Stats:
Senior Biology major (Graduating in May)
cGPA:3.07
sGPA:3.37 (strong upward trend)
40 Hrs Volunteer Experience at a Clinic
10 hours shadowing an AA

I am currently planning what I need to accomplish in the spring semester to improve my resume as much as possible, and secure solid LORs.

Currently, I am worried about about how my lack of ECs in the health field will impact me. As of right now, the only hospital experience I have is 40 hours of volunteer work. I plan on getting that up to 100+ hours over winter break, as well as extensively shadowing an anesthesiologist.


Next semester I will already be pretty busy with a job doing lab prep, and conducting a small research project, along with my course load and studying for the GRE. Would a job in hospital then be a good next step to up my ECs? Or should I focus my time on research, and my lab prep job, while upping my volunteering and shadowing in the winter?

My main motivation for a hospital job is to show my interest in the medical field. Im not sure how critical this is for AAs, however, so maybe a job in a hospital should not be my priority. Like I said, next semester I am going to be working in the microbiology lab at my university, and possibly will be doing some research. If I had a hospital job on top of this, along with normal course work and having to study for the GRE, it may be too much.

My second motivation to obtain a hospital job is to gain another solid LOR. As of right now, I know of 2 professors that will likely write me a good letter. I am either wanting to get another letter from my boss at whatever job I land in the hospital, or from an anesthesiologist I am going to shadow. I know one anesthesiologist in my area that had a kid I played soccer with, and I can get in contact with him fairly easily, and secure a solid LOR after extensively shadowing him.

With all these factors in mind, does anyone think I should attempt to get a job in a hospital, or should I focus on my school work/GRE and make my EC priorities on volunteering and shadowing hours?