Medical School volunteering?

[MedStudentHopefully]

Hi,
I was wondering: How important is volunteering, in particular volunteering at the hospital, in getting into medical school? Where are some places that current medical school students have volunteered in their undergraduate studies? Also, what did current medical school students do during their summers in undergrad?

Thanks!

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[s5260205]

First, read through some people's profiles on http://mdapplicants.com/, as well as those in this forum.

Volunteering in a hospital is not necessary for admissions to medical schools. You will, however, need to demonstrate your understanding of the medical profession, and one of simplest ways to do that, without requiring much skills, is through hospital volunteering. Most applicants also shadow physicians to get a more personal perspective.

You could really do whatever you want in the summers between school years. Most students work during summers while continuing their extracurriculars/volunteering/etc. The key is not to waste your time but to invest in things you find meaningful, medically related or not.

 

[Catalystik]

Hi,
I was wondering: How important is volunteering, in particular volunteering at the hospital, in getting into medical school? Where are some places that current medical school students have volunteered in their undergraduate studies? Also, what did current medical school students do during their summers in undergrad?

Thanks!

You can gain active clinical experience in other places besides a hospital, like hospice, skilled-level nursing home, rehab center, and clinics (free-, VA, family planning). You can do this through a volunteer gig, or via employment, engagement in clinical research on patients, or through classroom requirement. Regardless of how you get your patient experience, nonmedical community service is still a good idea. And so is physician shadowing, which is a passive observational activity that doesn't qualify as "volunteer."

Summers can be used for regular employment (anything requiring people skills is helpful), research experiences, other volunteering, etc.

 

[Goro]

In addition to hospitals, you can volunteer in nursing homes, clinics, Planned Parenthood, hospice, camps for sick children, and/or crisis hotlines.

The key thing is to show us you know what you're getting into and that you'll be comfortable around sick people.


Volunteering in a hospital is not necessary for admissions to medical schools. You will, however, need to demonstrate your understanding of the medical profession, and one of simplest ways to do that, without requiring much skills, is through hospital volunteering. Most applicants also shadow physicians to get a more personal perspective.