Joshua Mitnik
If you’re in high school and aspiring to work in the medical field, there is a surprising number of activities you can do to prepare and to beef up your application. What are they?
1️⃣ Keep your grades up
It is no surprise that medicine is an extremely competitive field. Nearly all programs and colleges offering the pre-med tract expect capable students to apply - students who demonstrate work ethic and ability.
The school work will only get more difficult the further into your studies you get. If you cannot demonstrate success this early on, colleges and universities will not trust that you will succeed.
The first step in a medical application is maintaining your grades, especially your core and STEM classes.
2️⃣ Extracurricular activities
Colleges do not just look for students capable of completing work. Time and time again, if you visit a school, in the pre-tour information session, they make it clear they are looking for well-rounded students.
Colleges want someone who can not only succeed academically but also contributes to campus community. You have to prove that above all, you can communicate well with others and step up to be a leader when necessary.
Research, school clubs, internships, and community service prove to the college that you are more than just your grades.
3️⃣ Make connections
Networking could mean the difference between you or someone else getting a position. Learn to communicate with others, and know what kind of person makes it in the field you want to work in.
Connecting with professionals in the field gives you a chance to demonstrate your work ethic, enthusiasm, communication and leadership skills outside of the classroom environment.
Such connections can lead to exciting opportunities that otherwise would not have been available.
4️⃣ Exposure to the field
Nothing is more valuable than understanding what you will be working with in the future. The last thing you want to do is begin medical school and realize that you hate working with medicine. On top of making sure it is a good fit with your interests and personality, exposure to the field proves your competence and your commitment to the programs you apply to.
Although they value a well-rounded character, showing the colleges that you are ready to study and work in medicine is a great assurance of your dedication.
5️⃣ EMT work
Among the absolute best activities you can do in preparation for a career in medicine is EMT work. During a hospital interview, I spoke to a nurse working there. He recommended that if I do anything, it should be EMT work. When you volunteer in hospitals, there is only so much you can do, maybe clerical work, or patient care. But when you volunteer as an EMT, it gives you real-world experience. It shows you have already dealt with patients and can operate in a high-stress environment. It could also help you write a great college essay!
Becoming a physician is a difficult and time-consuming career path. It certainly is not for everyone, but if you can implement at least some of these tips, you will be well on your way to success.
A job in the medical field does not begin in college or medical school - it starts in high school, where you lay the groundwork for a successful future.
More posts like this
_(2)/w=1080,quality=90,fit=scale-down)
/w=1080,quality=90,fit=scale-down)
