Applying to Med/PA School
Clinical Experience Examples: What Works for My Pre-Med Peers
About Alexia
Alexia Katsaros is a Purdue graduate (’21) and a pre-medical student enjoying a gap year on the Atlantis admissions team. As an undergraduate, she majored in psychology and minored in biology and sociology. In the summer of 2019, she shadowed doctors at KAT hospital when she journeyed to Athens, Greece through the Atlantis shadow abroad program.
Clinical experience is an important part of any pre-med’s journey. It can solidify their desire to be a healthcare professional or inspire them to pursue a particular specialty within their field. In any case, clinical experience is a must for creating a well-rounded application. That’s why it is so crucial that you understand the types of clinical experiences out there and the ways they can benefit you.
Paid Clinical Work
Today, there are many types of clinical experiences available for pre-meds. But it can sometimes be hard to identify what opportunities can be considered ‘clinical.’ There are two main branches of clinical experience: paid and volunteering/shadowing. Paid positions usually require some level of skill or training and can include anything from scribing to phlebotomy. As the daughter of a general surgeon, I was able to take up a working position at my father’s office for several years. This position involved charting, making phone calls, scheduling, greeting patients, taking vitals, and sterilizing equipment. Obviously, my situation is not representative of the average pre-med student, but I’m talking about my personal experience in paid clinical work to highlight just how much it can do for you. In my case, after becoming especially familiar with medical equipment, I was able to scrub in and assist in circulating on OR days. This is a major talking point I could use during my application process; medical schools love interpersonal experience and hands-on clinical work. That said, clinical experience of any kind can open so many doors for you.
You might begin with a greeting position at a private practice’s front office, but if you make clear that you’re willing to expand your skill repertoire, you could find yourself moving up the office hierarchy. In my experience, I found that calling or emailing local clinics and private practices works best. Call to get quick information, like if there are any positions available. Email in your resume and your schedule. Most physicians are happy to work with pre-med students. This same approach can work for hospitals in your area, though I have found that hospitals can also be great places for the second type of clinical experience: volunteering and shadowing.
Unpaid Clinical Volunteering and Shadowing
Unpaid volunteering and shadowing does not usually require any formal training, which can save you some time and resources, but it does come at the cost of a potential source of income. Most pre-med students believe that the greatest downside of volunteering or shadowing is that you don’t typically interact directly with any patients. However, non-paid clinical experiences also have a unique upside. You can observe, firsthand, the inner workings of hospitals and clinics without having to navigate the pressures and tasks that accompany paid work. This is HUGE. Instead of being confined to a specific area of a hospital, you can actively follow the doctors as they make their rounds. When I was shadowing through Atlantis in Athens, Greece, I was able to do exactly this. Some days, I would closely follow a thoracic surgeon, Dr. Nicholas Kohilás. As he went through his rounds, he would update us (the other Atlantis participants in my group, the medical students, and nurses) about the condition of each of his patients. I saw a young man with cat scratch fever, a woman recovering from a tummy tuck, and a man with an inguinal hernia. I was able to learn about everything from the nature of hemorrhaging to the importance and components of IV fluids. On other days, I would observe entire surgeries: a knee replacement, a leg amputation, an 8-hour mitral valve replacement, and a brain tumor removal. At the time, I was still unsure as to what I wanted to specialize in (and, in many ways, I still am!), but observing those types of surgeries really helped me understand what I valued in medicine: the balance between life-saving procedures and aesthetic/functional harmony.
Key Takeaways of Clinical Experiences
The key to being a strong applicant is balance. While you’re thinking about what clinical experience you’d like to participate in, make sure that you give equal consideration to both paid and unpaid positions, along with the pros and cons I mentioned above. If you’re considering a strong abroad shadowing program, check out Atlantis. As I highlighted before, the benefits for the different types of clinical experience can be unique, so use this to your advantage. And, of course, always make sure to find the right fit!
Our Alumni Enter Great Medical Schools
John Daines
- Atlantis '17
- Brigham Young University '19
- Washington U. in St. Louis MD '23
Zoey Petitt
- Atlantis '17
- U. of Arizona '18
- Duke MD '23
Zoey Petitt
Hungary ’17 || University of Arizona (undergraduate) ’18
Completed Atlantis Program Location and Date:
Hungary, Summer 2017
Do you believe your Atlantis experience helped you get into your graduate program?
I believe it was very helpful.
Generally, why do you think Atlantis helped you get into your graduate program?
For me, my Atlantis experience played a key role in confirming my decision to go into medicine. This was important for me to discuss during the admissions process.
Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews?
Yes
Yong-hun Kim
- Atlantis '17
- Stanford '19
- Mayo Clinic MD '24
Yong-Hun Kim
Budapest, Hungary ’17 || Stanford University
Program:
Budapest, Hungary – Winter 2017
Undergraduate:
Stanford University class of 2019
Major:
Computer Science
Honors:
Bio-X Grant (award for research)
Undergraduate Activities:
President and Founder of Stanford Undergraduate Hospice and Palliative Care, Volunteer for Pacific Free Clinic, Research Assistant in Wernig Pathology Lab, President of Hong Kong Student Association, violin performance
Describe Atlantis in three words:
Eye-opening. Spontaneous. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I chose the Atlantis program because it combines opportunities to shadow physicians and travel abroad, both of which I had little prior exposure to.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
My favorite experience as an Atlantis participant came in the stories exchanged over meals or excursions and the breadth of conversation that reflected the diversity of backgrounds within our cohort and site managers.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I appreciated the chance to speak with physicians in Budapest and hear their personal motivations for pursuing medicine because it really helped better contextualize and validate my own interest in medicine. The physicians were also just really welcoming, relatable, and down-to-earth people.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
The Atlantis program has equipped me with a better understanding of what a career in medicine looks like, which I think is an invaluable gift considering the long road ahead of those who aspire to be a physician.
How has Atlantis equipped you for active leadership in the medical field?
The ability to interact and empathize with patients of diverse backgrounds and communities is a necessity to be a leader in the medical field. I think the Atlantis program, through my interactions with mentors and their patients, has helped me take my first steps toward attaining the cultural vocabulary and literacy required of a physician.
Megan Branson
- Atlantis '18
- U. of Montana '19
- U. of Washington MD '24
Sarah Emerick
- Atlantis '19
- Eckerd College '20
- Indiana U. MD '25
Snow Nwankwo
- Atlantis '19
- Catholic U. of America '21
- Georgetown U. MD '26
Tiffany Hu
- Atlantis '16
- U. of Maryland '17
- U. of Michigan MD '22
Tiffany Hu
Tereul, Spain ’16 || U Michigan Medical School
Program:
Teruel, Spain – Summer 2016
Undergraduate:
University of Maryland class of 2017
Admitted medical student at:
University of Michigan Medical School
Major:
Neurobiology
Honors:
Honors Integrated Life Sciences Program, Banneker/Key Scholarship
Extracurricular Activities:
American Medical Student Association Co-President & Advocacy Day Liaison, Alternative Breaks Experience Leader, Health Professions Advising Office Student Advisory Board, Biology Teach Assistant, Health Leads, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, NIH Research Intern, Physicians for Social Responsibility Environment & Health Intern
Describe Atlantis in Three Words:
Educational. Eye-opening. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I wanted to expand my horizons and understand a culture of health different from the ones I am accustomed to. I had shadowed doctors in the United States and Taiwan prior to my Atlantis program experience, and being able to see first-hand the healthcare system in Spain allowed me to draw comparisons between the different complex healthcare systems.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
Bonding with the other participants and celebrating our time together along with the doctors we shadowed. We would discuss our interests, passions, and motivation for medicine, and it was an incredible experience to learn from and alongside them.
What was your experience with the doctors you were shadowing?
Because of the pre-established relationships with the hospitals in which we shadowed, all the doctors were very welcoming and accommodating. They were willing to translate for us and explain in detail all of their medical decisions. My doctors and I had wonderful conversations about the differences between life in Spain vs. the United States.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I was excited to scrub in on surgeries and watch as the doctor explained what he was doing throughout the operation. Before and after surgeries, as well as in my other rotations, I observed how the doctors reassured and communicated with their patients. I was able to glean insight into differences between the experience of health in Spain versus the United States through observation as well as conversations with the doctors.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
Besides the wealth of medical knowledge I gained from shadowing the doctors, I challenged myself to step outside of my cultural comfort zone and explore more than I thought I was capable of. Atlantis allowed me to make connections with people from all around the United States and abroad, and the friendships I gained helped me learn so much more than I would have on my own.
Lauren Cox
- Atlantis '18
- Louisiana Tech '20
- U. of Arkansas MD '24
Lauren Cox
Libson, Portugal ’18 || Louisiana Tech
Completed Atlantis Program Location(s):
Lisbon, Portugal
Year of most recent program:
Fall ’17 – Summer ’18
Season of most recent program:
Summer
Do you believe your Atlantis experience helped you get into your graduate program?
Extremely helpful
Generally, why do you think Atlantis helped you get into your graduate program?
It exposed me to shadowing that was hard to come by in the states. It also gave me a chance to see other systems of healthcare.
Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews? If so, how much relative to other topics?
Yes – they wanted to know about my experience, and specifically how the healthcare I saw in another country compared to what I had seen in the USA.
Kayla Riegler
- Atlantis '18
- U. of Kentucky '20
- U. of Kentucky MD '24
About Atlantis
Atlantis is the leader in pre-health shadowing and clinical experience, offering short-term programs (1-10 weeks) over academic breaks for U.S. pre-health undergraduates. Medical schools want 3 things: (1)healthcare exposure, (2)GPA/MCAT, and (3)certain competencies. Atlantis gives you a great version of (1), frees you to focus on (2), and cultivates/shows (3) to medical school admissions committees.
Watch Video: The Atlantis Shadowing Experience and How it Helps In Your Med/PA Admissions Future
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