Pre-Health Resources

Medical and dental schools prefer candidates who have had experience in the field through volunteering, internships, shadowing, or working in an office. Ultimately, applicants in any health profession will greatly enhance their chances of being admitted if they have had this kind of experience in their chosen profession as well as a letter of recommendation from a professional in that field. There are numerous ways to gain clinical experience.

Here are a few examples:

Hospital Volunteer

Area hospitals are always looking for volunteers. Some have established volunteer programs for college students and most will at least have a volunteer coordinator who can help you gain a position. The more patient care and observation of hospital staff you can get, the better. So working in the emergency department, or playing with children in pediatrics, for example, would be more meaningful than working in the gift shop or doing data entry. Most volunteer positions are fairly basic at first but as you get to know the doctors, nurses, and other staff, and show your enthusiasm and trustworthiness in the environment, you may gain access to more hands-on opportunities. Summer is a great time to volunteer since you have more hours to work with.

Shadowing

Shadowing can be formal or informal, long-term or for a single day. Shadowing basically refers to working one-on-one with health professionals to see what they do in a regular work day (or week, or other time period). Shadowing differs from a formal volunteer program in that you’ll work directly with the health care professional to determine your level of participation and what you hope to gain from the experience. Most shadowing occurs when the student is already familiar with the health care professional. For instance, you may know some doctors who are family friends, or your pediatrician may be willing to let you work with him or her for some amount of time. Shadowing is most useful when you have a chance to interact with patients, observe procedures, or otherwise have a fairly hands-on role. Keep in mind that not all shadowing is clinical experience.

Health Care Internships

Internships differ from shadowing and volunteer work in the formality, and the compensation for your participation. Internships can be paid or unpaid, and the amount of time and level of responsibility also varies widely. Internships tend to have specific learning goals that you are meant to gain from your experience. There are a wealth of internships available, in clinical work, research, and many other medically-relevant settings.

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

EMT training is available through several venues, and an EMT license can be used when working for other employers including fire departments.

Macaulay students have numerous opportunities to explore the area of biomedical research on and off campus. Many departments offer information about joining research labs. You can start by looking at individual faculty members’ web pages, which include research interests and recent publications. After viewing web pages, follow up with a visit to faculty members during their office hours or at their laboratories.

Off-campus Research Opportunities

Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program (REUs) funded by the National Science Foundation, these summer research experiences take place at a number of different colleges and universities throughout the country. Most include housing and a stipend. Deadlines tend to be early so if you are interested, we recommend visiting this site throughout the fall/spring.

Research and Training Opportunities at the National Institutes of Health is a page that highlights summer research opportunities at the NIH and more.

Clinicaltrials.gov is a searchable database that includes all of the federally funded clinical research trials going on throughout the country. You can search by city/state, and you can then browse the studies and contact the physicians/scientists conducting them to see if research positions are available.

Each year a number of summer research/enrichment programs are held at various government agencies, universities, and pharmaceutical companies. Some of these programs are specifically tailored to underrepresented ethnic minorities and economically disadvantaged individuals. They are typically designed to supplement a student’s science education and/or offer exposure to the health profession field through clinical or research work. Listed below are several off-campus opportunities focusing on biomedical research.

NIH Biomedical Research Summer Internship

The NIH Clinical Center (CC) Summer Internship Program selects students to participate in the Clinical Center’s internship experience. At the Clinical Center— the nation’s largest hospital devoted entirely to clinical research—students work with mentors who are researchers and health professionals; participate in the NIH Research Poster Festival with results generated by their work in this summer program; and attend weekly lectures presented by NIH investigators.

Summer Medical and Dental Education Programs (SMDEP)

The AAMC’s SMDEP is a free (full tuition, housing, and meals) six-week summer medical and dental school preparatory program that offers eligible students intensive and personalized medical and dental school preparation. The programs include academic enrichment activities, clinical exposure, and other activities. Each of the 11 programs has different entrance criteria and all are interested in first- and second-year college students with a demonstrated interest in issues affecting underserved populations. Applications are competitive.

GREAT group SURP programs

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Graduate Education, Training and Research (GREAT) maintains a website with links to its members’ summer undergrad research programs (SURPs) . These programs allow students to participate in cutting-edge research, and often offer a stipend, room and board, and travel allowance. The applicant pool is competitive and you’re encouraged to apply early.

Health Care Careers Enrichment Programs

Explorehealthcareers.com has an option on their home page to find enrichment programs, many of which are summer programs.

Application Services

• Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
• American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM)
• American Dental Education Association (ADEA)
• Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges
• American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)
• American Association of Pharmacy Colleges (AAPC)
• Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO)
• American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM)
• Association of Naturopathic Medical Colleges
• American Public Health Association

 

Helpful Resources

The books listed below include a summary of admission requirements of each allopathic medical and dental school in the United States and Canada. In addition to admission requirements, they have valuable information regarding state residency preferences, foreign medical schools, and financial aid, as well as profiles of accepted applicants from the previous year such as GPA, MCAT, and DAT scores. We recommend that all students order or download the appropriate book the spring prior to submitting their applications.

 

Medical schools

The print and e-book versions of “The Official Guide to Medical School Admissions” (including the United States and Canada) can be purchased from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). A free preview of the book is also available.

 

Dental schools

Print and e-book versions of “The ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools” can be purchased from the American Dental Education Association (ADEA).