13: What are Some Good Gap Year Ideas? - a podcast by Ryan Gray

Session 13 The gap year is a great opportunity to accomplish a lot as a premed. In today's episode we'll cover some great gap year ideas before medical school.
So what should you do during a gap year? And what shouldn't you do during a gap year?
But before that, did you know our episodes are recorded live on Facebook? Happening at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays, check out our https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Facebook page) and like the page to be notified.Also, listen to all our other podcasts on MedEd Media and our https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel).
[00:25]What is a Gap Year? If you're looking to talk a gap year, you're probably not going to be a student who applies to medical school in the Summer. Or you're probably not applying right at the beginning of your senior year to hopefully go straight into medical school as soon as you graduate. Otherwise, you're not going to take a gap year and go right into medical school."But if for some reason taking the MCAT or you delay applying to medical school then you are going to have a gap year."This means you're going to have a year between when you graduate college to when you start medical school.
[01:09]What You Should Do During Gap Year The first thing to keep in mind is to not think it's just a free year where you can go do whatever you want.
You are applying to go to medical school. So you're telling the admissions committees that you want to be a doctor. Now, if you spend your year backpacking through France, then you're not proving to them that."A gap year isn't a free pass to do whatever you want. Your gap year should keep you plugged in to the medical world as much as possible."A lot of students are involved in doing research or clinical experience or shadowing. You can do things like scribing or being an EMT. Volunteer at a hospice or in hospital settings. Work as a CNA. Just be involved in that clinical setting for that year and that's a great way to spend your gap year.
[02:45]Do You Need to Work in the Medical Field During Your Gap Year? No, you don't need to work in the medical field. It actually depends on your situation. But stay plugged into the medical world.
Don't go a whole year without shadowing or clinical experience or some sort of volunteering. Otherwise, putting down your clinical experience on your extracurricular activities a year before your application, is going to look bad. So don't have that big gap.
[03:40]Continuity is Key Don't fall into the mistake that you have enough hours so you don't need that anymore."You need continuous hours. Continuity is key here. You don't need to rack up hundreds of hours.”
But if you have a couple of hours every couple of weeks and a couple of hours every month, this is the continuity they're looking for. And this is very important to show the admissions committee that you're still plugged into this world. This is to show them that this is really what you want to do. You're still immersing in it and that's the important part.
Lastly, stay plugged in. Stay current with all of your shadowing and clinical experience and everything else. Then the rest will be okay. You can do whatever you want on top of that.Links: https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media)
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