Applying to Med/PA School
Clinical Experience for Medical School: One Pre-Med’s Ultimate Guide
About Marissa
Marissa is a recent graduate of Clemson University where she received her B.S. in Health Sciences. During the summer of 2019, Marissa participated in the Atlantis shadowing program in Trento, Italy, and now works as an Alumni Representative with the company. She is currently applying to medical school where she hopes to become a primary care physician.
As a pre-med student, gaining clinical experience is crucial to building your passions and perspective for medicine. Perhaps more importantly, having an adequate amount of clinical experience is an important component of medical applications. Since there are so many clinical opportunities to choose from, it can often feel overwhelming trying to decide which experiences are best for you. Additionally, I do believe that many pre-med students get caught up in the idea that shadowing and scribing are the only ways to gain clinical experience. While those are very important clinical opportunities, I encourage you to look for programs that you find interesting. If you don’t know where to start, do not worry! Listed below is a guide that I created to help you decide how to go about shaping your clinical experiences.
Look locally
There are many opportunities for clinical experience in your community. For instance, mobile clinics, hospice facilities, and primary care practices are just a few of the places that you can start looking into. Additionally, if you are looking to work with more underserved populations in your community, volunteering at your local VA or free clinic is a great way to gain healthcare exposure. Medical school admissions committees do like to see students who are dedicated to learning from and serving their communities. As a pre-med with clinical experience in underserved communities, you have the ability to gain perspective on the unique challenges patients may face and how it relates to health outcomes.
For more information on your local opportunities, contact your health professions advisor.
Check nearby Emergency Departments (EDs)
Since the ED is such a busy place, there are always opportunities to gain clinical experience that can be used for medical school. For me, I became a volunteer, where I assisted nurses with direct patient care, navigated family members to their loved ones, and safely transported patients to and from the department to ensure comfort during stays in the ED. As a volunteer, I was able to provide a helpful role during difficult times. Additionally, there are paid clinical experiences that can occur in the ED, such as working as a scribe or medical translator.
The ED is also a great place to shadow since you are able to see a variety of different cases and patients. You will also learn more about the stepwise approach that physicians take when a patient presents with a medical problem. Because most EDs are within a hospital, there is a wider range of hours to shadow. This makes it easier to schedule around other time constraints, such as school or extracurriculars.
Go abroad
For students who love to travel, there are plenty of opportunities that exist that aim to provide a clinical experience abroad. Programs like this can be beneficial to future physicians, as it shows them a more worldly view of medicine and healthcare delivery systems. For instance, I had the opportunity to shadow with Atlantis, a program that provided me critical healthcare exposure and allowed me to build my own perspective of healthcare.
For those who would like to study abroad but may not have the funds available, there are resources that may help you pay for your trip. More importantly, if you are interested in gaining clinical experience abroad, it is crucial that you take the time to research programs and find one that is safe for you and your potential host country.
Get certified
Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), phlebotomy, and Medical Assistant (MA) certifications are a few of the many certifications you can pursue to gain a more long-term and hands-on clinical experience. While the training programs vary in length and cost, they are offered by local community colleges, vocational schools, and the Red Cross. It may take time for you to research and find if certifications are the right path for you.
At the end of the day, medical schools are looking for three main things: healthcare exposure, high academic performance, and specific core competencies. Participating in a variety of clinical experiences is a great way to become a strong applicant for medical school. If you are concerned about balancing clinical experiences with your academic load, there are other extracurricular opportunities, such as Atlantis shadowing programs that occur over school breaks. Ultimately, what you choose to pursue should be something that you enjoy. Taking the time to find unique experiences is a great way to embody the qualities medical schools are looking for.
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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