The AMCAS Work & Activities section is one of the most important parts of your medical school application. It’s where you showcase your experiences, contributions, and growth. However, many applicants struggle with how to write about their experiences—especially if they weren’t in leadership roles.

At AcceptMed, we help students craft compelling applications that highlight their unique strengths. One of the biggest mistakes we see is students simply listing their responsibilities instead of demonstrating impact. Even if you weren’t in charge, you can still show that your contributions made a difference. Here’s how to do it.

Understand What Med Schools Are Looking For

Medical schools don’t just want to see that you’ve participated in clinical, research, or volunteer experiences. They want to know:

• What did you actually do? (Beyond basic responsibilities)
• How did you make an impact? (Even in small ways)
• What did you learn? (Growth, skills, and takeaways)

Admissions committees want students who show initiative, problem-solving, teamwork, and the ability to make meaningful contributions—even without a leadership title.

Focus on Your Contributions, Not Just Your Role

Instead of writing:

"Volunteered at a free clinic where I assisted with patient intake and organized medical supplies."

Try this:

"Worked at a free clinic assisting with patient intake, improving efficiency by developing a streamlined intake form, which reduced patient wait times by 30%."

Even if you were simply a volunteer, you can still describe how your actions improved the organization, enhanced patient care, or made things more efficient.

Use Numbers to Show Impact

Quantifying your contributions helps make your experiences more compelling and measurable. Instead of vague descriptions, use numbers whenever possible.

• Before: "Tutored students in biology and chemistry."
  
  
• After: "Tutored 15 students in biology and chemistry, leading to an average 20% improvement in their exam scores."
  
  
• Before: "Helped organize a blood drive."
  
  
• After: "Coordinated logistics for a community blood drive, resulting in 250+ donors and 500+ lives potentially saved."
  
  

Even small improvements, like streamlining a process or mentoring a new volunteer, can be quantified in ways that highlight your impact.

Highlight Initiative, Not Just Tasks

If you weren’t in charge, focus on ways you took initiative to improve or contribute to an organization.

For example:

• Did you create a new system or process that helped your team?
• Did you notice a problem and help solve it?
• Did you train or mentor new members?
• Did you take on additional responsibilities beyond what was expected?

Example: Instead of writing:
"Assisted in a research lab by collecting data on microbiology samples."

Write:
"Refined data collection methods in a microbiology lab, leading to a 15% increase in sample processing efficiency and assisting senior researchers in publishing findings."

This shows initiative and contribution—without needing a leadership title.

Use the ‘Challenge-Action-Result’ Formula

One of the best ways to showcase impact is by using the Challenge-Action-Result formula:

• Challenge: What problem, inefficiency, or gap did you notice?
• Action: What did you do to address it?
• Result: What was the measurable impact or outcome?

Example:

• Challenge: The clinic where you volunteered had long wait times.
• Action: You created a patient check-in system to streamline intake.
• Result: Patient wait times were reduced by 20%, improving efficiency.

This method transforms a basic description into a compelling story of impact.

Demonstrate Soft Skills That Matter in Medicine

Even if you weren’t a leader, you can highlight skills that are critical in medicine, such as:

• Teamwork: "Collaborated with a team of EMTs during emergency calls, improving response efficiency in high-pressure situations."
• Problem-Solving: "Suggested a new method for organizing patient charts, reducing retrieval time by 40%."
• Adaptability: "Volunteered in a hospital during COVID-19, assisting with telehealth appointments to help serve patients remotely."

These soft skills show that you’re ready for the challenges of medical school and beyond.

Tie It Back to Your Growth and Future in Medicine

Finally, don’t just describe what you did—explain how it shaped your journey toward becoming a physician. What did the experience teach you? How did it confirm your passion for medicine?

Example:

"Shadowing in the ER, I initially observed from the sidelines. However, over time, I asked questions, assisted in small ways, and became a resource for patients waiting for care. This experience deepened my understanding of patient communication and solidified my desire to work in emergency medicine."

By connecting your experiences to your growth and future goals, you make them more compelling.

Your Title Doesn’t Define Your Impact

Even if you weren’t in a leadership role, your contributions still matter. The key is to frame your experiences in a way that highlights initiative, problem-solving, teamwork, and impact.

• Focus on impact, not just duties.
• Use numbers and measurable results where possible.
• Highlight initiative, problem-solving, and teamwork.
• Use the Challenge-Action-Result framework to structure descriptions.
• Tie everything back to your growth and future in medicine.

By following these strategies, you’ll turn any experience into a powerful part of your med school application—even if you weren’t in charge.