Alternative Options for a Gap Year Before Medical School

A gap year prior to matriculating to medical school are becoming increasingly popular. Traditional gap year plans typically involve employment within the medical field, whether that be working as a medical scribe, an EMT or in biomedical research.

These popular options can be a great fit for applicants who are eager to immerse themselves in medicine. However, with the perspective that you have an entire lifetime of medicine ahead of you as a future physician, you may want to consider pursuing employment outside of the medical field during your gap year.

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Here are four excellent options for college graduates interested in pursuing a nontraditional, meaningful gap year prior to medical school.

-- Political aide: With the recent surge in civic engagement throughout the country, there has never been a better time to get involved in politics. Political jobs -- whether as a staffer for a federal or state representative or as part of a campaign -- are an excellent route to help propel a cause or candidate that you believe in.

These roles can also offer a unique opportunity to gain perspective on several issues that directly affect medical care, including the role of government in health care, legislative efforts to control the opioid epidemic and the funding of biomedical research. Insight into the political process is important for your growth as a citizen as well as for the future of medicine -- physicians need colleagues that are well-versed in politics and capable of advocating on the behalf of themselves and their patients.

-- Teach for America: The relationship between education and socioeconomic status and health is well-established. If you have a passion for education and social justice, you should consider Teach for America.

By all accounts, Teach for America is a demanding program; however, the skills gained through this experience -- including working under pressure, building relationships and learning effective time management -- are invaluable for your future success in medical school. Being an effective medical student and then physician requires being approachable and educating patients with diverse backgrounds and levels of literacy.

While Teach for America requires a two-year commitment, it has unique partnerships with many medical schools that facilitate deferred matriculation for students who are admitted to the medical school and decide to pursue Teach For America.

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-- Museum intern: In many ways, medicine is the intersection between science and the humanities. Despite this, art does not traditionally play a prominent role in undergraduate medical education. But if you have a passion for the arts, consider pursuing one of the many internships that art museums offer recent graduates.

These internships generally require a one-year commitment and are an excellent opportunity to immerse yourself in a world that is quite distinct from medicine. This experience will also provide you with unique insights to share with your future medical school classmates, especially in light of the fact that medical school curricula are beginning to more formally incorporate art.

-- Peace Corps: If you're interested in pursuing a social justice project while immersing yourself in a different culture, consider the Peace Corps, which offers a variety of different projects, from infrastructure and environmental initiatives to economic development and health education.

Given the profound role that culture can play in driving illness, this is a unique opportunity to gain an understanding of culture different from your own. This will provide invaluable insight for your interactions with your future patients.

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Like Teach for America, the Peace Corps requires a two-year commitment. If you'd prefer to limit your time off to a year, AmeriCorps offers similar assignments within the U.S.

Irrespective of the employment you choose during your gap year, allow time for a longstanding interest that you may not have the time to pursue during medical school. This might include taking an improv class, learning a language or finishing your first marathon.

Medicine benefits tremendously from a diversity of perspectives, which are enhanced through different life experiences. Choosing to pursue one of these experiences during your gap year can both facilitate your personal development and enhance the insights you are able to contribute to your medical school team.

Jeff Cooney is a senior editor at Firecracker, an adaptive learning platform to help students improve study techniques and test scores. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Boston College and Master of Arts from Boston University. He is an M.D.-Ph.D. student at the University of Texas Health Science Center--San Antonio with an interest in cancer biology.