Clinical Experience Break Down for Apps

[txags19]

So this summer I've been volunteering at the Surgical Services Department at a hospital in my area for about 16 hours a week. While I've been racking up hours, the problem is that not most of it is "volunteering" exactly. I do help the pre-op nurses at all times, but the nurses have been kind enough to talk to the surgeons and get me in the OR to watch the procedures. This normally entails at least a surgery or two every time I'm there (3 days a week). Would watching these procedures take away from volunteering and fall under physician shadowing then? I'm currently at 142 overall clinical hours, with only 58 of those being volunteering, and the rest all being shadowing. Here's a simpler break down:

Overall Hours: 141.5
Shadowing Summer of 2016: 69
Volunteering (Strictly in pre-op, not counting watching procedures): 57.5
Shadowing Summer of 2017 (Observing surgical procedures): 15

TLDR; is my deviation from volunteering going to pose a risk in terms of applications? I'll be applying starting May of 2018, so entering class of 2019

Thanks y'all!

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[Dr. Stalker]

This is a difficult question to answer. Your volunteering hours will raise eyebrows, solely because its less than 100 hours, but you have more shadowing hours.

Additionally, when you say volunteering, is this hospital volunteering? I.e., you have to enroll, go to orientation, and wear a dinky outfit as a volunteer and sign-in/sign-out?

 

[txags19]

This is a difficult question to answer. Your volunteering hours will raise eyebrows, solely because its less than 100 hours, but you have more shadowing hours.

Additionally, when you say volunteering, is this hospital volunteering? I.e., you have to enroll, go to orientation, and wear a dinky outfit as a volunteer and sign-in/sign-out?

Yep! Registered, signing in every day with a fashionable vest and badge. *Technically* my hours so far are 57.5 + 15 since the system has me logged in even when I'm in the back watching some neat stuff in the OR. I'm hoping the overdone shadowing won't look bad, considering that I've seen/shadowed a sleep specialist, an oculofacialplastics surgeon, a couple OB/GYNs, several ortho surgeons, a general surgeon and a bariatric surgeon up until now..maybe the variance would help? Lol it's a good thing summer's not over yet..hopefully I'll hit 100 hours in terms of volunteering by then!

 

[LizzyM]

Split up the time. It is a good experience of learning about what surgical specialists do and being of service.
You should try to help in a non-clinical setting if you haven't already done so. Some adcoms use that as a measure of altruism because it is not a two-fer as clinical volunteering is.

 

[txags19]

Split up the time. It is a good experience of learning about what surgical specialists do and being of service.
You should try to help in a non-clinical setting if you haven't already done so. Some adcoms use that as a measure of altruism because it is not a two-fer as clinical volunteering is.

Is there a ballpark number to shoot for? I'm looking into doing some non-clinical volunteering for a semester or so

 

[LizzyM]

I'd like to see something that averages out to 2 hours/wk for at least a year before the application goes in.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Yep! Registered, signing in every day with a fashionable vest and badge. *Technically* my hours so far are 57.5 + 15 since the system has me logged in even when I'm in the back watching some neat stuff in the OR. I'm hoping the overdone shadowing won't look bad, considering that I've seen/shadowed a sleep specialist, an oculofacialplastics surgeon, a couple OB/GYNs, several ortho surgeons, a general surgeon and a bariatric surgeon up until now..maybe the variance would help? Lol it's a good thing summer's not over yet..hopefully I'll hit 100 hours in terms of volunteering by then!

OK great. Rule of thumb I was told on SDN was 200+ clinical volunteering, 100+ shadow hours (or really 75 might cut it) but over at least 2 types of specialties, and 100+ altruism community service volunteer.