We all know that extracurricular activities are key for impressing med school or PA school admissions counselors. Shadowing at a clinic or hospital, volunteering, or demonstrating leadership in a group or club send a strong message that you’ve done the legwork to explore a career in medicine and that you’re passionate about it.

At HealthCareer CERTS, we’re all about helping you maximize your opportunities to pursue a healthcare career. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of unique extracurricular activities to balance your academic and personal life with meaningful outside activities and significant experiences that will help you stand out as an applicant.

Not sure what to pursue? Here are some creative and unique recommendations and extracurricular activities:

Set Goals

The first most important step is to identify and set your goals for your pre-health career, according to U.S. News & World Report. The best extracurricular activities are aligned with your specific goals for med or PA school. It’s important to match your outside activities with these goals and your passions.

Carefully Select and Manage Commitments to Extracurricular Activities 

Assess your personal time constraints and prior commitments. When you know you have available time, reach out to several possible opportunities, such as clinical work, service, basic or translational research projects, or leadership activities. Don’t be shy – cold email to get your foot in the door!

Find Creative Pursuits

Have you published poetry? Do you like to paint? Any artistic pursuits make a great contribution to your PA or med school application, according to the American Medical School Association. There is an important role for creativity in medicine, especially since innovation is crucial to advancing healthcare.

Go Global

Translation and international travel experience and being multilingual can be huge advantages in the medical field. Hospitals are always in need of staff who can communicate with a diverse patient population. This is a great opportunity to highlight your study abroad experiences in a unique light as well

Book It

As a pre-health student, one of the best habits you can develop toward your future career is the habit of reading.  Taking time for reading is a great thing to do, HealthCareer CERTS students and grads tell us. Curl up with one of these books and spend some much-needed downtime:

• What Doctors Feel: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine— by Danielle Ofri, MD, This book is top of the reading musts recommended by the American Association of Medical Colleges. Dr. Ofri, an internist, explores the doctor-patient relationship and the role emotions play in patient care.
• The Physician Assistant Student’s Guide to the Clinical Year: Internal Medicine– by David Knechtel & Deborah Opacic. Written by experienced PA educators, this guide details the clinical approach to common presentations such as chest pain, dyspnea, fever and an insider’s look at a PA’s clinical life
• How Doctors Think,By Jerome Groopman, MD is recommended by the American Medical Association. Groopman explores the forces and influences behind a doctor’s thought process and exposes how such processes can lead a physician to err, despite best efforts.
• When Breath Becomes Air , by Paul Kalanithi is recommended by the National Library of Medicine. At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated. When Breath Becomes Airchronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a naïve medical student who must confront his own mortality.

Take Care of You

Staying healthy should be a priority, according to pre-health students. In addition to meaningful extracurricular activities, taking breaks and practicing self-care is essential to maintain your focus and concentration. Also, prioritize your physical health by getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, and staying hydrated.

Describe Your Extracurriculars with Purpose in Your Application 

When it comes time to apply to med school, spend significant time on the extracurricular activity descriptions. Describe explicitly and concisely what you did, but also craft a compelling narrative around your decision to pursue each activity. Highlight any personal growth that has come as a result, lessons you’ve learned and any impact you’ve been able to have on others.

At HealthCareer CERTS, we’re unwavering in our commitment to ensuring that you will be contributing to the healthcare workforce — both present and future — with the skills and education necessary to meet our nation’s rapidly changing health care needs.

For more information on how to advance your healthcare career through our nationally-accredited health certificates click here.