Re: Anyone plan to apply for Case Western AA program? Archived Message
Posted by Vanessa on December 5, 2009, 11:46 pm, in reply to "Re: Anyone plan to apply for Case Western AA program?"
Please don't let a lack of shadowing keep you from applying to Nova, South, Emory and UMKC. You only need to shadow an anesthesia provider for one day to meet this requirement and the anesthesia provider can be either an anesthesiologist, anesthesiologist assistant, or a CRNA. You may have to call several hospitals before you find one that will allow you to job shadow, but you will be able to find one. I haven't heard of an applicant yet who hasn't found someone to shadow. I'm sure that you can find someone to shadow in a hospital in your area. If not, why not visit a major city to get the one day of experience? It's a whole lot less effort and money than studying for the MCAT, plus it will greatly increase your chances of being accepted into a program. I believe that I read on Emory's website that if you're interested in applying to their program and you're having difficulty finding someone to shadow, to call them and they will help you find someone to shadow.
As for medical experience, although it is definitely helpful to have on your application, it's not the only thing that the schools consider. For example, my experience consisted primarily of volunteering in a hospital. My only exposure to surgery was two days of shadowing experience.
I don't mean any disrespect at all to Case Western Reserve - it's an excellent program with a proven track record. We would all be fortunate to receive our training there. I just feel as though you are limiting your chances of being accepted into a program by only applying there. Case Western's program is as difficult to gain acceptance to as most medical schools. I recommend applying to several programs, going to all of the interviews, and picking the school that you think will be the best learning environment for you since the school environments are a bit different in each program.
One last thing to consider is the admissions deadlines. The application deadline for next year's class at Case Western Reserve was November 20th, so you'd have to wait another year to apply and matriculate, while you can still apply to Emory, Nova, and South for the programs starting next summer and to UMKC for the classes starting in January 2011.
Best of luck with the MCATs and whatever path you choose.
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