Welcome to the OsmoHealth Journal.
Extracurricular activities can confuse many high school students interested in pursuing an education in the medical field or medicine. There is a recurring pressure to join more clubs, do more volunteering, and compile an impressive resume as early in one’s high school experience as possible.
By focusing on gaining many different types of extracurriculars without consistency or growth leads to shallow involvement and very little actual understanding of the field. It’s not about having a long list or spending the most time doing these activities, rather it’s about having enough experiences that are meaningful to you and committing yourself to them for some time while being intentional about what you are learning through those experiences.
When premed extra-curricular experiences are completed effectively, they will strengthen your application to medical school and allow you to find out what being a doctor will involve in your life and if it is the right career choice for you.
Why extracurriculars matter
Academic success shows that you can handle rigorous material. What it does not show is how you interact with people, respond to responsibility, or function in real world environments. Medicine requires all of these.
Extracurriculars give you exposure to healthcare settings, allow you to contribute to others, and help you develop practical skills. More importantly, they allow you to test your own assumptions about medicine. Many students begin with an idealized view of the profession. Experience either reinforces that interest or reshapes it into something more realistic.
Shadowing
The first step towards a career in medicine is generally through shadowing a physician. Shadowing involves observing a physician’s daily routine in a clinic or hospital environment; therefore, while it may feel like you are not actively engaging in the experience, it is an extremely valuable opportunity you must prepare for with intentionality.
Many students limit their focus on procedures and diagnoses during their shadowing experiences when in fact, delivering care is far more important than either of those items. Focus on how the physician communicates with their patients and how they explain complex or serious clinical issues. In addition, observe how a physician manages their time, balances numerous responsibilities, and copes with uncertainty.
A large majority of medicine requires decision-making under conditions of limited or uncertain information, and you will be exposed early on through shadowing to how those decisions are made. Shadowing also offers insight into the less visible aspects of the medical profession such as documentation and coordination with other staff members that account for a significant portion of the physician’s day.
Many students are surprised to find the degree of time taken by these tasks, however, they are an important portion of today’s healthcare. Through shadowing, you will gain an accurate perspective on the practice of medicine. You will witness the rewarding experiences and challenges associated with the practice of medicine and this combined knowledge is much more valuable than simple confirmation that you want to pursue a medical career.
Healthcare volunteering
When you volunteer in the healthcare field, you become part of the process rather than merely an observer, and although you may only have a small part to play, you will become familiar with your environment.
As you volunteer more often, your understanding of the environment increases. For example, hospitals and clinics may seem overwhelming at first but as you volunteer more often, you develop familiarity with the place and how things are done; you can start to identify the processes involved in delivering care (e.g. how nurses and physicians interact with each other).
In addition, volunteering allows you to see the human aspect of medicine by seeing people receive care through various stages of their lives (e.g. beginning of treatment and end of treatment). By witnessing this firsthand, you can only develop compassion for patients and their families when providing care.
Another benefit of volunteering is that you’ll gain experience working as part of a team. Medicine is not done in a vacuum; physicians, nurses, imaging technicians/sonographers and support staff all work together to achieve the best possible patient outcomes. By watching how each professional interacts with each other, you will also see how the system functions as one unit.
Leadership
Leadership is often misunderstood as holding a formal position. However, true leadership comes down to being responsible for the group you are a part of, and contributing your skills and talents to that group.
Often, when an individual is first beginning their pre-med career, they may take on small leadership roles, such as organizing one part of an activity and assisting with a larger group effort. These small responsibilities have the potential to eventually become some of your largest responsibilities. It is not so much the title or rank of leadership that defines someone’s leadership ability, but instead a series of growing responsibilities.
Those who demonstrate leadership also show reliability and are dependable; therefore, they are seen as individuals who can take action when something is required.
The above qualities are essential qualities in healthcare. When working as a healthcare professional, one must communicate effectively, make timely decisions, and demonstrate accountability, all under the pressure of high-stakes situations. A person who has built up their experience in leadership will have had an opportunity to practice many of these traits before they begin practicing medicine.
Research
Research offers a different perspective on medicine. Instead of it being about how we care for patients, research is about how we create and improve our understanding of the field of medicine.
Research starts with a hypothesis or a proposed explanation for something. Each step of the research process collects, manipulates, and analyses data to determine whether or not the hypothesis was supported. When completed, the research process is the method by which we create science.
As you begin to learn how to conduct research, you will also develop critical thinking skills. This will cause you to question your assumptions and carefully evaluate the evidence you use and understand the limitations of current knowledge. It will also provide you with an understanding of the fact that medicine is a dynamic field; it is evolved through ongoing research rather than being defined by established facts.
Your first experience with research will likely have the most significant impact on your use of science as a basis for your clinical decision making. You will begin to develop a more analytical and evidence-based thinking pattern that will be extremely useful in the practice of healthcare.
What it actually means to stand out
Many students try to stand out by doing as many activities as possible. However, if you have short-term and inconsistent involvement, it will be hard for you to show that you have matured or grown as an individual through your involvement. What mostly stands out is depth versus simply having a lot of activities. When you are involved in only a few things over a long time, you can develop more skills, do more things, take on greater levels of responsibility, and reflect on your experiences more thoroughly.
For example, being involved in a healthcare-related volunteer job for a long period of time and gradually increasing your level of commitment and amount of work, speaks more volume about you than brief involvement in many different activities. It shows that you are dependable, that you have matured or grown, as well as that you are genuinely interested in that area of focus.
In conclusion, standing out is not about being better than someone else; it is about demonstrating that your experiences have created you and will be with you for a long time.
Consistency: the most important factor
The importance of consistency in extracurricular activities cannot be overstated. Without this critical component, even the most impressive accomplishments will not hold their value for you in your future pursuits. When you have consistency in your extracurricular programs, it can confirm your commitment to them over a period of time; that you did not just participate for the short term, or as an initial introduction to the activity. It gives you a better opportunity to grow in your skill set, confidence level and in your overall perspective.
When you are only in an activity for a short period of time, you only have a surface level understanding of the situation. When you are involved in an activity for a long period of time, you can see how the activity evolves, how challenges arise, and how you are able to cope with those challenges.
The second aspect of consistency’s role in helping you build upon your experiences is through the use of reflection. As you spend time in an environment that you have been a part of for some length of time, you can engage in reflection based on what you have learned and have experienced. This will lead to deeper insights and clarity about your purpose in that activity.
Consistency is what can help convert extracurricular activities into significant experiences.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a strong pre-med foundation does not require a long list of activities. A focused approach is both more effective and more sustainable. Shadowing provides insight into the physician’s role. Healthcare volunteering builds comfort and empathy. Leadership develops responsibility. Research strengthens critical thinking.
What connects all of these is consistency. Staying involved over time allows each experience to contribute to your growth in a meaningful way.
Through these experiences, you begin to understand what healthcare looks like in practice, how people interact within it, and how you fit into that environment. You also begin to develop the habits and skills that will be essential in your future training.
Focus on a few meaningful paths. Stay consistent. Take the time to reflect on what you experience. That approach will not only prepare you for the next stage, but also help you make a more informed decision about pursuing medicine.
If you want more clear, well thought out insights on pre-med pathways and health topics, consider subscribing to the OsmoHealth Journal newsletter at the end of the article.
References
- Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). (n.d.). Premed competencies for entering medical students. https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/core-competencies
- Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). (2021). Core competencies for entering medical students (PDF). https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/15376/download
- Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). (n.d.). Premed competencies resources. https://students-residents.aamc.org/anatomy-applicant/premed-competencies-resources
Leave a Reply