Clinical volunteering question

[LoneCoyote]

Hey all,

I need some advice and opinions... I currently volunteer at the county public hospital here and due to funding problems there is a good chance they are going to shut down the emergency room and keep the hopital open for urgent care, clinics and psychiatric. Currently, they are holding hearings and no one seems to know when exactly they would make the closure, but it could be within a month. I do 2 shifts a week at this hospital, one in the ER and one in Urgent Care. I have to make my hours for next semester and need to decide if I should continue in the ER and risk getting dropped if they close it, or if I should switch my ER shift to another urgent care one or to one of the clinics if it is available. Do medical schools look carefully at the diversity of your clinical experiences? Would it be bad to only be doing urgent care/outpatient stuff? I have only one semester left here so it is too late to get involved at another hospital. I am planning on going into primary care, and also do a bit of hospice volunteering. Any advice? Thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[paean]

Medical schools look at much at your depth in clinical volunteering as your variety. So you won't lose out if you continue in a field you already have expereince in, especially if that will allow you to take on more responsibility in that area.

The key to volunteering isn't to pick what you think some admissions committee will look most favorably on, because the people on the committees all have different opinions, but to do something you enjoy, so when they ask why you choose to stay with XXX or move on to YYY, you can give an honest answer.

 

[BobbyDylanFan]

Bob Dylan Rules!

Anyways, what I think about your situation: I don't think it makes too much of a difference to the Adcoms weather you've done this many hours in this one clinic or this many hours in these three clinics...as long as you do it. On the other hand it may just be good for YOU to get a little broader experience by going into one of the other clinics. Maybe you'll find that you like one area better than another or that you definately don't like an area. It is all a learning experience. But if you know you like ER and you want to stay there than just do it.

Make sure you get the new double disc, Rolling Thunder Revue Bootleg Series 1975....it is awesome!

 

[jdg222]

Well if the emergency room is going to close down, then you won't have much of a choice anyway! But seriously, if you stop volunteering at the ER within a month or so, and this will be your last semester, you'll only be losing a few months anyway. You did have the experience for a while, and for reasons outside of your control you had to quit the ER thing. So what's the big deal? If you want to do primary care, then all the urgent care and outpatient stuff should be a good experience. In your interview, explain the situation if they ask about your experiences volunteering, and you'll be fine.

 

[eschauberger]

I agree w/ Dylan. Clinical experience is good not matter where it is. As long as you are learning from it. In fact you could even use this experience of switching departments an angle for a research project on "Effects of rising health care costs" or something like that.
=-Eric

 

[LoneCoyote]

Thanks for all the advice I'm going to give the volunteer coordinator a call tomorrow and chat about options and probably try to get set up with the clinics if they aren't full. And all of the chaos that has gone on with the county's decision to do this has made me think more seriously about getting that MD/MPH I was considering applying for. I think you are totally right, eschauberger, about the research angle... there is definitely much to be done in the policy sector especially in providing services to the underserved.

BobbyDylanFan--great name! I will definitely have to check out that album when I get some spare cash

Peace.