Bay Area volunteer "admissions?" SFGH, UCSF, etc.

[eloso]

Hoping for some realistic advice on clinical volunteering opportunities in the Bay Area. (And yes, I've searched for this already but can't seem to find commentary on the actual "admissions" process, so to speak.)

SFGH:
Anyone out there volunteer for SFGH in their ER (or know someone who has)? I've read countless positive reviews about this experience but have come to believe these positions are a mere myth. How often do these actually become available? Are they posted somewhere other than their website? What is the application process like?

UCSF:
All the open volunteer positions I have been seeing on the UCSF website seem very "non-clinical" in nature (that is not to say they are not important tasks)...animal therapy, art, guest services, etc. Has anyone volunteered at UCSF in a clinical fashion? If so, what did you do and what do you recommend to someone wanting to follow along that same path?

Bay Area: Any other programs you have done/heard of that are likely to accept volunteers and offer real clinical exposure?

Thank you!

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[Caliwright]

Hoping for some realistic advice on clinical volunteering opportunities in the Bay Area. (And yes, I've searched for this already but can't seem to find commentary on the actual "admissions" process, so to speak.)

SFGH:
Anyone out there volunteer for SFGH in their ER (or know someone who has)? I've read countless positive reviews about this experience but have come to believe these positions are a mere myth. How often do these actually become available? Are they posted somewhere other than their website? What is the application process like?

UCSF:
All the open volunteer positions I have been seeing on the UCSF website seem very "non-clinical" in nature (that is not to say they are not important tasks)...animal therapy, art, guest services, etc. Has anyone volunteered at UCSF in a clinical fashion? If so, what did you do and what do you recommend to someone wanting to follow along that same path?

Bay Area: Any other programs you have done/heard of that are likely to accept volunteers and offer real clinical exposure?

Thank you!

I would love to get any information you find out. I would really like to volunteer at SFGH

 

[optopia]

I was in the same boat a couple years ago, looking for clinical volunteer opportunities in the Bay Area. I ended up volunteering as an HIV/STI test counselor. It's clinical in nature - depending on what site you're at you'll either be doing finger pricks to get blood samples to run tests, or at some other clinics, swabbing people's throats and butts and charting your observations about their general health. It's also a very unique type of volunteering, something that most pre-meds don't do, so it's attention grabbing. It shows a commitment to vulnerable communities (in this case, gay/bisexual men and injection drug users), and you get real patient contact that can be extremely rewarding.

I applied for med school in the 2013/14 cycle and got in and was able to weave my experience as an HIV test counselor into essays, interviews, etc. So what can I say? It worked for me. Look beyond hospitals, because there are definitely other opportunities out there!

 

[doyouhaveaflag]

When I was doing my post-bacc at UC Berkeley, I also heard about magical volunteer positions at SF general where premeds were allowed to do clinical things because of the hospital's supposed severe ER staff shortage. I emailed them about volunteer opportunities and was told to email someone else...who never responded. Other hospitals I contacted had a TWO YEAR waitlist for people who wanted to volunteer. I don't know if there are just so many premeds in the area or if there are too many retired/non-working people looking for something fulfilling to do with their time, but the area is blessed with more volunteers than it can accommodate.

I ended up contacting a bunch of free clinics, interviewed for positions at two, and ended up getting a position at one. What I was doing wasn't hands-on or procedural, but it involved communicating with patients in-depth, which was not only a great experience for learning how to talk to patients, but it also puts a check in the box for "clinical experience" on applications. You might try contacting free clinics to see if any in your area have positions.