There are many ways to gain relevant experience before you apply to health professions school. Today’s post will help you to think a bit more creatively about what you can do with your love of science, human biology and working with people. Postbac Stephanie Tin talks about working at the Museum of Science:

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the post-bac program, it’s that being pre-health doesn’t mean being a bio major. The path to being a clinician can start anywhere – from journalism in New York City, or teaching in South Africa – and it can include more than just taking classes, shadowing doctors, and working in research labs.

So when I started looking for medically-relevant extracurriculars, I didn’t limit my search to the clinical setting. I built off of my early education background and ended up at the Museum of Science in an exhibit dedicated to human health, biology, and behavior.

At the Museum of Science, I give an array of interactive educational presentations, like sheep eye dissections, bonobo skeleton reconstructions, and pig heart/lung demonstrations. I work with and learn from real anatomy every day, and I have picked up so much information that I wasn’t taught in class. (Did you know that a child’s heart rate is faster than an adult’s? Or that you can taste salt, but not smell it?)

The visitor interactions are fantastic. I have learned so much by helping others learn and exploring their curiosities. And my co-workers are a great resource! I work with about a dozen volunteers who give presentations with me, many of whom are retired physicians or professors of science, and every single one of them is there because they love working with people and sharing their experiences.

In the meantime, I am also designing a new presentation to bring into the exhibit, which requires research into biology (What should we teach?) as well as two different levels of education (How should we teach it to presenters? How should we teach it to visitors?).

You can learn without being in a classroom, you can study the human body without being in a hospital, and you can do research without being in a lab. My advice: make your pre-med path your own and you’ll enjoy every step.

Museum of Science