Medical schools seek applicants who have a realistic idea of what it’ll be like to be a physician, and having concrete exposure to patients and the health care system will help you convince the schools (and yourself) that you know what you're getting yourself into. You'll be able to speak more concretely about your motivation, and to describe your vision of your future in medicine based in part on seeing how others have navigated the path you hope to undertake.
According to the survey given to entering medical students in fall 2024, 95% of respondents had shadowed a health professional, and 90% had volunteered in the healthcare field. And according to a survey of admissions officers, community service and physician shadowing were the two most important types of experiences they use when deciding whom to interview and accept to medical school.
In addition to continuing to seek in person opportunities, we recommend a combination of reading (memoirs, current news, AAMC content like the "Real Stories" series); career chats with health professionals; taking classes that engage with health topics; and direct service within diverse communities that you hope to serve as a physician. Admissions committees will consider all the different ways you've learned about medicine, doctoring, and the healthcare system, and these experiences and the stories you can tell from them will help distinguish you in the application process.
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