Does volunteering mean volunteering the time or simply clinical exposure?

[dpk211]

When med schools want to see volunteering, do they mean volunteering in a hospital or other healthcare institution for the exposure or do they want you to volunteer for the sake of volunteering; giving your time for nothing in return.

I'm asking because I worked in a hospital for six years in the radiology department and I'm trying to figure out what that counts for. Do I need to visit the volunteer office in the hospital or can I count those six years as experience?

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[captaincbr]

When med schools want to see volunteering, do they mean volunteering in a hospital or other healthcare institution for the exposure or do they want you to volunteer for the sake of volunteering; giving your time for nothing in return.

I'm asking because I worked in a hospital for six years in the radiology department and I'm trying to figure out what that counts for. Do I need to visit the volunteer office in the hospital or can I count those six years as experience?

OP, just because medical schools want volunteer experience from you, it doesn't necessarily need to be medically related. Sure, it helps, but if you do something else, that would stand out among your peers. Find stuff to do near your location. One place to start is volunteermatch.org

And remember, do this for you and only you. What I mean is, do not volunteer just to beef up your application. Do something meaningful to you, otherwise it would be an annoying chore, and you would not gain any meaningful experience from it.