Does volunteering in an outpatient surgery lounge count as clinical volunteering?

[SovietDoctor]

So I currently volunteer at an outpatient surgery lounge. My responsibilities basically include running the front desk, helping transport family back to the nurses as well as providing any resources for the families of those currently in surgery. I could transfer to a different department in the hospital that will have much more direct interaction with patients, but this is the only volunteering that currently fits into my schedule right now since I can be done with my shift before my classes start. Any thoughts on if this counts as clinical volunteering/clinical experience?

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[thatwouldbeanarchy]

This is just my opinion as a fellow premed--hopefully, one of the adcoms will chime in here as well. But I think this counts as clinical volunteering. Sounds like there isn't really any patient interaction but I would think that interacting with family members would be still be valuable as it's such an important part of medicine and not always an easy thing to do!

If it's the only thing you can fit in your schedule right now, I'd stick with it. But I would try to get some direct patient experience at some point before you apply. If it doesn't work out at the hospital, you could try a nursing home, free clinic, or hospice as well. (I'm assuming you're in school right now so maybe during the summer?)

 

[Planes2Doc]

How it fits into your schedule is the most important thing if your main goal is to get an acceptance to medical school. You can always embellish the experience to make it sound better and more clinical than it really is. How else do you think that pre-meds who weren't volunteering because they genuinely wanted to get into medical school?

 

[Zumab]

So I currently volunteer at an outpatient surgery lounge. My responsibilities basically include running the front desk, helping transport family back to the nurses as well as providing any resources for the families of those currently in surgery. I could transfer to a different department in the hospital that will have much more direct interaction with patients, but this is the only volunteering that currently fits into my schedule right now since I can be done with my shift before my classes start. Any thoughts on if this counts as clinical volunteering/clinical experience?

I am curious about this as well.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

You can always embellish the experience to make it sound better and more clinical than it really is.

I do not recommend lying about your EC's in any way!!! Whether adcoms will catch it or not, it's just not worth it. And fwiw, I don't know you could possibly make this EC seem more clinical than it is. You staff a front desk. I'm not saying it's not a worthwhile EC because I think it is, but trying to make it out to be more than what it is is just going to make you look ridiculous. Adcoms aren't stupid.

 

[LizzyM]

When you go in the back are you close enough to smell the patients.... (noting that they may not be aromatic but just saying within 2 arms length of the patients and in sight of them? If so, it is a clinical experience. [wink]

You are in a hospital setting. you are dealing with people who are worried, confused, anxious, bored, maybe even angry. You are learning to interact professionally with nurses and other hospital personnel and the rules governing clinical settings. I think it is a good opportunity to learn about the human condition which is something that any volunteer activity should foster.

 

[Zumab]

When you go in the back are you close enough to smell the patients.... (noting that they may not be aromatic but just saying within 2 arms length of the patients and in sight of them? If so, it is a clinical experience. [wink]

You are in a hospital setting. you are dealing with people who are worried, confused, anxious, bored, maybe even angry. You are learning to interact professionally with nurses and other hospital personnel and the rules governing clinical settings. I think it is a good opportunity to learn about the human condition which is something that any volunteer activity should foster.

 

[SovietDoctor]

When you go in the back are you close enough to smell the patients.... (noting that they may not be aromatic but just saying within 2 arms length of the patients and in sight of them? If so, it is a clinical experience. [wink]

You are in a hospital setting. you are dealing with people who are worried, confused, anxious, bored, maybe even angry. You are learning to interact professionally with nurses and other hospital personnel and the rules governing clinical settings. I think it is a good opportunity to learn about the human condition which is something that any volunteer activity should foster.

Unfortunately, I'm not close enough to smell the patients haha, so I guess it isn't truly clinical, but like you said after that, I do feel like I'm learning a lot about interacting with people in hospitals outside of just the patients which I feel is important since you don't just treat a patient, you interact with everyone involved in that patient's care. Especially since I have had some really meaningful experiences while volunteering like seeing how a family comes to terms with a failed surgery that means their loved one's life expectancy will be severely shortened.

Plus I can always volunteer in another more clinically involved department during the summer when I have more time.

 

[Planes2Doc]

I do not recommend lying about your EC's in any way!!! Whether adcoms will catch it or not, it's just not worth it. And fwiw, I don't know you could possibly make this EC seem more clinical than it is. You staff a front desk. I'm not saying it's not a worthwhile EC because I think it is, but trying to make it out to be more than what it is is just going to make you look ridiculous. Adcoms aren't stupid.

I didn't say to lie. I just said embellish to make things sound better. A lot of pre-meds end up doing scut work during the majority of their shifts, but they talk about those few and far between patient interaction moments on the personal statement and at interviews. The same should be done with this, where the OP should talk extensively about those few patient interaction moments (and family). You're correct. ADCOMs aren't stupid. I think they realize that applicants often exaggerate the good parts and leave out the bad parts.

There are people that do volunteer gigs with even less patient contact, like gift shops, but they still manage to paint it in a good light and get in to school.

 

[Zumab]

I didn't say to lie. I just said embellish to make things sound better. A lot of pre-meds end up doing scut work during the majority of their shifts, but they talk about those few and far between patient interaction moments on the personal statement and at interviews. The same should be done with this, where the OP should talk extensively about those few patient interaction moments (and family). You're correct. ADCOMs aren't stupid. I think they realize that applicants often exaggerate the good parts and leave out the bad parts.

There are people that do volunteer gigs with even less patient contact, like gift shops, but they still manage to paint it in a good light and get in to school.

So would something like working in a hospital gift shop count as clinical experience then?

 

[Planes2Doc]

So would something like working in a hospital gift shop count as clinical experience then?

That's a real stretch. I wouldn't recommend it. It also sounds like slave labor so I'd steer clear of it.