Summer Opportunities for Premedical Students: MCAT Prep, Clinical Experience, and Research

Hi, everyone! My name is Amanda Kaine, a first-year medical student in New York. I am also on the HPSP Scholarship and I am in the United States Army as a 2LT! Originally, I am from Florida, and I love the heat, alluding me to our topic today, summer! 

Summer is typically the time for students of all education levels to swap textbooks for pool rafts and trade lecture halls for a nice stroll on the beach. For premed students, summer can actually be the most opportunistic time of the year. Summer allows for demanding premed academic schedules to be cleared, leaving room for opportunities to enhance one's hands-on clinical experience, delve into research, volunteer, or begin preparing for the medical school admissions exam, the MCAT as a premed student. Summer is the time to be intentional about a path forward in medicine. In this blog, I’ll walk through the plethora of opportunities as a premed student!

Clinical Experience or Shadowing for Premedical Students

When it comes to patient care, it is vital that a premedical student gains hands-on experience before setting foot in medical school. Below is a list of ways to dip your feet into medicine:

• Emergency Medical Technician (EMT): This requires you to attend EMT training/school and pass the NREMT. I went to an accelerated EMT school over the summer. Subsequently, I spent my 6 months as a first responder between my undergraduate graduation and my first Master’s. Being the first person a patient sees when they need medical care was one of the most eye-opening and meaningful experiences I had as a premedical student. If available, see if your community allows EMTs to be hired on a 9-11 emergency vehicle; you will get to experience the prehospital side of medicine!
• Medical Scribe 
• Medical Assistant
• Clinical Research Coordinator 
• Shadowing a physician: Although tedious, cold emailing a specific specialty In your email, tell the physician why you’re interested in their specialty andthen ask if they allow premed students to rotate through. I have found this is less paperwork in a private practice setting, unless you’re a student at that specific university and the hospital is connected to that school. In this case, paperwork may be less!
  
  

MCAT Preparation Tips for Premeds

“The MCAT is scary, the MCAT is important” – we all heard that one before. Remember the MCAT is just one step in a larger mission of you becoming a physician. 

Over the summer, premed students can study and craft a plan that fits the amount of time they may have. Whether it’s 4 weeks, 6 weeks, or 8, the ability to progress and find resources that work with your learning is what matters. 

An ideal MCAT study plan for premed students may include:

• AAMC: The AAMC creates the exam, hence the practice questions resemble content similar to the exam itself.
• UWorld: This can provide an additional set of questions and allow you to further unveil your strengths and weaknesses.
• Sketchy: If learning mnemonics and visualization fits your learning style – Sketchy can be a game-changer. Whether it's mastering the TCA cycle or reviewing microbiology pathogens, Sketchy can be a great resource for content review, as well as quizzes alongside the sketch. 
• Anki: Sketchy MCAT Anki is a great resource to review if you are a flashcard type of learner. 
• Kaplan Books: The Kaplan Books are a great resource for all four sections of the exam with content review for each topic covered. 

With great resources available, the MCAT becomes less scary and more of a challenge that eager students are ready to conquer to achieve their goal of becoming a physician.

Research Opportunities for Premedical Students

Research is the foundation of medicine! Over the summer, this is a great opportunity for premeds to explore various labs or clinical research opportunities. In addition to volunteering in a lab, one can apply for a research summer internship. There is a list provided of premedical research opportunities by the AAMC, found here.

Community Service for Premed Students

As a premed student, it’s important to volunteer with organizations you genuinely care about. To find out more about what volunteering opportunities are in your area, do a quick Google search on nonprofit organizations nearby. A great resource I used was volunteermatch.com. 

Volunteering in the community can broaden your perspective, revealing both the diversity that exists and the barriers many still face and as future doctors and students, it’s on us to help build a better tomorrow.

How Premedical Students Can Rest, Reset, and Recharge

With all this said, it is very important to relax over the summer too. Time is precious so find new hobbies and spend time with loved ones. Ensure to give yourself adequate rest to be fueled to go back to the grind of studying. Burnout is real – make sure to take care of yourself and take time for you.

Overall, the summer is a great time to explore your interests and drive your passions forward for your future in medicine. Remember, it’s about balance. We can't be poor from an empty cup – remember to recharge and do what you enjoy over the summer to boost you for the new academic year. 

Fuel your passions with medicine you are interested in – if you are fascinated by surgery, go shadow in the OR! If you are interested in Emergency Medicine – volunteer in the ED, become an EMT, work as a first responder, or shadow an ER Doc! 

There is a space in medicine for everyone. Explore various fields of medicine early on and take the summer to expand your perspective. Every experience, every learned lesson, every failure that makes you stronger, every success – everything you do will contribute to the physician you become. I am so excited to watch the premedical community flourish into future physicians!

What are you doing to spend your summer?