Why is it important?
Work experience is valuable for two main
reasons:
- It helps give you a taste of
medicine, to make sure you know that medicine is for you.
- It is expected for your
medical school application and interview. What you have learned
from the experience can make you stand out from the crowd.
How much is enough?
There is no definitive answer and you could
even say that you can never have enough. The competition into
medicine is very high and so someone will always have more work
experience than you. Try to get as much experience as you feasibly
can; start gaining it as early as you can. What you want to make
sure of is that you have something that you can talk about on your
personal statement and at interview. You can read our case-studies to see what some medics actually
did that helped them get into medical school.
We will look at three main types of work
experience:
1. Work shadowing
2. Volunteering
3. Paid work
We will also look at some other suggestions.