How Many Volunteer Hours Do You Expect To Have

[numberrronee]

how many volunteer hours do you expect to have when you are about to apply to medical school. for those who already went through that process, how many did you have?

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[tealovr]

I had 2 hrs/wk volunteering at a hospital, for a year. I also had a non-paid tutoring position at my college for 2-3 years, for about 2 hrs/wk.

 

[DMacNeuro]

Counting Shadowing, Clinical Volunteering, Lab Volunteering, Maybe 600+

 

[ninjapenguin]

On paper, about 500+ hours. In actuality, no more than 50.

 

[iA-MD2013]

On paper, about 500+ hours. In actuality, no more than 50.

not a good idea...

 

[HumidBeing]

Counting Shadowing, Clinical Volunteering, Lab Volunteering, Maybe 600+

Shadowing does not count as volunteering. If anything, the person who allows you to shadow is the one who is volunteering. You are just benefiting from the generosity of someone else.

 

[anomalous738232]

how many volunteer hours do you expect to have when you are about to apply to medical school. for those who already went through that process, how many did you have?

as of Jan. 1, 2007, i had 421 hours. my goal is 800. most of those hours came from the summer- when I did 16 hrs/week. during the academic year, i only do ~5 hours a week. but this figure will probably decrease when i find a suitable research position.

 

[fireflygirl]

I only had about 200 hours of volunteering but I don't think you need to be competing for how much you had. You should have enough to get a sense of what medicine is about and if that means it takes 50 hours, that's what it takes. What's more meaningful is some form of patient contact or clinical work that really introduces you to what medicine is about either through research or administration or something that shows all the aspects of medicine. And maybe you can get that through 1000 hours of volunteering or through a 9-5 job, but you shouldn't worry about how many hours are going to look good for your app or what a minimum volunteer hour requriement is because there is none. What you take out of your ECs and what they teach about medicine is a requirement.

 

[deleted36260]

I am accepted with a little over 120 of medical oriented

5 hours week (saturday afternoon) for 6 months = 120 hours.

When are people going to realize it's the quality, not the quantity that matters?

 

[Moshe Rabbenu]

I volunteered as a big bro for about 50 hours, but then I had to move. I also volunteered at a homeless shelter in Israel, but only for a little bit. I'd like to pick that up again here once I don't have class every night. I probably have about 20-30 hours of unpaid tutoring as well, possibly more; I never kept track. I guess I'll probably have around 120 or so by the time I apply.

All of my clinical stuff was paid, so that doesn't count.

 

[Howzat]

On paper, about 500+ hours. In actuality, no more than 50.

How is that possible? 😛

 

[Maxprime]

Roughly 5 more than you - it's a competitive world. 🙂

 

[Nevadanteater]

2000+

</type-A bragging>

 

[ChubbyChaser]

1200 of medically oriented volunteer work. If you include my research lab I probably total like a million.,, nah more like 2500, but I dont think research is considered volunteer work.

 

[HumidBeing]

1200 of medically oriented volunteer work. If you include my research lab I probably total like a million.,, nah more like 2500, but I dont think research is considered volunteer work.

If you are doing it without compensation - neither for pay nor school credit - it's volunteer work.

 

[Kaustikos]

Roughly 5 more than you - it's a competitive world. 🙂

I would say about 4 million. I have a gf.

 

[ninjapenguin]

How is that possible? 😛

Everyone fudges the numbers a little bit on their AMCAS, adding an extra week or month here or there. I just tacked on a few zeros to mine by adding an extra year or two. Let's just chalk it up to a typo. 😀

 

[Dienekes]

Counting my time as a volunteer firefighter (and, later, fire officer) and an EMT, maybe 20,000 hrs (~20 hrs a week, ~50 weeks per year, for 10+ years). I also have several other hobbies that can be construed as volunteer activities. However, if you're talking about the typical premed bull**** volunteering in free clinics, soup kitchens, homeless shelters and such, basically none.

 

[nevercold]

I am accepted with a little over 120 of medical oriented

5 hours week (saturday afternoon) for 6 months = 120 hours.

When are people going to realize it's the quality, not the quantity that matters?

Many of the people on this forum will never believe that because it does not help them understand their competitiveness and understanding their competitiveness is one of their primary goals.

You are right though, 2000 hours of volunteering and not being able to say much about what you gained from the experience will do you no good. In contrast, 100 hours of volunteering that give you experiences that help you understand the needs of certain groups or that help you understand what you expect of yourself, properly expressed on the application and interview, will be golden.

 

[Howzat]

Many of the people on this forum will never believe that because it does not help them understand their competitiveness and understanding their competitiveness is one of their primary goals.

You are right though, 2000 hours of volunteering and not being able to say much about what you gained from the experience will do you no good. In contrast, 100 hours of volunteering that give you experiences that help you understand the needs of certain groups or that help you understand what you expect of yourself, properly expressed on the application and interview, will be golden.

It's true that it is usually quality over quantity. At the same time, who do you think shows more commitment? 1000 is impressive and shows alot of commitment than someone with 100 hours.

 

[nevercold]

It's true that it is usually quality over quantity. At the same time, who do you think shows more commitment? 1000 is impressive and shows alot of commitment than someone with 100 hours.

Commitment to what? Resume/AMCAS padding? No joke 1000 is better than 100, but only if both get something out of it that they are able to express in their application.

 

[iA-MD2013]

1200 of medically oriented volunteer work. If you include my research lab I probably total like a million.,, nah more like 2500, but I dont think research is considered volunteer work.

That's a lot!
~600 hrs helath-related volunteering. And, yes, like 2000 hrs research. i spend way too much time in lab 🙁

 

[mfrizzo3]

~10.5 hrs

 

[Howzat]

Commitment to what? Resume/AMCAS padding? No joke 1000 is better than 100, but only if both get something out of it that they are able to express in their application.

Well, atleast personally, it'd be very hard to rack up 1000 hours *if* I didn't like volunteering in the ER. So, I don't see a point why would somebody try to rack up 1000 hours if they weren't enjoying it or getting something meaningful out of it!

 

[Howzat]

~10.5 hrs

👍

 

[numberrronee]

Well, atleast personally, it'd be very hard to rack up 1000 hours *if* I didn't like volunteering in the ER. So, I don't see a point why would somebody try to rack up 1000 hours if they weren't enjoying it or getting something meaningful out of it!

that is exactly right. i enjoy the ER and volunteer as much as i can. i am the only volunteer at night, and i do everything myself and love it. the hot nurses floating around and flirting makes time fly as well. the more hours you have shows the amount of dedication you have to medicine. not everyone can do it though because of family or work and that is understandable. for the few on here saying "less is good" and makes some poor excuse why that is better than one having 2000 hours is only jealous or lazy

 

[numberrronee]

Many of the people on this forum will never believe that because it does not help them understand their competitiveness and understanding their competitiveness is one of their primary goals.

You are right though, 2000 hours of volunteering and not being able to say much about what you gained from the experience will do you no good. In contrast, 100 hours of volunteering that give you experiences that help you understand the needs of certain groups or that help you understand what you expect of yourself, properly expressed on the application and interview, will be golden.

if you do 2000 hours of volunteering and not gain anything or learn anything, just pick a different career. and another poor excuse about competitiveness! its just dedication you have to medicine not competitiveness. if you dont like it then you will do about an average of 50 hours to show something to medical schools. the ones who have more hours are more dedicated to medicine then the ones with the least amount of hours. think about it. and in the interview would it be better to have an answer to 2000 hours or only 50 hours. EXACTLY MY POINT