Gaining clinical experience is an important part of the medical school application. But to be a competitive medical school applicant, some have questioned if it’s necessary to shadow a doctor. It’s true that shadowing is great experience, as it exposes you to patient care in a clinical setting and gives you an idea of the day-to-day demands of a medical career. But as a pre-med student, you’re often balancing a rigorous academic schedule, along with extracurricular and personal responsibilities, so shadowing may not be a possibility. Click here for the full AAMC article on gaining experience without shadowing.
- Become a Hospice Volunteer – find hospice locations in your home town, or if you are in Middlebury, contact Hospice Volunteer Services
- Become a Certified Nursing Assistant – learn more about CNA
- Volunteer as an EMT – apply for the winter-term EMT course here at Middlebury, or take a course over the summer in your home town
- Become a Hospital Scribe
- Serve as a Caretaker – with the help of our colleagues in the Center for Community Engagement, we often cross-post local caretaking opportunities for students to apply to. You can also follow their blog to learn more about opportunities.