Chinese Work Experience

[allyboy]

Hello everyone.

I'm hoping to apply for 2011 entry for GEP, and I wonder if you can help me.

At the moment I'm in China teaching high school English, and have been scraping around looking for work experience. At last, a hospital took me on as a volunteer, and I've gone for a few weeks, but, at the moment, all I do is chat to the doctors, nurses and orderlies. What do you think: is it worth staying on here, they seem to like me and are willing to let me stay; will this work experience count with a GEP application, given that I'm not actually doing stuff?

Thanks for any advice you've got.

[Martigan]

My understanding is, depending on the Uni they are probably looking for two key things.

a) Commitment to the profession.
b) What you are learning about healthcare and being a doctor.

You show commitment by sticking with the volunteering over a long period. The chatting with the doctors is actually quiet useful, if you do it to learn and listen carefully. Plus as you learn more and stick around you will become more useful and get to do more. ie maybe the aptient caring side.

However that’s the opinion of some one that hasn’t even got into a med school yet…

If I was you I would call up some of the schools they you are thinking of applying to explain the situation, and ask their advice.

[allyboy]

Thanks Martigan. I appreciate it.

a) Commitment to the profession.
b) What you are learning about healthcare and being a doctor.

It's a funny old place the hospital. "The profession" over here varies wildly from super-busy consultant (just like back home) in a big expensive hospital to doctor in a hospital for the very poor where quite often a whole day goes by and no work needs done at all. I'm volunteering in the latter type. I often stand around with the same doctors and nurses for two hours in which time they'll have done exactly no work. But through the fog of their poor English and my poor Chinese, they tell me about life as a doctor or nurse, so that is helpful I guess. I suppose being committed means sticking at it even if it is not the ideal experince I'd hoped for...

[McWiseguy]

Hey there allyboy. There's no definitive answer. I have been working in nursing (as a nursing assistant) for a year and a half now but the medical schools don't seem to care really. It's touch and and go...a massive medical lottery! It's impossible to have a definitive answer to what they look for and they all differ slightly. It's weird. Nothing is guaranteed.

[allyboy]

Hi McWiseguy. Strangely, that's comforting. I suppose it suggests that most schools look at each individual as a complete package rather than setting rigid criteria for work experience, academic achievement etc.

[McWiseguy]

Hi McWiseguy. Strangely, that's comforting. I suppose it suggests that most schools look at each individual as a complete package rather than setting rigid criteria for work experience, academic achievement etc.

Hmmm, you'd think so wouldn't you? But I've given up trying to figure out how they process applications!