Clinical vs. Non-Clinical Volunteering

[Shelby Franks]

Is it better to have more volunteer experiences in a clinical setting or a non-clinical setting? Or does it not really matter either way as long as an applicant has both?

As of now I have completed ~200 hours of volunteer work in a hospital and have shadowed an oncologist, and have also completed 200+ hours of volunteer work at a homeless shelter. I really want to apply to tutor/mentor younger kids this semester, and hopefully obtain a leadership/board position in this org because I don’t really have any leadership positions, but I’m not sure if I have "enough" clinical experience? I know it's really important for applicants to show that they have spent ample time with patients. So, that being said...should I volunteer at a clinic instead?

Any help is much appreciated.

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[ellia]

I'd say go for the tutoring/mentoring young kids since you already have ample clinical experience.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Is it better to have more volunteer experiences in a clinical setting or a non-clinical setting? Or does it not really matter either way as long as an applicant has both?

As of now I have completed ~200 hours of volunteer work in a hospital and have shadowed an oncologist, and have also completed 200+ hours of volunteer work at a homeless shelter. I really want to apply to tutor/mentor younger kids this semester, and hopefully obtain a leadership/board position in this org because I don’t really have any leadership positions, but I’m not sure if I have "enough" clinical experience? I know it's really important for applicants to show that they have spent ample time with patients. So, that being said...should I volunteer at a clinic instead?

Any help is much appreciated.

I’d say go for the tutoring. It sounds like you care about it, so you’ll probably get more out of it (and be able to talk more about it in interviews). I tutored people for the SAT for a while. It was rewarding when they’d come back and tell me how they did.