Student Doctor Network: A Community Created For Students, By Students
Student Doctor Network (SDN) was created by medical students in 1999 as a nonprofit service. Its goal: to provide free advising resources, tools, and a peer-support forum community to those who would otherwise not have access to such services.
SDN brings together hundreds of thousands of current and future healthcare students and professionals into one community where they can share information and offer guidance. Students can provide encouragement to their peers and those coming up behind them as well as seek advice from vetted experts. Whether considering a gap year, struggling with the intensity of their classes, or navigating the Match, members can find someone who understands what they’re facing.
Activity Finder: Extracurricular Activities for Healthcare Applications
Activity Finder is a web-based tool that allows premed and other prehealth students to find extracurricular activities to support their health professional school application.
- Job search for common premed and prehealth paid clinical jobs with an integrated Career One Source search
- Listings of resources to help find online shadowing, research, and volunteer opportunities
- Detailed insight on how students can approach physicians for shadowing opportunities and researchers for open positions
The development of Activity Finder was completed using The Opportunity Project “sprint” framework and submitted as an entrant in the Open Data for Good Grand Challenge. On December 14, 2021, it was announced that Activity Finder had been selected as a Challenge winner in the Health and COVID-19 category.
AMCAS Tracker: Crowdsourced Information on Application Processing
AMCAS Tracker allows students applying to allopathic medical schools to estimate when their application will be verified. Combining crowdsourced information with official AMCAS status information, AMCAS Tracker highlights the number of days required for transcripts sent by different methods to be verified. Transcripts must be verified before a student’s application is released to medical schools.
Application Assistant: See How You Stack Up Against Other Applicants
Based on a student’s GPA and MCAT score, students can identify schools that may be a good fit for them academically.
Interview Feedback: Crowdsourced Interview Information
SDN’s Interview Feedback Database allows students to anticipate their interview experiences.
Based on feedback from applicants throughout SDN’s history, the Interview Feedback database details the interview experience at health professional schools, including interview type and specific questions asked.
Medical School Application Cost Calculator: Identify the Costs for Applying to Medical School
Applying to medical school is expensive.
Students are often unaware of the extensive costs associated with just the application process for medical school. The SDN application cost calculator allows students to develop a budget for their application based on costs for testing, primary and secondary applications, and interview travel.
Medical Specialty Selector: Understand Your Interests
Which specialty is best suited to your interests, abilities, and personality?
SDN and Anita Taylor, author of How to Choose a Medical Specialty, have partnered to provide this online overview of specialities. Learn more about each specialty and take the assessment quiz to find out which specialties best match your values and personality.
Premed Planner: Plan Your Path To Medical School
Track your progress from freshman year of college all the way to medical school with HPSA’s Premed Planner Application.
As the requirements for medical school continue to increase and the process becomes more competitive, the Premed Planner App was developed to help all students maximize their chances of a successful medical school application. To help you track your progress while preparing to apply to medical school, the app provides:
- Application process overview
- Premedical course timeline
- Volunteering, shadowing, and clinical experience expectations
- Ability to log and track hours, along with notifications to remind you to log your activity hours
- Track certifications and get reminders when they need to be renewed
Available for both iOS and Android devices. As always, HPSA’s resources are provided through the generous support of donors and sponsors. Personal data is not tracked, and you may download your information at any time.
Review2: Research Your Test Center
Understand your testing environment.
Health professional schools require students to complete high stakes tests like the MCAT and DAT at commercial testing centers. However, not all test centers are created equal. Review2 allows students to read up on their test center and learn about any potential issues with temperature, noise, or parking. These tests are already stressful – getting prepared for your test environment can increase the odds of a smooth testing experience.