The AAMC Core Competencies are a groundwork for personal achievements and skills that can underscore your qualifications to enter medical school.
Today we will focus on the intrapersonal competency of Service Orientation. Why is it significant and why do medical schools spotlight your service when you seemingly have so many more tangible qualities to offer?
The short answer is empathy. The long answer is below.
Straight from the source, the AAMC explains service orientation as the “desire to help others and sensitivity to others’ needs and feelings; demonstrates a desire to alleviate others’ distress; recognizes and acts on his/her responsibilities to society; locally, nationally, and globally.”
This definition certainly sounds complex, but it can be incorporated like a perfectly matched puzzle piece into your life if you choose your service correctly.
Service Orientation is not just venturing outside your home and engaging in as many volunteer activities as you can find. This kind of attitude equates to checking off a box on your application, which is something the AAMC has an eagle’s eye for. In this scenario, they are looking for those who have a commitment to others, not those who have a commitment to themselves.
Thus, simply volunteering for the sake of fulfilling a requirement will not exemplify your application or demonstrate your compassion. This is one of the biggest mistakes pre-meds make when it comes down to their service. They spend their time doing things that are too common and not impactful enough. To phrase it bluntly, it turns into busy work with no concrete outcome.
Volunteering where you do not get direct contact with the people you are helping is one form of this problem. Examples include doing activities that are mostly centered around donations and fundraising without ever actually interacting with the community you are working for. Try to avoid experiences where you only do behind-the-scenes work.
Other students also tend to limit themselves to the confines of their campus or community. They may decide to help out at college events that last 1-2 days or refrain from venturing out of their comfort zone to try things that are completely new to them. Being active at university events isn’t a bad thing, but it should not be the main source of your service.
Medical schools like to see that you are able to handle yourself in new situations and with people who may have vastly different life experiences than you. This is why you want to think twice before taking just any volunteer experience you can find.
Examples of Common Pre-Med Volunteer Experiences:
Find a cause you are truly passionate about and work towards alleviating its burdens. It absolutely does not have to be medical related and can be anything from food insecurity to mental health. Commit to the organization you are working with up until the day you leave for medical school. A long-term commitment displays your dedication, empathy, and sacrifice, and it will give you meaningful experiences to discuss at length.
Ensure that you are able to communicate directly with those who benefit from your service. If it makes you uncomfortable at first, then you know you are doing something right. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and work in the trenches. Consider creating your own initiative/project as opposed to just joining one if you can. If it is something that is personally relevant to you where you can truly empathize with those you are aiding, it makes for an extremely strong application component. You are showcasing yourself as the change you needed growing up.
Examples of Exemplary Pre-Med Volunteer Experiences:
Empathy is not to be confused with sympathy; they are vastly different. Sympathy entails feeling upset for the person going through a difficult time or experience. Empathy is deeper. You envision yourself in the shoes of the other person and feel what they feel, whether it be anxiety, grief, or stress. You don’t just “feel bad” for the person; you articulate your speech and actions based on a shared lived experience.
Thus, empathy is absolutely one of the most crucial qualities for a future healthcare worker to possess. You must be able to hear and understand your patients in order to provide them with the best care possible. You must be receptive to their struggles even if they are not struggles you can relate to. Because empathy is not about connecting to an experience; it’s about connecting to emotions. This is learned and cultivated through service.
For example, volunteering as a mental health counselor will give you insight into the hidden battles people face on a daily basis. Their situations may be a staunch contrast to the life you have lived, but there is yet something you can take away from it. You grasp how to actively listen to those around you in their time of need, how to be accepting of the differences that color the world, and simply how to be a good friend. Texters or callers may pour their hearts out to you while you build confidence and productive rapport. Becoming perceptive to other’s needs for emotional support through prolonged mental health counseling is a tool that stays with you indefinitely. It constructs a scaffolding for becoming an empath, which is the heart of service.
A doctor may not only serve as a healer to a patient, but also as a reflective listener. Being an effective confidant stems from empathy, which is why the AAMC holds a service-orientated pre-med in high regard.
About the Author:
Vanshika Goyal is a graduate from the University of California, Davis with a B.S. in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. Her aspiration is to become a physician with a focus on patient-centered care and individualized treatment. She is currently an IGNITE fellow with Teach for America and a very active member of her community. In her free time, she enjoys writing poetry and painting.
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