Americorps style for pre-med (distance volunteering)?

[nikeman444]

My friend is doing Americorps after graduating and he loves it... I was wondering if there was some type of program that focused on helping with low income medical needs as opposed to the house building and special-need tutoring type of stuff.

My sister went on a summer trip to a clinic in Costa Rica and absolutely hated it... I guess I'm looking for something similar (2 months to a year), but in the US... Thanks

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[wjustice]

Hello! I have over a year of experience with AmeriCorps in environmental public health, and it's been a great experience. A truly valuable life experience for me. It's not directly medically-related, but I believe that adcoms highly regard any sort of volunteer work through AmeriCorps. It doesn't replace the need to get some clinical experience, but it adds a lot to your application. I've interviewed at a number of schools, and interviewers always ask about it, and we usually discuss it at least for 1/3 of the total interview time. Sometimes more. I have an acceptance at a med school right now, so it has worked for my career goals.

But to answer your question, I know there are medically-related programs. You can search for them on the americorps website. I am aware of programs in SF and Michigan. They are one-year full-time though.

 

[darkelven29]

There are Health Corp programs in CA, pregancy center programs too. I love AmeriCorps too, but I am with the American Red Cross for one yr.

 

[gwill024]

I am currently an AmeriCorps VISTA for the Red Cross in Iowa. There is a lot of overrun into public health (especially since I'm working on developing a disease prevention program for the community). You should check out the site and I think one of the search filters is "health". There will be a spot opening in Iowa next August!

 

[pennnylane]

I am in the middle of my year of service with Americorps...specifically the National Service Corps. They ahve locations in Philadelphia, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Northern Florida. I am teaching health education for cardiovascular risk reduction, but most people in my program are doing presecription assistance programs (assessing and enrolling low-income patients with no insurance in programs to get their prescriptions free or at a discounted rate). Some others are doing health education, coordinating fitness programs for schools, and volunteer recruitment. It's still not a lot of medical "hands-on" work, like you might get in a place like Costa Rica, but I found it more relevent than building houses or teaching grade school. Check out the website at https://recruit.cns.gov/ . You can search for healthcare related positions, either by area, or all over the US. It returns a lot of results that don't have much to do with medicine at all, but you can sort through it and find some that are a good fit for you. Hopefully this is more along the lines of what you're looking for. Let me know if I can help you with any more info! good luck

 

[nikeman444]

Thank you soo much... It's really cool to hear information from people who have actually experienced it...

 

[Nevadanteater]

http://www.nachc.com/healthcorps/

I'm doing AmeriCorps through Community HealthCorps.

I've been placed at a clinic in San Francisco. I'm doing a lot of clinical work and a little bit of outreach and health education. We serve mostly homeless, low/no income patients. It is pretty insane, but I love it. I know there are a few other SDNers out there doing the same program as me. If you're genuinely interested in public health and working with this population go for it. If you're just looking to pad your med school admissions resume save your time. I can't imagine doing this without having the passion for this type of work.

PM me if you have any specific questions.

 

[sit down lucy]

I am currently an AmeriCorps VISTA for the Red Cross in Iowa. There is a lot of overrun into public health (especially since I'm working on developing a disease prevention program for the community). You should check out the site and I think one of the search filters is "health". There will be a spot opening in Iowa next August!

I did AmeriCorps with the Red Cross in Philadelphia. Med schools absolutely loved it - I definitely got interviews at places that I might not have otherwise. It was a great job and a perfect way to spend a year off.

 

[wjustice]

Another perk of AmeriCorps. . .full-time=33 hrs/week, which is nice to have before medical school. Gives you time to take the MCAT, apply to medical school, get a second job, relax, whatever. So it has nice flexibility that way. But financially, it is a challenge.

 

[steveinsf]

Hi,

Someone mentioned that Americorps members in need of money should consider a second job due to the small stipend. I was under the impression that members aren't allowed to have a second job. Am I wrong? I really want to join Americorps; however, I don't think I can support myself with the given stipend.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Nevadanteater]

Hi,

Someone mentioned that Americorps members in need of money should consider a second job due to the small stipend. I was under the impression that members aren't allowed to have a second job. Am I wrong? I really want to join Americorps; however, I don't think I can support myself with the given stipend.

Thanks,
Steve

as long as you do your assigned duties, you're good to go. besides, there's no way for them to know if you're working a 2nd job...

i'm doing SF HealthCorps (part of Americorps) and i moonlight here and there. a few of our members have other jobs as well - also a few live at home which really makes it reasonable.

you planning on staying in SF?

 

[Nevadanteater]

Another perk of AmeriCorps. . .full-time=33 hrs/week, which is nice to have before medical school. Gives you time to take the MCAT, apply to medical school, get a second job, relax, whatever. So it has nice flexibility that way. But financially, it is a challenge.

yargh. i wish! everyone in our program is 40hrs/week.

33 would be great!