Do I have to volunteer in a hospital?

[bomgd3]

I'm worried right now.

Since high school, I've always been a leader in Amnesty International. I'd organized (sometimes single-handedly) many benefit events, raised thousands of dollars, and last semester I worked my ass off trying to introduce and pass a high school genocide curriculum bill including $25k of state funding. The bill passed in both my state's House and Senate, but was not signed into law by the governor due to budgetary issues. Basically, I've always been heavily involved, but apart from lots of shadowing, I've never volunteered in hospitals. I've done research during both summers of college, too.

Now, I'm hearing that volunteering in a hospital is a must. I'm a junior in college. Next semester I'm taking a 19-credit course load, teaching two Kaplan SAT courses, and prepping for the May MCATs. Are admissions committees going to be so narrow that they won't consider my other activism? Do I need to try and cram in a so-called "volunteer" hours at a hospital to satisfy adcoms?

What's the deal here? I'm really freaking out. I switched from aerospace engineering to BME pre-med my sophomore year and I have a 3.8 GPA, so I've been really working hard to catch up and graduate on time but I was just unaware of the hospital volunteering requirement.

Should I cram in a semester of volunteering and look like an appeaser, or just say **** it and keep up the human rights work?

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[UofM527]

no I can never recommend doing something just b/c it looks "good" or you feel you have to...the ADCOMS will absolutely respect the way you have worked so hard and for an extended period of time for one organization that is truly meaningful to you....you have done some great/interesting work and you will be recognized for that...personally I would say you are fine

The only trouble could come is if you have NO clinical experiences at all (volunteer, shadow, job, etc) b/c it becomes a bit tricky trying to convince the schools you know what you are getting into...

 

[onestepatatime]

Don't volunteer in a hospital because you HAVE to... volunteer because you WANT to understand the environment, understand the emotions of the patients and staff, or to understand yourself (if you can handle seeing someone in pain, your social skills etc).

Adcoms look at a wide variety of experiences so it looks like you have that but volunteering shouldn't be something just to put on a CV.

Best of luck.

 

[PandaBrewMaster]

Keep doing what you're doing and you'll be perfectly fine. You are obviously passionate about the stuff you're working on and to drop that to pursue something just because it "looks good" is not a good idea. Whatever it is you're working on now you are heavily involved in and can obviously talk passionately about, and that's what matters. Since you have shadowing experience, you have some idea of what its like to be a doctor, and that's really what matters. The idea of clinical work is to gain an understanding of the life of a physician, so you don't get into med school and pass out the first time you see blood. Whether this clinical experience comes from shadowing or volunteering it doesn't really matter.

You'll be fine. Nice work in the human rights field.

 

[bomgd3]

Thanks! Makes me feel better I'm glad it's not necessarily a secret requirement to get in.

 

[dw2158]

I'm sort of in the same boat... I have lots of public health and education related volunteering. What I decided to do was to continue with that but do my clinical experience via shadowing, which I have been able to tailor to my schedule a little bit more since I can figure things out with individual doctors. This might be the way for you to go as well.

 

[alibai3ah]

Volunteering is not an absolute requirement. Medical schools just want to see your humanitarian side and volunteering is a good way to show that. Your work in Amnesty International is very impressive and will suffice as long as you can show that you gained certain personal traits through that experience....

 

[drelizabeth292]

Volunteering is not an absolute requirement. Medical schools just want to see your humanitarian side and volunteering is a good way to show that. Your work in Amnesty International is very impressive and will suffice as long as you can show that you gained certain personal traits through that experience....

It is a requirement for the University of Utah Medical School.
Otherwise I agree completely with your post.

 

[Wanderlusting]

It's great to see someone so involved with activism! I think schools are definitely interested in admitting a wide variety of students, not just the 'usual suspects.' volunteering in a hospital is nice but if the idea doesn't excite you, remember there are other clinical activities that you could participate in: hospice, shadowing, etc. also, if you are interested in social justice you might want to find a clinical opportunity in a similar vein i.e. shadowing or volunteering or translating in a free clinic for the homeless or underserved, volunteering with the IRC in health education for re-settled refugees

 

[236116]

You absolutely must have something on your AMCAS that supports that you have seen the real world of medicine.

Preferably by clinical work or volunteering, and shadowing.

While very few schools will come right out and say it, it is expected and a reasonable reason to reject an applicant.

 

[rama kandra]

I am kind of in the same place with little hospital or 'hardcore' medical style experience. In college I got really involved with the American Cancer Society and did my part by working with them for advocacy, things like that.

I'd happily work in hospitals but I think you can do a fine job with your creds. That, or find a doctors office that would be open to having you shadow or extern with for a short while? If not, dont sweat it.

 

[ProblumChild]

If you can convince them in interviews that it was, in fact, clinical experience, I think you'll be good.

 

[LizzyM]

If you can convince them in interviews that it was, in fact, clinical experience, I think you'll be good.

If you can get an interview without something on your application that describes your exposure to the sick, the dying, or those seeking the services of physicians.

 

[236116]

If you can get an interview without something on your application that describes your exposure to the sick, the dying, or those seeking the services of physicians.

Lizzy, do you ever get tired of saying the same thing over and over?

You're always so low-key (although I have seen you get the snark on) but at this point I'd being pulling Tireds on occasion.

 

[nontrdgsbuiucmd]

I was a reapplicant this cycle, despite high GPA (upper 3.7s) and very solid leadership experience for two primary reasons, per individual feedback from around 15-20 admissions directors:

1) low section score (under 8) in one MCAT section.
2) no clinical experience listed on my amcas primary, although I did have some by the time secondaries were submitted, most schools seemed to make the interview decision based on ECs listed on the primary.

Are you willing to bet waiting another year on this? It is a hoop (to some extent). Jump!

 

[HEROWANTABE]

How do you know that you want to become a doc without REAL experience...? It is in your best interest to gain a better understanding of what you are getting yourself into... Without volunteering you will put more pressure on other aspects of your applications... Plus I think that interviews where much easier for me because I had situations, concrete examples to illustrate my desire to pursue medicine. My 2 cents.

 

[cyclin M]

If you can get an interview without something on your application that describes your exposure to the sick, the dying, or those seeking the services of physicians.

Hey LizzyM and anyone else out there who has input on this matter. I did a significant amount of hospital volunteering in high school, basically patient transport. However, I am reading everywhere that high school experiences don't count. Nevertheless, in the grand scheme of things, this artificial boundary between high school and college does not erase any experience, impact, or memory of the medically related service activities that I performed in high school. Due to my focus on inventing mechanical devices (some medical, some not) in college I did not continue this form of volunteering and in my junior year I am just starting up "clinical volunteering." Another reason was that I did not feel I got a lot of "clinical experience" out of patient transport and after several hundred hours my experiences in that form of service was sufficient. I do have a broad range of clinical experience through shadowing in college.

Many people in college are doing what I did years ago in high school. My question is, would it be acceptable for me to include this in my application? I am not asking whether it is fair or reasonable to exclude/include these experiences because opinions on that will vary. But in a purely logistical sense, to those in the inner sanctuary where apps are reviewed, would it be acceptable for me to include these experiences? If not, is there a way I can reflect this?

 

[236116]

Hey LizzyM and anyone else out there who has input on this matter. I did a significant amount of hospital volunteering in high school, basically patient transport.
Many people in college are doing what I did years ago in high school. My question is, would it be acceptable for me to include this in my application?

Not as an EC.

But you can probably spin it in your PS.

 

[LizzyM]

^ I agree. If you list it among your "experiences" it will look like padding and that you haven't done much to test your continued interest in medicine. You should have some clinical experience in the past 3 years (assuming that you apply during the summer after jr. year) and you should have something (clinical or not) that shows that you give your time to benefit others (altruism).

 

[cyclin M]

^ I agree. If you list it among your "experiences" it will look like padding and that you haven't done much to test your continued interest in medicine. You should have some clinical experience in the past 3 years (assuming that you apply during the summer after jr. year) and you should have something (clinical or not) that shows that you give your time to benefit others (altruism).

Alright sounds good. Yes I am involved deeply in 2 other service organizations, just that they are not in the hospital. The only clinical experience I have is shadowing. Thanks jurassic park and LizzyM, I'd better get more clinical volunteering in then.