Imposter Syndrome Sucks... WAMC

[diaboliquedillpickle]

At the point where I just need some reassurance...

MCAT: 512: 128/130/127/127 (Was sick during the MCAT. Should've voided it. Ended up in hospital for 4 days post exam.)
PREview: 5
Casper: 4th Quartile

GPA: sGPA:3.94 cGPA:3.95 Engineering major with >50 credits from high school

Ohio Resident with strong ties to Indiana, Michigan, and Virginia
ORM but coming from rural/underserved area. Passion for rural medicine

Clinical Experience: 100+ volunteer PCT Med/surg. 1200 paid PCT OR/Ortho/CV. 300 volunteer EMS
Research Experience: 600 in engineering (leading proprietary research in one field with international impacts.) 400 in academic projects
Shadowing: 60 hours virtual due to limitations in my area from COVID. Worked closely with physicians during paid clinical experience though.
Non-clinical Volunteering: 1500+ across athletics, youth development, and community events
NCAA Athlete with multiple conference and national academic recognitions
President of several engineering honor societies, no involvement with university premed clubs
Lifelong violinist and concertmaster of several orchestras. Several international performances since high school.
Personal challenge of having open heart surgery during college due to an athletic injury.

No gap years. Just a passion for caffeine.

Verified Application in early June. All secondaries submitted.

School List:

Albany Medical College

Carle Illinois College of Medicine

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Central Michigan University College of Medicine

Drexel

Eastern Virginia Medical School

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

George Washington University

Georgetown University School of Medicine

Indiana University School of Medicine

Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine

Medical College of Wisconsin

Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

NEOMED

New York Medical College

Northwestern University The Feinberg School of Medicine

Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

Ohio State University College of Medicine

Penn State

Quinnipiac University

Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

The University of Toledo College of Medicine

UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine

University of Arizona College of Medicine

University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

University of Colorado School of Medicine

University of Michigan

University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

University of Utah School of Medicine

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine

Wayne State University School of Medicine

Weil Cornell Medicine

Western Michigan University

Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[toastedbutter]

No Tufts Maine track? Very heavy rural focus there you'd fit into well

University of Utah favors IS, but if you applied to the RUUTE Scholars program that may help?

I think you have a great application and experiences. Best of luck!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Read

Application Advice for Future Rural Health Professionals - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

What activities underscore your passion for rural health? It's not obvious as much as your engineering, musical, and athletic accomplishments. Please break down your 1500? hours of nonclinical volunteering.

 

[diaboliquedillpickle]

What activities underscore your passion for rural health? It's not obvious as much as your engineering, musical, and athletic accomplishments. Please break down your 1500? hours of nonclinical volunteering.

All 1500 hours have been done within a rural community with underserved students. Developed initiatives to pull middle and high school students out of poverty with a guaranteed job and fully funded post secondary education. Addressed barriers keeping them out of school. Taught students skills to succeed in school and professionally and functioned as a mentor for many students whose parents were unable to care for them. Hosted events on weekends so that students had a safe place to learn and three guaranteed meals each day. My programs have helped over 800 students have a successful life without turning to drugs or crime that was common with the demographic I worked with.

I fought with diversity grants because my students “didn’t qualify” as underserved even though 97% were below the poverty line. The average household income where I live is just over $33k. One of my students had never eaten in a restaurant. One was living out of a nearly totaled RV because they had no other option. Homeless shelters practically don’t exist out here. Food banks rarely have enough food. Public transportation is a foreign concept.

Yes, 1500 seems like a ton of hours in one project. But that includes time with the students, planning events, ensuring we have supplies, meeting with local business and the CC to set up partnerships, fundraising, and a lot more administrative duties. And that’s only since I began college. I started with middle school students in high school.

All of my clinical experience has been with rural patients. Friday nights in a rural ER 150+ miles from any Level 1 gets you a ton of hands on experience quickly. I had quite a few days that I was pulling a full day of college classes, working night shifts, going back to classes and finally taking a nap before going to practice. Spent a week with the flight team learning about the protocols and how they managed transporting critical patients long distances.

I’ve cared for patients who received care too late. If they had access to health care, maybe they’d still be alive today. The young patient with a headache for years but couldn’t afford transportation to any neurologist. The hip patient who now only has half a pelvis due to infection. The fact that currently, the soonest PCP opening with an APP is in March in my community. It’s an 11 month wait to see a physician.

My passion for rural medicine is the fact that my family pulled ourselves out of hard circumstances. I almost lost my brother due to our barriers to healthcare in rural communities. I’m going to stay in a rural community as a physician. I can’t see myself anywhere else.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Cool! All your in-states should be in play, and include OUHCOM on the DO side, which is very dedicated to rural health and might be familiar with your accomplishments too.

 

[MyOdyssey]

Perhaps think about adding Cincinnati.