What work experience do I need to apply to medical school?

A lot of people would assume you need hours of shadowing a doctor in order to build a successful application to medical school. However, this is simply not the case. While it may give you a useful insight into the day-to-day role of a doctor and the vast range of specialities, what is more important is what the experience taught you and how that has continued your own personal development and motivated you to become a doctor. It may not be possible for everyone to gain experience in a clinical setting but the essential characterstics of a doctor: good communication skills, empathy and commitment can be gained through other routes such as voluntary work for example being a Bedside Buddy to patients or even by working in a local charity shop. I would encourage my students to reflect regularly into what their experiences have taught them and why that makes them the right person to be given a place at medical school.