Looking to Fill Gaps During this Upcoming Summer?

When applying to medical, PA, PT, dental, and other professional schools, they often look for their applicants to have: patient care hours, research experience, shadowing experiences, good grades, and testing scores.

The summer is the perfect opportunity to fill some gaps that you may have in your application. This blog post will outline the various ways in which you can achieve this.

Research
1. Denison Anderson Summer Scholars- for students pursuing projects in biology, chemistry, computer science, earth and environmental sciences, math, physics, and psychology
  1. Interested students should learn more about the research opportunities available in their desired department. Students will meet with professors with open lab spots and learn more about their specific projects
  2. Selected students will spend the summer living on Denison’s campus and earning a set stipend
  3. LINK for a blog written about the ten-week experience
  4. Upcoming Summer Scholars Info Session: Monday, October 28th, 7-8 pm
  5. Have questions? Contact rettig@denison.edu
2. Check other Universities’ research programs or job positions via their website; often at larger institutions, each department has its own website and posts its specific positions (ex. If you wanted to do chemistry research at the University of Pittsburgh, I would explore the Pitt Chemistry Department’s website)
3. Check Handshake! A lot of great research positions and internships are posted there; tip: check regularly as new positions get posted daily
Patient Care Hours
1. Get certifications such as; Emergency Medical Technician, Paramedic, Medical Assistant, Patient Care Technician, Certified Nursing Assistant, Medical Scribe, Phlebotomist, Certified Pharmacy Technician
2. Experiences without certifications: work as a hospital volunteer (ex. Licking Memorial Hospital volunteer), hospice aide (ex. Hospice of Central Ohio), physical therapy aide, volunteer at pop-up clinics (ex. La Clinica Latina in Columbus), and rehab technician
Shadowing
1. Research specific hospitals near you and see if they have a place on their website to apply for shadowing positions
2. Ask a Denisonian- this is a GREAT resource. On this platform, you will specify your desire, which is shadowing in this case, preferred location, specialty interests, and the algorithm will match you with the best fitting alumni to respond
  1. LINK to ask a Denisonian
3. Connect with physicians, PAs, PTs, DOs, etc. on LinkedIn/send messages
4. Cold email local physicians or physician’s offices
5. Worried about not getting paid for your time over the summer? The Denison Internship Program will actually PAY YOU to shadow over the summer! For example, you could shadow a total of 200 hours during the summer and submit this as an internship for Knowlton Center funding
Grades
1. Summertime is a great opportunity to take supplemental classes to boost your GPA or to fill in missing classes required for applications
2. Check local institutions and community colleges for their summer listings
Testing Scores (MCAT, GRE, DAT, etc.)
1. Many aspiring medical, dental, PT, etc. students choose to devote a summer to studying for these professional schooling exams
2. Create a schedule to follow over the summer, set your exam date, and find study methods and resources that work for you!