To get admitted to a medical school, you’ll need excellent grades, high test scores, a good letter of recommendation, and a comprehensive CV. You also need to show your interest in learning new things and a desire to create an impact through the activities you do. So, whether you’re taking a gap year, have been waitlisted, or have yet to be accepted, here are five of the best extracurricular activities for medical students to create a resume that stands out.
The Best Extracurricular Activities for Medical Students to Make Your Resume Stand Out
1. An Internship
Demonstrate your commitment to becoming a physician by learning what it’s like to actually be one. An internship can include shadowing doctors, assisting in clinics, working as a transcriber, or interning at hospitals in other capacities. These activities will help you become resilient and persevering in this challenging field.
An internship also demonstrates that you're eager to continue expanding your knowledge and experience. Being proactive is crucial in this field of study. Your resume will stand out more when you exhibit this trait.
2. Work Directly With Patients
Handling patients is an important aspect of being a doctor. Therefore, it’s good to have hands-on involvement in taking care of people in health-care-related environments.
Patient exposure includes attending to their health maintenance or assisting in their recovery progression. This will show medical schools that you’re comfortable with patient encounters. It also demonstrates that you have practiced physician-patient interaction and that you've experienced medical challenges and rewards.
Bear in mind this isn't just about learning about how to manage their physical health. It's also about how to relate to patients mentally and emotionally. All medical students need this experience.
3. Participate in Research
Show that you're committed to helping the entire field and that you want to change the future of medicine. Research opportunities will train you to gather, analyze, and interpret data. These skills are essential in the medical field.
Whether it’s about examining viruses or eliminating diseases, get involved with scholarly investigations. This helps to demonstrate your desire to learn and hone your research skills.
4. Volunteer
The passion to help is dominant among people in the medical field. It’s best to show that you’re ready, willing, and eager to take on service responsibilities.
Volunteer with non-profits or participate in activities without the focus being on what you get in return. You might consider opting for a longer-term opportunity to show that you can commit. Track your activities so that you can clearly convey how you contributed to a greater cause.
5. Gain Teaching Experience
Good physicians have excellent communication, listening, social, and leadership skills. Teaching helps you enhance these and gives you the opportunity to guide, develop, and be responsible for others.
The experience can include becoming a teaching assistant, tutoring in a foreign country, or even coaching a sport. These will prepare you to interact with patients, families, and colleagues. They will also teach you to be more accountable as both as a leader and a participant.
It goes without saying that getting into medical school is highly competitive, so it pays to be unique. Your learnings, experiences, and accomplishments in any of these five activities (or others you can explore) help you stand out during the application process. Be sure that in whatever to do, you contribute something real and prove your passion for service. Show sustained involvement and commitment.
If you need more guidance with clinical clerkships or medical training, contact C.H.H.A today.
