical”
Not “physician shadowing/clinical observation” since there aren’t any physicians/clinicians delivering care.
It would be “Other/category not listed”
So not a medically-related EC.
And a question–if an activity is done as part of class (even as extra credit/optional activity), can it be an EXTRA-curricular activity? It’s equivalent to a student asking, “can I list going to office hours/ attending an optional lecture as a EC?”
Being required to attend as part of a program (during which you will be briefing and debriefing with a superior of yours) is very different from just choosing to go on your own.
I can see that it’s kind of a gray area. I wonder if LizzyM has weighed in anywhere.
If you look at the link that @Jugulator20 posted–LizzyM did discuss listing AA on a med school application.
Right but it appears that situation consists of an addict listing his/her AA activities/membership/sobriety. That’s a different situation.
It’s one thing to say that you’ve shadowed in a psych ward, and it’s another to say that you’ve been an inpatient.
OK, how about this parallel.
D2 was the leader of a weekly support group for kids in elementary school who had been the victims of gun violence. (Students had been wounded themselves or had witnessed firsthand or were hands-on involved in the shooting of a family member. So highly traumatized children.) D2 wasn’t just an observer; she participated by leading focussed discussions and exercises designed to help them verbalize their stress, anxiety, guilt. D2 received specialized training to be a group leader and was supervised–at least nominally-- by a MSW.
Still not clinical exposure.
I don’t remember all the AMCAS categories and such but if someone asked me to describe my clinical exposure I would include leading a support group. It’s mental health care. If someone asked me to describe my exposure to the life of a physician, I would not include it because no physician was present.
The classification choices are:
paid employment–clinical/medical
paid employment --not clinical/medical
research/laboratory
community service/volunteer–clinical/medical
community service/volunteer–not-clinical/medical
physician shadowing
teaching//tutoring/TA
leadership
other
If I were your D2, I would have put it under “community service/volunteer–clinical/medical” and/or “leadership” (probably depending on which one I had less of amongst my other activities to be honest). Either way it’s still a very different experience than what is being described in the OP.
the only reason I would think it could be beneficial is to demystify some of the aspects behind addictions. Some of us haven’t really been exposed to addicts. Therefore, there can be a stereotyping, such as assuming that an addict is drunk/high all the time and will “look” like an addict. The concept of “functional alcoholics” can be confusing to some. We sometimes think all addicts are glassy-eyed, falling down people.
I had to drive my sister to an open meeting a couple of times because she was post-surgery. It was surprising (to me) to see “business people,” “socialites,” “housewives,” in the recovery process.
Doctors often face addicts hiding their addictions in order to get certain Rxs. Understanding that the “nice lady” in your office could be an addict would be helpful.
there is a strong correlation between addiction and mental illness.
That said, I’m not sure exactly where it should fit…I guess “other”.
If it’s really just about “demystifying” then this person will have no qualms about leaving it off the application entirely