Medical School Interview Tips: What Do AdComs Really Want?

For those of you who've submitted your secondary essays, it's time to start thinking about medical school interviews. Here are tips on what medical school admissions officers/committees are seeking:

1. They want someone distinctive. Your goal is to distinguish yourself from all of the other applicants by showcasing your accomplishments. Anyone can say s/he wants to help people or is hard working. Fewer candidates can prove it with their pre-professional achievements.

2. They want to ensure you're committed to medicine and you have an idea of what you're getting yourself into. Medical school is tough; the institutions are not seeking someone who is ambivalent and might quit. Giving examples of your clinical experience can help.

3. The schools want to ensure you're reasonable. They want to see that you don’t have a problem personality, aren’t going to harass your colleagues, and aren’t going to cause the institution embarrassment or extra work. Being professional during the interview day and having strong letters are important.

4. They want to hear you're particularly interested in their program. You can convince them of your enthusiasm by knowing specifics about the school and city.

You would never take the MCAT without practicing first, and yet, countless applicants go to medical school interviews without preparing. If you're interested in working with me, please hire me soon, as I'm booking up for September.

Doctors' Longevity Benefits Don't Apply to Everyone

It's well known that there are longevity advantages to higher education and income, however a recent study by Brigham and Women's Hospital researchers Christopher M. Worsham, MD, MPH, and Anupam “Bapu” Jena, MD, PhD demonstrated that female physicians don't reap those benefits. Neither do Black doctors. 

Black women physicians were shown to have the highest mortality rate in the profession.

A recent AAMC article reporting on the study also touches on other gender inequities, including female physicians' excessive burnout and home responsibilities, experience of sexual harassment, likelihood to quit medicine, as well as their lower pay. 

Check out the AAMC piece with more details here.

Going to Medical School in the Shadow of the New Tax Bill

Many of you know that I'm a fan of the sweet and informative podcast Your College Bound Kid. In recent episode 556, a student called in asking if she should change her career path away from medicine in light of the newest tax bill. Host Mark Stucker offered a deep-dive answer that I'd recommend. You can start listening at 9:55.

For Pre-Meds Applying in the Next Cycle, What IS Solid Clinical Experience Anyway?

Getting into medical school has gotten so competitive that it's essential to have a strong candidacy with excellent grades and robust extracurricular activities. However, one mistake I see pre-meds make is that they are so focused on leadership and research, they forget a critical component - clinical experience. To prove you want to be a doctor, it's crucial you obtain clinical experience for a significant period of time - not just a health fair or two. Good grades will not make up for a lack of clinical experience. Here are some ideas for obtaining strong clinical experience:

EMT (Some universities have EMT classes and/or jobs on campus; takes time to certify.)
Participate in a good hospital clinical care extender program (Regular hospital volunteer programs are usually not clinically focused enough.)
Work at a low-income clinic (Many require a one-year commitment.)
Certified Medical Assistant (Takes time to certify.)
Certified Phlebotomist (Same)
Certified Nursing Assistant (Same)
Work at a hospice (Because of the nature of the work, may need to be paired with another, more hands-on clinical experience.)
Scribe (Usually a full-time job)
Veterinarian's Assistant (A great way to get hands-on procedural experience; need to explain this choice in your application.)

Pharmacy Assistant (Make sure the role is patient facing.)
Volunteer for a crisis text/phone line (May need to be paired with an in-person clinical experience.)

Shadowing is a mixed bag: Medical schools don't know whether you're second-assisting in the operating room or just standing in a corner being ignored. If you choose to shadow, make sure you strategically delineate your clinical experience in your written materials.

If you're not excited about getting clinical experience, it's time to question your interest in a career in medicine... which is exactly what admissions committees will do if they don't see that experience.

Do your research before accepting a "clinical" job so you ensure you'll really get a satisfying experience and show admissions committees you can handle the heat.