Hospital volunteering--necessary?

[Juxxtaposition]

Hey guys, so I was wondering your opinion on the necessity of hospital volunteering? As I look through the job descriptions for volunteer duties in local hospitals/free clinics/etc. it all borders on busy work and nothing that I would really consider a "meaningful experience." It just seems like you are a secretary in most duties. I guess my question is if I have other clinical experiences, like shadowing, and working abroad in a mobile clinic for a few weeks, is that enough of a clinical experience?

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[Falconclaw]

Hey guys, so I was wondering your opinion on the necessity of hospital volunteering? As I look through the job descriptions for volunteer duties in local hospitals/free clinics/etc. it all borders on busy work and nothing that I would really consider a "meaningful experience." It just seems like you are a secretary in most duties. I guess my question is if I have other clinical experiences, like shadowing, and working abroad in a mobile clinic for a few weeks, is that enough of a clinical experience?

The place I'm gonna be volunteering at this summer doesn't have shadowing, but does have a lot of patient contact. Look for something with that; don't let them stick you with a desk job.

 

[Noggin]

Hey guys, so I was wondering your opinion on the necessity of hospital volunteering? As I look through the job descriptions for volunteer duties in local hospitals/free clinics/etc. it all borders on busy work and nothing that I would really consider a "meaningful experience." It just seems like you are a secretary in most duties. I guess my question is if I have other clinical experiences, like shadowing, and working abroad in a mobile clinic for a few weeks, is that enough of a clinical experience?

OP to answer your question working in a mobile clinic for a few weeks is NOT enough clinical experience for two reasons. First, it is abroad and not in the United States. Medical schools like to see that you know what health care professionals do within the United States. Secondly, it is only a few weeks, and medical schools like to see commitment to an activity. If I were you I would try and do some hospital volunteering. I worked in the surgical intensive care unit at a hospital. Did I do grunt work like restock blanket warmers and fill drawers with medical supplies? yes. Did I also talk with patients, doctors, nurses, and assist families into the SICU to see their loved ones? yes. The second part made it worth it. You don't need to do hundreds upon hundreds of hours but I think 50-100 hours may be beneficial.

 

[I Love Cats]

Get something like ER or some kind of cool patient waiting area where you can't escape sick and angry patients being seen, or waiting to be seen, along with healthcare professionals of some extent, and it will be meaningful as long as you're not an awkward person. My hospital volunteering wasn't meaningful because the hospital cared about me (they don't care about you enough to make sure it is enriching). It is what you make of it. I got along with the weirdos just fine in the ER I was at and am able to legitimately claim I had extensive patient contact.

 

[mvenus929]

No, hospital volunteering is not necessary. You should have enough clinical experience to be able to answers 'why medicine?' If you feel you can do that with your current experiences, go for it, but you should err on the side of more experience.

 

[Barcu]

No, hospital volunteering is not necessary. You should have enough clinical experience to be able to answers 'why medicine?' If you feel you can do that with your current experiences, go for it, but you should err on the side of more experience.

I agree with this. The most important part of volunteering is to show that you have an understanding of the healthcare field.

It is hard to find that desired experience. Sometimes you just gotta stick it out until something better comes along. You may be able to change within your current hospital after a certain amount of time. There are a lot of people looking for this type of experience, so it is unrealistic to expect good clinical experience right away.

But if you have shadowing that has given you a good idea about medicine and you have some other good, meaningful experiences that are non-medical, you might be able to get away without this clinical experience (especially if it isn't good experience to begin with).

Personally, I would look around a bit more. But if you can't find anything else, maybe give it a shot for a semester or so.

 

[Benedictus123]

One thing I liked about my hospital volunteering time was the ability to observe the environment. Watching doctors and nurses work was a huge motivator for me.

 

[earl1977]

My volunteer director asked if I was a pre-med and when I said yes she knew what I needed and placed me appropriately. I work in the PACU/SACU. But it is busy work, but it is what you make of it. I get more contact with the family's of the patients then the patients themselves.

 

[mvenus929]

The most important part of volunteering is to show that you have an understanding of the healthcare field.

No, the most important part of volunteering is giving back to your community. You need clinical experience to have an understanding of the healthcare field. You can volunteer anywhere, and I highly encourage volunteering somewhere as a part of your application. However, I do not recommend hospital volunteering for clinical experience, because it's really a low yield way to get it. If you want to volunteer in the hospital for other reasons, go for it.

 

[subtlepenguin]

OP to answer your question working in a mobile clinic for a few weeks is NOT enough clinical experience for two reasons. First, it is abroad and not in the United States. Medical schools like to see that you know what health care professionals do within the United States. Secondly, it is only a few weeks, and medical schools like to see commitment to an activity. If I were you I would try and do some hospital volunteering. I worked in the surgical intensive care unit at a hospital. Did I do grunt work like restock blanket warmers and fill drawers with medical supplies? yes. Did I also talk with patients, doctors, nurses, and assist families into the SICU to see their loved ones? yes. The second part made it worth it. You don't need to do hundreds upon hundreds of hours but I think 50-100 hours may be beneficial.

Can you talk about an example of your interaction? All of the hospitals I've volunteered at made it a priority to tell us to stray away from discussions with doctors/patients/families about patient details (for liability reasons, I'd assume). Because of this reason, I've always felt uneasy about extending the converstation beyond the usual small talk.

 

[Barcu]

No, the most important part of volunteering is giving back to your community. You need clinical experience to have an understanding of the healthcare field. You can volunteer anywhere, and I highly encourage volunteering somewhere as a part of your application. However, I do not recommend hospital volunteering for clinical experience, because it's really a low yield way to get it. If you want to volunteer in the hospital for other reasons, go for it.

I agree with you. I wasn't clear with my words. I meant that hospital volunteering was a way to get an understanding of the healthcare field. Like you, I also agree that it is not always the best option to do that.

However, I think that so many premeds walk in and say "I want clinical experience now." This is unrealistic for several reasons. Number one, you have no skills. As well, there are many people with same demands. I think it is important to look for opportunities that fit your interests and may give you some good clinical experience (a job, shadowing, hospital volunteering). Sometimes, however, it is more about just taking an opportunity and seeing where it goes. The longer you are in a certain volunteer position, the more chances you have for new opportunities. Honestly, I don't know if just shadowing would cut it for clinical experience. Even while not interacting with patients, hospital volunteering does give you the chance to see other ways in which a hospital operates that I think is worthwhile.

I also think that people should volunteer elsewhere as well that interests them (medical or non-medical).

 

[Noggin]

Can you talk about an example of your interaction? All of the hospitals I've volunteered at made it a priority to tell us to stray away from discussions with doctors/patients/families about patient details (for liability reasons, I'd assume). Because of this reason, I've always felt uneasy about extending the converstation beyond the usual small talk.

When I worked in the SICU frequently physicians would come in to check up on patients. At least at my hospital, the rules were very relaxed and no one said anything about how I couldn't talk to physicians. Some of the interactions included me asking them about the type of work they did, patients they dealt with, etc... I wasn't able to shadow any of them for an extended period of time. I did my shadowing in another setting. Every now and then I would come across an arrogant physician who would essentially tell me to screw off but that was the exception and not the rule. Most of them were interested in helping premeds learn more about the medical field. There were several codes when I was there, and I was able to watch physicians respond. I could talk to nurses whenever I wanted to. Most of them were very kind and open to answering questions. I am surprised that they want you to stray away from talking to patient's families. Obviously you wouldn't give them details about the patient, but I don't see how it would be a liability if you just talked to them and gave them emotional support.

 

[tn4596]

I often see people who went as far as getting emt-b to volunteer. Looking back from my cycle, I probably should have done the same. i might even get a paying job and get out of the changing sheet, bringing water and manning the phone. Also non clinical volunteering helps too.

 

[Granny Watkins]

OP to answer your question working in a mobile clinic for a few weeks is NOT enough clinical experience for two reasons. First, it is abroad and not in the United States. Medical schools like to see that you know what health care professionals do within the United States. Secondly, it is only a few weeks, and medical schools like to see commitment to an activity. If I were you I would try and do some hospital volunteering. I worked in the surgical intensive care unit at a hospital. Did I do grunt work like restock blanket warmers and fill drawers with medical supplies? yes. Did I also talk with patients, doctors, nurses, and assist families into the SICU to see their loved ones? yes. The second part made it worth it. You don't need to do hundreds upon hundreds of hours but I think 50-100 hours may be beneficial.

I don't want to be accused of "hijacking" this thread, but I have a quick question that fits into this thread if you don't mind.
What is considered "commitment"? For example, I volunteered for two semesters(regular semesters, not summers) and accumulated just over 80 hours. Does that show commitment? Should one follow through with activities for at least one full year?

 

[Noggin]

I don't want to be accused of "hijacking" this thread, but I have a quick question that fits into this thread if you don't mind.
What is considered "commitment"? For example, I volunteered for two semesters(regular semesters, not summers) and accumulated just over 80 hours. Does that show commitment? Should one follow through with activities for at least one full year?

Granny Watkins I think your situation would be fine for "showing commitment." You've spent plenty of time and you've probably been able to witness/experience essentially everything that you realistically could. I think you are fine.

 

[Granny Watkins]

Granny Watkins I think your situation would be fine for "showing commitment." You've spent plenty of time and you've probably been able to witness/experience essentially everything that you realistically could. I think you are fine.

Ok, thanks a lot for the reply.

 

[GandalfTheWhite]

I have 0 hours of hospital volunteering.

My clinical exposure comes from two areas: shadowing and a clinical research internship.
Its not important that you get experience in the hospital. Its important that you are able to show that you have spent time in the healthcare field.

The reason most applicants have hospital volunteering is because its the easiest avenue to get some clinical experience.

for my internship, I worked at a physicians office that had an attached clinical investigation site where trials were conducted. I performed a lot of work (ECGs, A1c, labs, med history, patient consent, taking vitals).

Now, its hard to get an internship like that or any clinical internship for that matter, which is why you wont see it on many apps.

Besides, a lot of the hospitals nowadays are using HIPAA as a libability to prevent patient contact by people who arent involved with that patients health or well-being. You will probably get clerical jobs or talking to the patients family at best.

They wanted me to direct traffic at the reception area or volunteer at the popcorn machine/ gift shop. F that.

 

[Planes2Doc]

"Hospital volunteering" itself isn't necessary, but you surely need volunteering and clinical experience. Given what's handed to the typical pre-med, I think that volunteering in a hospital is by far the best bang for the buck.

Of course you can get a clinical job, but I'm extremely against those for many reasons. First of all, even though the money you'll get might seem attractive, it's only pocket change compared to what you'll make in the future. As a busy pre-med that is incredibly considered with his or her stats, having a clinical job will be quite a commitment. It can come back to bite you. Even if you manage good grades, the last moments of the best years of your life (time with friends) will slip away. Since clinical work is so common among pre-meds, ADCOMs won't be so impressed when they see it. It's quite a commitment you need to make in order to impress them. Plus you still need to volunteer on top of that.

Now why volunteer in the hospital? First of all, if you're looking for a genuinely great experience, you can look somewhere else. But if you want a true and proven way to get into medical school, it's a great way to kill two birds with one stone. You nail the volunteer checkmark plus the clinical experience. Also, volunteering at a hospital is like Vegas. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. You're there for the confirmation of hours, not a performance evaluation. Thus, pre-meds tend to spend the volunteer time studying or doing other personal things.

I for one, loved my non-clinical work. But sadly, the sporadic nature made it a poor activity to hold up the volunteer thing on my application. So given the circumstances of being a pre-med, hospital volunteering is the best you can get. Three or four hours per week only and killing two birds with one stone? Where do I sign up?!

 

[beingandfluffyness]

I have a question that wasn't quite answered on this thread...

Why is clerical work bad? It's a huge part of learning what healthcare is all about these days. In fact, if you go into private practice your front desk staff will be (besides you the physician) the most important part of the operation. Ever heard of front desk staff stuffing away insurance claims unbeknownst to the dr? This happened in 2 practices I've worked at and its not good news/is a huge mess to clean up. The whole practice could be in danger of going under because basic expenses get difficult to cover without the patient co-pays.

It is really valuable to be informed regarding the paperwork side of healthcare...Lord knows there's a lot of it (though paperless is being phased in...but the sentiment still holds).

Also, scheduling appointments and whatnot with patients is patient contact. Just sayin.

 

[Goro]

Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics.

Hey guys, so I was wondering your opinion on the necessity of hospital volunteering? As I look through the job descriptions for volunteer duties in local hospitals/free clinics/etc. it all borders on busy work and nothing that I would really consider a "meaningful experience." It just seems like you are a secretary in most duties. I guess my question is if I have other clinical experiences, like shadowing, and working abroad in a mobile clinic for a few weeks, is that enough of a clinical experience?

 

[nwts]

As lots of other people have mentioned, hospital volunteering is great because it gives you both clinical experience and volunteer experience at the same time.

In regards to your point about it being menial work, most hospital volunteering certainly is. My volunteering duties consist entirely of cleaning things, changing sheets, hauling dirty laundry, and getting food and beverages for patients and families. It is definitely menial work, but I'm kind of glad it is. I like to start at the bottom of the totem pole because it gives me a better opportunity to gain respect for everyone involved in the process. I like to think that I'm not a power hungry person who enjoys using authority to put myself above others, but I feel like it can't hurt to sometimes be in situations where I'm at the bottom in order to make sure I'm staying humble. If you worry that adcoms will look down upon your menial work as being insignificant, I doubt they will. @Goro would be able to tell you more, but I think they realize that it is hard to get any volunteer experience doing anything groundbreaking, and I think some of them may even take it as a good sign that you don't view yourself as being too good to do certain things.

Sorry about the rant about menial work, I just feel like its merits are often overlooked.

 

[Goro]

Concur 100%

As lots of other people have mentioned, hospital volunteering is great because it gives you both clinical experience and volunteer experience at the same time.

In regards to your point about it being menial work, most hospital volunteering certainly is. My volunteering duties consist entirely of cleaning things, changing sheets, hauling dirty laundry, and getting food and beverages for patients and families. It is definitely menial work, but I'm kind of glad it is. I like to start at the bottom of the totem pole because it gives me a better opportunity to gain respect for everyone involved in the process. I like to think that I'm not a power hungry person who enjoys using authority to put myself above others, but I feel like it can't hurt to sometimes be in situations where I'm at the bottom in order to make sure I'm staying humble. If you worry that adcoms will look down upon your menial work as being insignificant, I doubt they will. @Goro would be able to tell you more, but I think they realize that it is hard to get any volunteer experience doing anything groundbreaking, and I think some of them may even take it as a good sign that you don't view yourself as being too good to do certain things.QUOTE]

Adcoms take a dim view of stuff like this. We consider it medical tourism. We know most people are at the beach in Cozumel, and take one trip to a local clinic.

working abroad in a mobile clinic for a few weeks


Because you're interacting with either paper or a computer screen, not real patients.
Why is clerical work bad? It's a huge part of learning what healthcare is all about these days. In fact, if you go into private practice your front desk staff will be (besides you the physician) the most important part of the operation. Ever heard of front desk staff stuffing away insurance claims unbeknownst to the dr? This happened in 2 practices I've worked at and its not good news/is a huge mess to clean up. The whole practice could be in danger of going under because basic expenses get difficult to cover without the patient co-pays.

 

[NeuResurgens]

One thing I liked about my hospital volunteering time was the ability to observe the environment. Watching doctors and nurses work was a huge motivator for me.

This was the value of my hospital volunteering - simply getting to work in the hospital environment and take in the ebbs and flows of the place. If made a big difference in me getting a job at a hospital )same health system) and learning how to interact with patients, regardless of the service I was providing.

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

From what I have seen, the bigger, fancier, more expensive hospital you volunteer in, the less meaningful the experience will probably be. The cheaper, cash strapped, clinics seem to both need volunteers and are able to work with less red tape. Hospital volunteering usually felt like they were really doing you a favor by letting you stand around or stock shelves. Free clinic work felt like I was actually needed, and making a difference.