Most are familiar with “stocking stuffers,” all those small gifts and candy that fill our Christmas stockings. but how many are familiar with the phrase “resume stuffers?” Anyone familiar with compiling a resume or filling out an application remembers scratching his or her brain for all those clubs, organizations and extra-curricular activities in which one participated over the years. This is often the place where we’re most likely to exaggerate or even lie about our past participation and/or level of involvement. Suddenly, being a casual member becomes serving as an officer or playing a critical role in this or that philanthropic conquest. Pre-medical and medical students are some of the most prolific abusers of the system, vying to make themselves the most attractive and phenomenal applicants one could imagine.
I remember joining clubs because it would “look good on paper.” Then there were organizations I joined purely out of interest and with the hope to enjoy my time and be involved. Some of these organizations fizzled quickly as true interest waned and the “officers” had firmly etched the group’s name and activities into their CVs. Looking through the gobs of AMCAS applications, one might think that every medical school applicant walks on water and can turn water into wine. The truth is far from that. Unfortunately, many applications are devoid of true volunteerism and philanthropy. Having served on the admissions committee at my medical school, I know it’s often quite clear when a resume is padded. What’s harder, unfortunately, is to quickly identify truly significant contributions made by applicants solely based on the list of extra-curricular activities. This is why I encourage applicants, at any level, to weave these significant contributions and organizations into as many portions of the resume/application, particularly into one’s personal statement, giving the reviewer ample opportunity to notice and then inquire further. These are the accomplishments that make applicants unique.
Over the course of undergrad and medical school, I was lucky enough to find two organizations which share my desire to help others and that do so with integrity. Through these organizations, I’ve met several wonderful colleagues and lifelong friends. Phi Delta Epsilon (PhiDE) is a medical fraternity that has undergrad and medical school chapters across the U.S. and abroad. While in undergrad, my co-officers and I started an annual banquet and silent auction that raised $11,000 for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. We put in several hundred hours to set up the event and make it a success. Those efforts remain one of the highlights of my entire undergrad experience. I so enjoyed my time in PhiDE in undergrad that I established a chapter in medical school to share my passion for helping others. Upon graduation, I was asked to serve on the Fraternity Board to help guide PhiDE. We ensure its success providing future members with the same opportunities to work together with like-minded individuals to develop into physicians dedicated to serving others, and to do so with integrity. Despite my busy schedule, I’m still able to make time to participate in our quarterly meetings and maintain contact with members from various chapters.
The other organization with which I’ve maintained contact and continue to help as my schedule allows is the Jason Madachy Foundation. The foundation is named in honor of a college friend, and fellow PhiDE member, who passed away just prior to starting medical school in June 2007. The foundation raises money in order to provide first-year medical students with stethoscopes[S1] . The stethoscope is the iconic tool of a physician and is the instrument by which physicians all over the world touch the hearts of their patients. To date, we’ve raised over $250,000 and provided several hundred stethoscopes to students at over 50 medical schools. Each year, the foundation hosts a dinner/auction where the majority of our funds are raised. We also have a lapel pin with our logo and motto that we sell, and we have an “Adopt-a-Scope” program where we get direct donations for stethoscopes. Over the past 5 years, I’ve been able to help the foundation through designing the pin and helping develop the “Adopt-a-Scope” program as well as help with the promotional literature. It’s been an honor to work with Jason’s parents, family and friends to develop the foundation and be able to provide stethoscopes to deserving medical students. It’s our hope that someday we’ll be able to reach medical students in all 50 states and see our stethoscope recipients go on to succeed and share their stories with us. If you’re interested in learning more about the foundation, please visit our web page at www.jasonmadachyfoundation.org.
During this holiday season, it’s my hope that all of the pre-med and medical students out there find a way to make a difference and help out the greater community in any way they can. I hope that anyone reading this will reassess their extra-curricular activities and strive to get involved and make them more than just “resume stuffers.”