How much does volunteering matter to med schools?

[NiteOwl]

I was just wondering how much volunteering and extracuriculars really mattered with medical schools. Right now I am starting my 4th semester of college, and have no volunteering experiences or any extracuriccular activities. I am going to join a health and sciences careers club in September, but I am guessing that won't be enough. I have been reading that medical schools like applicants that volunteer in health fields.
There are a few factors affecting me and volunteering at the moment though. I am enrolled in Microbiology, Anatomy and Physiology 1, College Algebra, Abnormal Psychology, and an elective class. The science classes also have lab, and for me this is going to be a big course load, especially since I have ADD too. So that is a ton of work for me, and I work part time on weekends(friday saturday and sunday). College is on everyday from Monday through Thursday, so that gives me no free days.
Will the medical schools understand that? Since I only work 3 days a week in the first place, I can't take off a day once a week to volunteer, I am seriously strapped for cash already. I really wouldn't mind volunteering at a hospital or something if I had the time, but I don't!
The only experience in a health related field that I have is a career shadowing day that I did at a doctors office a few years ago in high school.
The only time I might could volunteer is for a few hours once or maybe twice a month, and I don't know if hospital volunteers can do that or not. I do know a family friend that is a doctor, would it be worth a try to see if I could volunteer a few hours a month at his office? If so would that count enough for medical schools?
I want to be a doctor more than anything and am willing to give up a lot to go to medical school and become a doctor. I don't want this to hold me back! I will admit that my grades aren't perfect, I have a 3.5 GPA. Which is good, I know it will not get me into an ivy league school, but its still okay I guess.
Thanks for any replies, and sorry this is such a long post!

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[IndyZX]

some kind of healthcare experience is an absolute must; unless you have freakish numbers you need to do something there

maybe you can try to find a paid job? perhaps get EMT certified or something?

 

[illiniTJ]

Are you sure you want to go to medical school? Med school takes a huge commitment and a lot of money to go through with. If you're concerned with a part time job to make money throughout college, it wont get any easier in med school. I suggest cutting back on the working and try to volunteer in a unique setting other than a hospital. Hospital clinical experience is essential, but every premed and their mother has hospital clinical experience. You need something that will stand out. Definitely do something in the health field or caretaking field, such as a disabilites program, underprivledged kids shelter, anything with minorities in poverty, just something that will expose you to people different than yourself in a need based environment. It will give you an unique experience, along with something to write about in the plethora of essays. A 3.5 with NO E.C.'s will look very bad to adcoms. Also, is research an option for you? Sometimes you just have to make some time in your day for this stuff - 😳

 

[deuist]

On research: I have an undergrad pre-med working for me (I'm a grad student). She gets a scholarship and college credit for her work. What a deal! Maybe you could pull something like that to pay for school.

 

[j0ker918]

General four things medschools look at 1)MCAT (standardized test) 2) GPA (courses and grades) 3) Extra-Cur (experiences and background) 4) Recs (personal impressions)

If you're missing Extra-Curr, then you really need to fill it up. A lot of schools recognize the difficulty in balancing school and financial need but in that case, you should be more careful in selecting a job. I would recommend getting a job working in a lab or hospital. That way you get your money AND your health-related experience. Think about ways you can "hit two birds with one stone." Joining a club is pretty useless unless you DO something in it like volunteering or hold an officer position etc. The worst thing to do would to join one to put it on your CV and then have absolutely nothing to talk about when they ask you about it during interviews. Either way, commit to something early and stick with it. Things that you did for a day aren't the best experiences to write down. On one hand, your work experience is definitely a plus if its meaningful. Just plan early this year and you'll be fine. Good luck with everything!
🙂

 

[jlee9531]

this is just my personal opinion, but i feel volunteering/EC experience is very significant in the admissions process. sure there are schools that focus mostly on the numbers, but there are also a lot of schools that pay close attn to the ECs you have done. its how they can somewhat figure out what type of student they want for their med school.

honestly, having little EC experience will be an issue on your secondaries and in your interviews. they will want an explanation. whether or not it is good enough is up to them. i understand your time and financial constraints but you should try to do as much as you can. it's not like you are lazy or anything so im sure some of the the med schools will understand your situation just as long as they can see you are trying to make an effort with it.

hope your mcat is solid so that you can have a chance at interviews and tell them about you personally so they know your passion for being a doctor is true.

 

[uclabruin2003]

i think that volunteering can only help but i think if you need money look for a research paid position and try to volunteer once in awhile at least. its the very least you can do. i also do not think that not volunteering will kill you....everyone volunteers...if you can do one thing well....i think it would be better than to do a littleb bit here and there...so if you have a job make sure it reflects the medical field ...working at mcdonalds doesnt help your app.

 

[Innocent Girl]

Maybe you could work (in a paid positition) in a doctor's office after you graduate. This would delay your admission to med school by one year, but you would get the necessary experience and show your committment to medicine.

 

[IndyZX]

Are you sure you want to go to medical school? Med school takes a huge commitment and a lot of money to go through with. If you're concerned with a part time job to make money throughout college, it wont get any easier in med school. I suggest cutting back on the working and try to volunteer in a unique setting other than a hospital.

Most people will get loans for medical school. Also, not everyone undergrad situation is as rosy as ours.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Even if you have freakishly high numbers you need healthcare experience to demonstrate your understanding of what being a doctor is all about, this is validation, it is crucial. This can come in the form of volunteering, work, personal experiences as a patient, etc...

 

[45408]

The worst thing to do would to join one to put it on your CV and then have absolutely nothing to talk about when they ask you about it during interviews.

You don't even know how many people do that. I'm the president of our AMSA branch, and we have between 60-80 members on a given year, and maybe 10 of them are active (and that number includes the officers ). People are slackers and think that just the "name" will get them somewhere. 🙄

 

[NiteOwl]

I absolutely can't cut back on my work hours! I am not even using the money I make to save for medical school. I am going to get loans or scholarships for that. I use almost every penny I make paying for my car, cas and insurance for my car, and a small credit card bill! I only make $6 an hour, and even though the car is only 140 a month, after I pay that and bills I don't have any mony left. My parent will buy gas for the car (they said they would help as long as I was in school and working) when I really need it and don't have the money. Don't think I am I spoiled little brat whose parents give them everything, because Im NOT. I wish my parents didn't have to help me.
I took summer classes this year (and worked) so I couldn't volunteer then. I was taking more than full-time course load too. I am probably going to have to take summer classes next year too. I have a undergrad scholarship, but you have to be a full-time student for it, so I can't just cut back school hours either!
About my GPA, I am working on that. The only thing that screwed me over was a C in History because I did poorly on the first test 😡 . So out of tweleve classes I have all As and Bs except for that one C!
I have tried to look for jobs in doctors offices and hospitals, but they all wanted people with experience.
To illinTJ, who asked "Are you sure you want to go to medical school..."
I have a question for you...What kind of question is that?! YES I AM SURE! I want to be a doctor more than anything! I am completely willing to give up my time and money to do so! I wanted to be a doctor since I was 9, but once I got into high school I gave up on my dream. I went to a sh***y high school and also didn't know I had ADD-so it was left untreated. Because of all that, I thought I was to stupid for it and gave up on my hopes of being a doctor. Once I got into college my grades inproved and had the ADD treated. As it turns out, I wasn't stupid afterall. So now I am trying my hardest to do want to do-become a doctor!
To uclabruin2003 who said "volunteering won't kill you"...I never said it would! If I had the freakin time I would love to volunteer!

Would a job at as a pharmacy tech be helpful? I think I might would like that job (and a place in my city is hiring for it). I am afraid to leave my job where I am at though. I work at Doninoes pizza (let me explain before you laugh and make fun of me), but I like it okay there. The management is good to me-they are flexible with my collge hours and understand that sometimes I need the day off to study for a huge test, and they are great in other ways too. So I don't want to leave unless the pharmacy tech job would be really helpful in med school acceptance!

 

[aparecida]

I think people are being pretty harsh to you. There aren't many people here who understand the situation of paying one's own way through school and how hard it can be. I think medical schools understand this too and you will not be looked down on for working at Domino's (they will probably be impressed you were able to pay your way through school).

With that said, though, they will want some medical experience so that they will know you aren't going into it blind. (Frankly, I think this is sort of dumb because a lot of hospital volunteer work just consists of "go stock this closet," but that's my opinion.) Do whatever you can -- I like your idea of volunteering in your family friend's office a couple of times a month. You could also see about hospitals or clinics that might let you volunteer for short time periods. For example, I volunteered at Planned Parenthood and we only had to volunteer 3 hours a week -- I imagine you could fit both this and your work shift into your Friday or Saturday.

 

[NiteOwl]

oh, and there was one place I found that could take volunteers, even if it was only a couple of days a month. But it was at an animal shelter. Would that possibly work? I would really like to do that, if its almost as good as healthcare/hospital volunteers. I mean I really support the shelter (its a
"no-kill" shelter which is wonderful). So if it is a cause that I really support-even if it is with animals, not humans-would that be good?

 

[Pinkertinkle]

I believe you need experience where you can observe doctors at work, to validate your interest. Pharm tech or animal shelters do not fit that requirement.

 

[NiteOwl]

Thanks aparecida! Its nice to see friendly people here. And thanks to the other few that were nice. 🙂

 

[the other Dr.]

I can empathize with your situation, I didn't get a penny from my family while I was in college, either worked thirty hours a week or cut down on work when I got some scholarships. This carried me through 2 community colleges and a big university, and it's really, really tough balancing work and studying, especially with ADD, which affects some close friends and people in my family. Hopefully you have found treatment! As for volunteering, I found I could spare a morning or evening each week at the hospital ICU or free clinic, even if it meant giving up Friday night. People need help 24-7, so if you're willing to work funny hours there is probably something out there for you. There are numerous other orgs that need volunteers on a small scale (a few hours here or there), such as Planned Parenthood as mentioned. Look for an organization that suits your interest, maybe an ADD-counseling service or low-income clinic, and you will see how much easier it is to squeeze in time to help people going through the same things as you. As for other ECs, same advice: find orgs you believe in and you will be inspired to do more than clock in and out for your required hours. It also depends on where you go to school; obviously there are more opportunities if you're in a big city, so do some research and find what is available in your area.

 

[fourthyearmed]

See if you can volunteer in your local ER, I did. It's always open so you could go any time you were free! Also, I have a classmate who worked as a phlebotomist in the hospital, that would be a paid job that wouldn't be too hard and would provide good exposure. Unfortunely experience in a medical setting, although usually useless, is a necessity. Good luck with everything!

 

[OSURxgirl]

pharmacy tech is a lot more haalth related than domino's...AND pays more than 6 bucks an hour, meaning you could work less and volunteer more!

 

[aparecida]

oh yes, you could also see if your local plasma donation center(s) is/are hiring. The one in my town regularly places help-wanted ads, in which the text specifically mentions that no medical experience is required, and that you'll get good medical experience while working there. I think the pay is decent. Worth looking into.

 

[NiteOwl]

Thanks for the ideas. I had never even thought about seeing if there was opportunities with ADD counselers etc that I could volunteer with. That would be a good idea seeing as I know a good bit about ADD, and I have had to deal with it from 1st grade until now (age19). I have looked at the hospitals in my city for volunteer work, but I think they wanted to know how many hours you could dedicate. I suppose I could tell them that it would vary. One of them looked pretty good though, if you volunteer 100 hours you get a scholarship (I don't know how much, but even something small is still great).
I suppose working at a pharmacy would be better than Dominoes...At least a pharmacy would be something related to healthcare. Or I could instead just tell customers at dominoes that its not such a good idea to order quadruple portions of extra cheese on their pizza (jusk kidding, but people have ordered that...ah, the heartattack-in-a-box special!) But, seriously, I guess it would be better to work at Walgreens rather than Dominoes. I could at least try it...if it doesn't work out I can always go back to dominoes...
I'll try to keep looking for volunteer work in my city. Its a fairly big area, but there isn't much to do. That and I will look into research positions or something like that.

 

[uclabruin2003]

to future dr.cynthia

you misread my post i said "i also do not think that not volunteering will kill you"...meaning you dont have to volunteer...it wont make or break you. i am sure that adcoms will understand taht some people will not have time to volunteer especially if they are working too much. that is why i said that its more important for you to do one thing and to do it well. it does not make sense for you to do 3 things and to do them poorly. so find a health related/research related job and you can get paid....hope that helps.

 

[NiteOwl]

Oops, I'm sorry I misread that! 😳 Thats, what I am hoping-that the schools will undertand that I didn't have much time for volunteering. I mean my course loads (this semester is going to be a lot of work for me) and the fact that I work too...
Anyway. Sorry I kinda got a little snappy with you. That'll make me read more carefully from now on 🙂

 

[PhillyEaglesFan]

I believe you need experience where you can observe doctors at work, to validate your interest. Pharm tech or animal shelters do not fit that requirement.

unless it's pharm tech at a hospital. lots of time spent on the floor and interaction with nurses (not always pleasant either).

 

[principessa]

I agree with the ER suggestion. You can do it on Friday or Saturday night, which is the most interesting time anyway.

Also, a lot of my friends at school worked as CNA's at local hospitals. The hospitals would train them and everything. They learned a lot and got to interact with lots of patients, doctors, and nurses. It's a major time committment, but if you have to work anyway, it could be really good for you.

 

[jhugti]

OK I'm a BIG SDN lurker but I'm goign to take this opportunity to post...


To the OP- you're experience is freaking inspiring.

I have been lucky enough to have been handed my education on a platter and think (like most people I know in a similar boat) that I take it for granted.

You get a big 👍 from me for managing to do something I could never have. Hope things work out for the best for you- you surely deserve it.

 

[Mumpu]

Look at it this way. Everyone applying to med school will have decent GPA and MCATs. The key is to have positive attributes that set you apart from the crowd so when the admissions committee sits down in front of a stack of 1500 applications they'll remember you as an individual.

Volunteering, research, unusual hobbies or achievements... Anything helps.

 

[dizcsgt]

Hey!
firstly, amazin man...its amazin to see that u do school, self finance with all that you have going on.... i hope things work out. There are some good suggestions out there.... but i was wonderin if your school offers TA positions to undergrads..i study at the university of illinois and for chemistry they do hire undergrad TAs.... not many people know abt these positions too I think.. all you gotta do is show some effort and do relatively well in the cclass... u said u got As and Bs... so thats not bad at all.. A TA at Illinois gets a tution waiver.. just look it up and see if they have it in ur school... askin never hurts..
yeah workin in a hospital sounds great... but if you take a EMT class...i belive you can work as a EMT tech and thats money.. hospitals pay well... .but the above posts covered a good deal.... volunteerin is important... like somebody said..everybody has decent grades and MCATs..wat makes you stand out.. is YOUR life experience but that necessarily doesnt need to come from a hospital volunteer experience.. hey good luck! i will be gunnin for you to make it through!!!!

 

[NiteOwl]

To jhugti: Thanks for the encouragement! I do get free education also, but only for my undergrad, unfortunatly my scholarship can't be used for medical school, so I have to pay that...I don't even want to think about the costs if I go to an out of state college Oh, well, I think its worth it no matter what the cost.
to dizcsgt: Sorry, but whats a TA? I am a community college right now and will probably transfer after this fall semester. About the EMT tech stuff...I doubt I would have time for training. With my scholarship, I have to be a full time student, so those classes already take a lot of time up, then my job and studying. Also the fact I have ADD (found out this year and still trying to figure out the right treatment) means I have work even harder. Thanks for your encouragement too!
I have looked some into the hospitals in my area for volunteering, I don't think they have them for the ER though. The volunteers at the hospitals do patient transport, delivering flowers, bringing water, giving surveys, giving directions to parts of the hospital etc...
I am taking a first aid class as an elective this semester and it will give CPR training. Maybe I could teach CPR for Red Cross or something?
I'll take some ideas from here and also see if that friend will let me do something at his office on Friday or Saturday morning/afternoons. He's still kind of a new doctor and his practice isn't huge yet or anything, so I don't think I would just get in the way or anything.
Thanks again 🙂

 

[ndn diva]

I went and talked to the Dean of one of the Medical Schools this past week and she emphasized that clinical experience is a must in order to get accepted by their school. The reason being is that she said they want to make sure that all candidates for their school have been exposed to medicine and are not going into this blind folded. If I were you...try to get some type of clinical experience...even if it is a paid job. I am pretty sure the reasoning is the same for all schools...they want to see your commitment to medicine and make sure you have dealt with it firsthand.

 

[theunc31]

i would disagree on the pharm tech not being sufficient. although hospital or doctor's office is an absolute must, getting used to patients and learning how to deal with people isn't too shabby either. I had a friend who wrote one of his personal statements on being a pharm tech and ended up talking about it on his interview. You never know where you can strike interest with an interviewer.

 

[jlee9531]

the red cross is also flexible with their volunteering commitments.