When applying to medical school, one of the biggest questions pre-med students face is: Should I focus more on clinical experience or research? Both play an important role in shaping a strong medical school application, but their importance varies depending on your goals, school preferences, and career aspirations.

At AcceptMed, we help applicants navigate these critical decisions to craft a compelling and strategic application. Some medical schools prioritize research, while others value extensive clinical exposure. Understanding where you fit within this spectrum will help you make the best choices about how to spend your time before applying.

Understanding the Purpose of Clinical and Research Experience

Before deciding which to focus on, it's important to understand why each experience matters in a medical school application.

Clinical Experience (e.g., shadowing, scribing, volunteering, EMT, medical assisting)

• Provides direct patient exposure and insight into the medical profession.
• Helps confirm your interest in medicine and develop patient interaction skills.
• Demonstrates a commitment to healthcare and understanding of the challenges doctors face.

Research Experience (e.g., lab work, clinical studies, public health research)

• Develops scientific thinking, analytical skills, and attention to detail.
• Shows an interest in advancing medicine through research and evidence-based practice.
• It is highly valued by research-heavy medical schools and MD-PhD programs.

Key Takeaway: Clinical experience proves you understand patient care, while research experience demonstrates intellectual curiosity and scientific reasoning.

What Medical Schools Prioritize More: Clinical or Research?

If You Are Applying to Research-Focused Schools (Top-Tier MD Programs)

• Schools like Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, and Mayo Clinic strongly prefer applicants with research experience.
• Competitive MD programs, especially those affiliated with academic medical centers, seek students interested in contributing to medical advancements.
• If you aim for a career in academic medicine, medical innovation, or MD-PhD programs, research experience is essential.

If You Are Applying to Primary Care-Focused Schools (DO and Community-Based MD Schools)

• Many osteopathic (DO) and primary care MD schools prioritize patient-centered experience over research.
• Schools like state MD programs, mid-tier MD programs, and DO schools look for applicants with strong clinical experience, volunteering, and patient exposure.
• If your goal is family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, or rural healthcare, clinical experience is far more important than research.

If You Are Applying Broadly to Both Research and Patient-Centered Schools

• A balanced application with both clinical and research experience makes you competitive for a variety of schools.
• Even if research is not your primary focus, a small research project can strengthen your application.
• Having strong clinical experience is still necessary for any medical school applicant.

Key Takeaway: Your school list should determine whether you emphasize clinical or research experience.

How to Decide Which to Prioritize Based on Your Career Goals

Your long-term goals in medicine should guide your decision to prioritize research or clinical experience.

Prioritize Research If:

• You are interested in academic medicine, medical innovation, or becoming a physician-scientist.
• You want to apply to highly competitive research-based MD programs or MD-PhD programs.
• You enjoy working with scientific data, analyzing trends, and contributing to medical advancements.

Prioritize Clinical Experience If:

• You are passionate about direct patient care and primary care specialties.
• You want to apply to DO schools, community-based MD schools, or primary care-focused programs.
• You learn best through hands-on experiences with patients.

Aim for a Balance If:

• You are applying to a wide range of medical schools and want to be competitive across different types of programs.
• You are interested in specialties that require both patient care and scientific advancements (e.g., oncology, neurology, cardiology).
• You want to showcase well-roundedness in your application.

Key Takeaway: Your long-term career aspirations should dictate whether you focus more on research or clinical experience.

Can You Get Into Med School Without Research?

Many students worry about not having research experience, but the truth is:

Many medical schools do not require research.

• Research is not mandatory for medical school acceptance—especially for DO schools and primary care-focused MD programs.

Strong clinical experience can compensate for lack of research.

• If you have meaningful patient interactions, leadership roles, and shadowing hours, you can still be a strong applicant.

You can gain research experience later.

• Some students gain research experience in medical school rather than during undergrad.
• Many MD students participate in research projects during rotations or summer programs.

Key Takeaway: Research is helpful, but not a requirement for all medical schools. Strong clinical experience can still make you a competitive applicant.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Experiences (Regardless of Which You Choose)

No matter what you prioritize, the depth and impact of your experience matter more than the number of hours you accumulate.

If You Focus on Clinical Experience:

• Choose experiences where you can interact directly with patients (e.g., scribing, medical assisting, volunteering).
• Write meaningful reflections about what you learned from patient interactions.
• Highlight leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving skills in your experiences.

If You Focus on Research:

• Seek projects where you contribute meaningfully rather than just running lab tests.
• Learn how to analyze data, write abstracts, or present research findings.
• Be prepared to discuss how research has influenced your understanding of medicine in interviews.

Key Takeaway: Depth matters more than quantity—whether clinical or research, focus on experiences that provide meaningful takeaways.

Finding the Right Balance for Your Application

• Clinical experience is essential for all medical school applicants—it demonstrates a true understanding of patient care and confirms your commitment to medicine.
• Research experience is valuable for applicants aiming for research-heavy institutions, MD-PhD programs, or academic medicine.
• Your choice should align with your career goals, target schools, and personal interests.
• Regardless of which you prioritize, your ability to reflect and articulate your experiences in your application is what truly makes the difference.