How long should I volunteer to show commitment?

[deleted947805]

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I have been volunteering in a state hospital and a nursing home this entire semester (3 hours/week in the hospital and 6 hours/week in the nursing home). I want to focus on having more volunteer hours the following semesters in the hospital since I love the time I spend in the there. I also enjoy volunteering in the nursing home and everyone is very grateful to have me there as I am making huge impacts on the residents. The adult residents have dementia and they all want to see me rather than spending time with the nurses. The patients in the hospital also love me so much and I would love to focus on them for the following semesters. But the problem is that I don’t want to leave them[ the adult residents] like this knowing that they really want to see me there. I also don’t want medical schools to think that I am just doing this for the sake of my application. I want them to understand that I love volunteering in the nursing home. I volunteered for 3 months and now I want to stop. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I feel like volunteer hours in a hospital are more appealing to medical schools. Should I continue on volunteering next semester to show commitment, or should I just focus on the hospital?

I’m very sorry for the poor writing. I’m just so tired. And thank you in advance!


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[Goro]

150 hrs. And it's less for the commitment (which is still a good thing), but more to make sure you know what you're getting into.

 

[Tenk]

Just cut back on your hours, take a break, go once a month, etc. This isn’t a committed relationship. You can see other people and still see the nursing home as an occasional fling.

 

[deleted947805]

Just cut back on your hours, take a break, go once a month, etc. This isn’t a committed relationship. You can see other people and still see the nursing home as an occasional fling.

That is actually a really good idea! I will swing by the nursing home whenever I have time. It can be once a month or once in two weeks. But I will entirely focus on my Hospital volunteer hours while enjoying the process.


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[deleted947805]

150 hrs. And it's less for the commitment (which is still a good thing), but more to make sure you know what you're getting into.

Thank you!


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[Catalystik]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I feel like volunteer hours in a hospital are more appealing to medical schools. Should I continue on volunteering next semester to show commitment, or should I just focus on the hospital?

Volunteering and making a difference in a dementia unit would get you pretty solid "points" with adcomms. Volunteering in a hospital, depending on your location, has the potential to give you a broader experience of acute disease and injury, for your own sake. Both are valuable to your application.

 

[deleted947805]

Volunteering and making a difference in a dementia unit would get you pretty solid "points" with adcomms. Volunteering in a hospital, depending on your location, has the potential to give you a broader experience of acute disease and injury, for your own sake. Both are valuable to your application.

Okay, I will. Thanks for the advice!


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