How many volunteering hours is good enough?

[Ellabelle]

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I have about 20 hours of volunteering at a hospital and I am planning on doing more. I am applying next June and I'm a little worried that I don't have enough volunteering hours. I wanna know how much more I should do. I am doing research this summer. I haven't done shadowing at all, is that bad?
I need some advice please!

 

[H Y F R]

I have about 20 hours of volunteering at a hospital and I am planning on doing more. I am applying next June and I'm a little worried that I don't have enough volunteering hours. I wanna know how much more I should do. I am doing research this summer. I haven't done shadowing at all, is that bad?
I need some advice please!

Try to get in as much as you can to show dedication, but not so much that the other areas of your application/life suffer.

If you can get more in the hospital then do so, but this can be hard as a pre-med trying to get your foot in. Shadowing a couple of doctors a few times each is good, and getting a decent LOR from each at the end helps. Volunteering at a retirement home, hospice, or a homeless shelter can help you rack up the hours very quick.

 

[zeppelinpage4]

You should be fine if you continue your volunteering until you apply next June. I think Catalystik mentioned 150 hours over about 1.5 years is the average in another thread. It really comes down to what you make of the experience though. You wanna be able to talk about it, not just make it seem like you were doing it to check boxes.

Also, try to get involved in some non-clinical volunteering, or community service type activity if you can.

Definitely start trying to get some shadowing in, a lot of people here mention shadowing a primary care doc first and foremost, and maybe some other specialties if you can.

 

[circulus vitios]

On SDN: 500
In real life: 100, 150.

 

[SpecterGT260]

continuity is what matters. You do not want to look like you simply checked the volunteering box on your app and moved on.

and before this erupts into nonsense like it always does.... what i said above IS the reality of the situation in terms of the message you want your app to convey. Now, whether or not box checking is what you are really doing and any discussion on the greater "meaning" of volunteering is an entirely different discussion.

but for the OP, to have the greatest shot at getting interviews/acceptance, you want volunteering to look like something you do rather than something you did.

 

[mmmcdowe]

You should be fine if you continue your volunteering until you apply next June. I think Catalystik mentioned 150 hours over about 1.5 years is the average in another thread. It really comes down to what you make of the experience though. You wanna be able to talk about it, not just make it seem like you were doing it to check boxes.

Also, try to get involved in some non-clinical volunteering, or community service type activity if you can.

Definitely start trying to get some shadowing in, a lot of people here mention shadowing a primary care doc first and foremost, and maybe some other specialties if you can.

This seems like a reasonable goal.

 

[GNE24]

On SDN: 500
In real life: 100, 150.

so true