Does volunteering before Pre-Med matter

[AlfonsTheGuru]

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I'm 16, and not in high school nor in undergrad. Trying to rack up clinical experience hours in this age faces one problem:

• Volunteer must be 18+

I take the work I can get, but it's been very limited in terms of what I am allowed to do or positions to apply for. The hospital I volunteer at won't let me put in over 6 hours a week either. I will have about ~240 hours in a year which is good. What else can I do keep myself busy? Do ADCOMs care less about what I did as a youngster?

Thanks

 

[piii]

Nope, they don't care at all. It is very very rare that any applicant puts anything on their extracurricular list that happened before undergrad. Maybe if it was some very specific organization that you played a large role in before 18 and maintained with major commitment through college. For the most part, they don't care so don't even worry about it.

 

[is0632894]

Ditto to what @piii said. I mentioned my involvement with Boy Scouts and my Eagle Scout Project, as I felt it had an impact on my life, but I was still actively involved with Scouting in Undergrad.

Just some personal advice when you get to Undergrad, Get involved with volunteering opportunity that you feel strongly about. Don't just volunteer at a hospital because that is what other premeds do. When you talk about a volunteer experience during an interview, Adcoms can sense if you are truly passionate about something. I think that they value passionate commitment rather than doing something just to put it on your application.

 

[LizzyM]

Who needs help in your community? The purpose of volunteering is to be of service so find out where your willingness to serve can be used to help those in need. Food pantries, soup kitchens, daycare centers in low income areas, are a few ideas.
If you want clinical experience, start with babysitting and/or providing companionship to an elderly person who needs supervision while their usual caregiver is out of the house.
If you want to learn more about dealing with difficult people and thinking on your feet, get a job in retail.

At this point, work at learning about the world and the people in it. There will be plenty of time after you are 18 to get more deeply involved in testing your interest in medicine as a career.

 

[AlfonsTheGuru]

Who needs help in your community? The purpose of volunteering is to be of service so find out where your willingness to serve can be used to help those in need. Food pantries, soup kitchens, daycare centers in low income areas, are a few ideas.
If you want clinical experience, start with babysitting and/or providing companionship to an elderly person who needs supervision while their usual caregiver is out of the house.
If you want to learn more about dealing with difficult people and thinking on your feet, get a job in retail.

At this point, work at learning about the world and the people in it. There will be plenty of time after you are 18 to get more deeply involved in testing your interest in medicine as a career.

Well, I've been trying to improve my interpersonal skills and learn about the world and the people in at as you say. I've actually been assisting child life specialists (in specifically a pediatric hospital) in comforting children as they are admitted to the hospital. I learn how to deal with a wide range of people, especially kids. Do you think I should put such experiences on my future application?

Nope, they don't care at all. It is very very rare that any applicant puts anything on their extracurricular list that happened before undergrad. Maybe if it was some very specific organization that you played a large role in before 18 and maintained with major commitment through college. For the most part, they don't care so don't even worry about it.

Would I be hindered if I put in the hours I earned anyways?

Ditto to what @piii said. I mentioned my involvement with Boy Scouts and my Eagle Scout Project, as I felt it had an impact on my life, but I was still actively involved with Scouting in Undergrad.

Just some personal advice when you get to Undergrad, Get involved with volunteering opportunity that you feel strongly about. Don't just volunteer at a hospital because that is what other premeds do. When you talk about a volunteer experience during an interview, Adcoms can sense if you are truly passionate about something. I think that they value passionate commitment rather than doing something just to put it on your application.

Of course! Luckily, I really enjoy my position as a volunteer now. It's been a great learning experience.

 

[Planes2Doc]

Even if you don't end up putting it on your medical school application, it will still help pad your college applications. If you continue this volunteering into college, then you can include it in your application. But otherwise, volunteering isn't expected before college.

 

[AlfonsTheGuru]

Even if you don't end up putting it on your medical school application, it will still help pad your college applications. If you continue this volunteering into college, then you can include it in your application. But otherwise, volunteering isn't expected before college.

I have my GED so I'm transferring from CC. Would volunteer hours matter then?

 

[LizzyM]

While there is no rule on the AMCAS application, the unwritten rule is that anything before starting college gets you into college and anything after that can go on the med school application. I'd make an exception for full-time employment even if it is before college (e.g. serving several years in the military before college.)

 

[Planes2Doc]

I have my GED so I'm transferring from CC. Would volunteer hours matter then?

Were you volunteering during community college? If you want to increase your chances, make sure you continue to do this same activity into the four year school.

 

[ATStillSOMA]

Volunteering experience prior to undergrad might not matter for application purposes; but from a career exploration perspective, you might want to work on getting into a healthcare environment in some manner just to make sure that a health related field is for you. You may not be able to be an "official" volunteer at your age, but you might be able to visit someone related to you or a friend who lives in a care home who would appreciate being read to, being engaged in conversation or games, etc. While the responsibility level may be low with little hands on medical experience, you will be able to observe a great deal of what goes on in a facility like that and pick up some medical terminology. Be prepared. Nursing and long term care isn't all sunshine and roses.

In a community college setting, you should definitely take some medical terminology and anatomy/physiology (yes, they teach A&P in medical school but take it anyway). Many high schools are allowing students to dual enroll in community college courses giving them dual credit for each course at both the high school and community college, so explore that before dropping out and taking the GED.

 

[Dreamstoo]

Not really but I'm sure it helps with college applications. I used to volunteer at a local hospital for two years in high school. I enjoyed it. I met new people and feel my social skills in a professional environment improved as a a teen. A lot of my fellow volunteers became very successful pre medical students. Four of them were at least a year older than me. Three of them ended up at top 20 MD schools and one ended up at a well established DO program.

 

[dm005]

Starting to volunteer now and continuing through high school and college, especially at one or two location, would definitely show commitment on your part to helping others!