Clinical volunteering

[Feelgood Inc]

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1) First, I've noticed that a lot of hospitals in my area require multiple letters of recommendations from professors/supervisors to be considered for a volunteer program. I would rather save those sources for when I finally need to apply to medical school. What are some alternative ways that I can obtain clinical experience?

2) Can being employed as an EMT substitute clinical volunteering?

3) A little unrelated to clinical volunteering... but is it recommended to ask a professor to write a letter for two different purposes happening in separate years?

 

[Catalystik]

1) First, I've noticed that a lot of hospitals in my area require multiple letters of recommendations from professors/supervisors to be considered for a volunteer program. I would rather save those sources for when I finally need to apply to medical school. What are some alternative ways that I can obtain clinical experience?

2) Can being employed as an EMT substitute clinical volunteering?

3) A little unrelated to clinical volunteering... but is it recommended to ask a professor to write a letter for two different purposes happening in separate years?

1) You might look into skilled-level nursing homes (not senior centers), hospice, family-planning/ VA/low-income/and even private clinics, free-standing Surgi-Center, and rehab facilities.

2) EMT can provide active clinical experience, but you'd be well advised to get in some nonmedical community service for "volunteering" and to also have some experience in a clinical facility (which an EMT rig is not).

3) If you know a professor well, I doubt it will be an imposition to ask twice, but they usually just tweak the first letter that they kept on file.

 

[Feelgood Inc]

1) You might look into skilled-level nursing homes (not senior centers), hospice, family-planning/ VA/low-income/and even private clinics, free-standing Surgi-Center, and rehab facilities.

2) EMT can provide active clinical experience, but you'd be well advised to get in some nonmedical community service for "volunteering" and to also have some experience in a clinical facility (which an EMT rig is not).

3) If you know a professor well, I doubt it will be an imposition to ask twice, but they usually just tweak the first letter that they kept on file.

With this in mind, say one becomes a full-time phlebotomist/CRNA and commits him or herself to a series of nonmedical community service endeavors (with an adequate amount of shadowing hours as well). Would these experiences provide the necessary clinical experience and volunteering without volunteering directly in a clinical setting?

 

[Keladry]

With this in mind, say one becomes a full-time phlebotomist/CRNA and commits him or herself to a series of nonmedical community service endeavors (with an adequate amount of shadowing hours as well). Would these experiences provide the necessary clinical experience and volunteering without volunteering directly in a clinical setting?

Yes. You don't need clinical volunteering per se, but you do need clinical exposure and some sort of volunteering.

 

[Feelgood Inc]

Very interesting. Thanks for your help everyone.

 

[Catalystik]

With this in mind, say one becomes a full-time phlebotomist/CRNA and commits him or herself to a series of nonmedical community service endeavors (with an adequate amount of shadowing hours as well). Would these experiences provide the necessary clinical experience and volunteering without volunteering directly in a clinical setting?

Yes. You don't need clinical volunteering per se, but you do need clinical exposure and some sort of volunteering.

I agree.