How to list volunteer hours

[KD6-3.7]

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I've been volunteering at the same hospital since 2013, but with breaks and varying levels of activity. During summer I might do 2+ shifts per week but only did 1-2/month during the school year. I did this from 2013-2015 with a few breaks, and started back up in 2017 to now (ongoing).

My question is about the hours per week box. My raw total number of hours at app time will be ~250, but if you divide that by the number of active weeks I'd have to put something like 45 minutes a week. In reality my shifts are 3-4 hours, but I didn't do 3-4 hours a week every week for years on end, and if I had my total hours would be alot higher. So what do I put? 3, and explain my activity? Or just do a mathematical average and put down 30 minutes or 45 minutes a week?

I don't want adcoms to question either why my total hours are too low for 3hours/week or why I put 0.75 hours/week.

Thank you for any advice. @Catalystik would appreciate any advice!

 

[PhilzCoffeeAddict]

Don't worry! The application allows you to list the total number of hours and the number of hours you partook in the activity between certain time points. The application has room for 4 separate time points, I believe. I was in your shoes. I volunteered throughout college but volunteered more so during breaks and was able to demonstrate that in the app.

 

[WIMNFamilyMed]

Like said above, just separate it - when I had 3 months without volunteering, I made it a different date timeline of a repeat activity.

 

[Catalystik]

I've been volunteering at the same hospital since 2013, but with breaks and varying levels of activity. During summer I might do 2+ shifts per week but only did 1-2/month during the school year. I did this from 2013-2015 with a few breaks, and started back up in 2017 to now (ongoing).

My question is about the hours per week box. My raw total number of hours at app time will be ~250, but if you divide that by the number of active weeks I'd have to put something like 45 minutes a week. In reality my shifts are 3-4 hours, but I didn't do 3-4 hours a week every week for years on end, and if I had my total hours would be alot higher. So what do I put? 3, and explain my activity? Or just do a mathematical average and put down 30 minutes or 45 minutes a week?

I don't want adcoms to question either why my total hours are too low for 3hours/week or why I put 0.75 hours/week.

Thank you for any advice. @Catalystik would appreciate any advice!

For AMCAS, you aren't obliged to enter hours per week any more, just the Total Hours for each timeframe. Since you can break the years into multiple timeframes, each with its own Total Hours, if some of that span was during HS, put all that time together. If you were in college before quitting in 2015, put dates after HS graduation until then in span 2. The time from 2017 and onward can be span 3. If you project more hours until med school matriculation after the month you submit the application, span 4 can be future projected hours (if you're sure of them).