Can I Volunteer Somewhere Else Now?

[Chevy Chase Fan]

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I've been volunteering at the same hospital 1-2 times per week for six months now. I've spent the vast majority of that time cleaning things. I understand that that's the nature of the beast, as there's not a whole lot I can offer as a volunteer. But every time I go in it just gets harder and harder. When my alarm went off this morning the first thing I did was say the F word b/c I had to volunteer. I try to tell myself that I'm freeing the staff up to do more important things by cleaning, but some days its just not enough and I can't help but dwell upon just how STUPID and POINTLESS it all feels.

That being said, I'm hesitant to throw away six months of commitment if its really just commitment that schools are after rather than quality of experience. And I get the impression that its not too much different at other hospitals. I guess my question then is if I can stop volunteering at hospitals now and instead do something like teach people how to use computers or speak English. Ideas?

 

[Chevy Chase Fan]

is this thing on?

 

[BJJ]

is this thing on?

you should probably plug it in first

 

[Chevy Chase Fan]

why do you have a tapout av?

 

[jvesco22]

^^

Because he's a 10th degree black belt in UFC...duh!

 

[mvenus929]

You aren't required to volunteer in a hospital. In fact, I still highly discourage it for the reasons you state.

You are far better off finding an organization that actually makes you anticipate the volunteer activities, rather than one you dread going to. That'll come off in your interview.

 

[Poliscidoc]

why do you have a tapout av?

Because even after he was stabbed he didn't tapout

 

[Express7]

What department in the hospital are you volunteering in? Perhaps you can ask to switch to one with more exposure. Volunteering on one of the floors has helped me get a lot of exposure at my hospital. I follow the nursing assistants around to different patient rooms and help them with their job. It's amazing how much they have to do in terms of actually taking care of the patients. I only see doctors coming into patient rooms whenever they want to explain some kind of procedure that they want the patients to undergo and that's it.

 

[jvesco22]

What department in the hospital are you volunteering in? Perhaps you can ask to switch to one with more exposure. Volunteering on one of the floors has helped me get a lot of exposure at my hospital. I follow the nursing assistants around to different patient rooms and help them with their job. It's amazing how much they have to do in terms of actually taking care of the patients. I only see doctors coming into patient rooms whenever they want to explain some kind of procedure that they want the patients to undergo and that's it.

cool...maybe you should become a nurse?

 

[Chevy Chase Fan]

All right, I'm gonna stop volunteering there already. You're right about how its gonna come off in the interview. Its hard for me to muster up any enthusiasm when I talk about volunteering there.

Thing is though, how can someone get clinical experience other than getting a job at a hospital? I'm stretched pretty thin as is, I don't think I could do EMT or CNA or any of that right now.

I have around 130 hours of this now, hope thats enough.

 

[mvenus929]

All right, I'm gonna stop volunteering there already. You're right about how its gonna come off in the interview. Its hard for me to muster up any enthusiasm when I talk about volunteering there.

Thing is though, how can someone get clinical experience other than getting a job at a hospital? I'm stretched pretty thin as is, I don't think I could do EMT or CNA or any of that right now.

I have around 130 hours of this now, hope thats enough.

Shadowing....

It's certainly not as good as a job in some respects, but as long as you're able to articulate that you've looked at the jobs of other health professionals and that you know what a physician's job is, you should be fine as far as clinical experience goes. And the great thing about shadowing is that it doesn't have to be a regular commitment... you can do a day here and there, a few hours every week... whatever your schedule allows.

 

[Bojangles85]

I've been volunteering at the same hospital 1-2 times per week for six months now. I've spent the vast majority of that time cleaning things. I understand that that's the nature of the beast, as there's not a whole lot I can offer as a volunteer. But every time I go in it just gets harder and harder. When my alarm went off this morning the first thing I did was say the F word b/c I had to volunteer. I try to tell myself that I'm freeing the staff up to do more important things by cleaning, but some days its just not enough and I can't help but dwell upon just how STUPID and POINTLESS it all feels.

That being said, I'm hesitant to throw away six months of commitment if its really just commitment that schools are after rather than quality of experience. And I get the impression that its not too much different at other hospitals. I guess my question then is if I can stop volunteering at hospitals now and instead do something like teach people how to use computers or speak English. Ideas?

If you don't like it, don't do it. Go to volunteer services and tell them what you feel. I've volunteered for around a year and I haven't cleaned up anything. That isn't the nature of the beast, at least where I am. Environmental Services is there for cleanup.

 

[BJJ]

^^

Because he's a 10th degree black belt in UFC...duh!

this I train ufc bro....

 

[Express7]

cool...maybe you should become a nurse?

I definitely have a respect for nurses after see all that they have to do. Doesn't mean that's what I want to do though. Either way good clinical experience.