I'm confused about what volunteering experiences you should have

[Maido]

I've seen conflicting advice online about what kinds of volunteering experiences you should have. From what I can tell, there are three kinds of volunteering experiences:

• clinical volunteering (which I assume is essentially like a clinical job except you're not paid?)
• non-clinical volunteering (e.g. soup kitchen, tutoring)
• hospital volunteering (stuff like stocking shelves, but no exposure to patients)

and I would do a lot of these naturally but y'all know how it's like as a premed--I just don't have the time to do a lot of stuff I don't need to. And I'm super confused about what is needed. Some clarification would be highly appreciated.

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[Goro]

Hospital volunteering IS clinical volunteering. Not all of the latter needs to be done in a hospital though.

You should have at least 150 hrs of clinical volunteering, AND non-clinical volunteering each, and 50+ hrs of shadowing.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

If you treat volunteering opportunities as ends in themselves rather than means to an end you’ll have much better experiences to talk about in interviews and write about on applications.

For example, I don’t think that clinical volunteering is essential, if you have other clinical experience (shadowing, job, etc.) and volunteering/service to others (can be clinical or non clinical)

 

[Trained LabRat]

I absolutely agree with voxveritatisetlucis! Have some clinical experience (like shadowing, ER volunteering, etc) to show that you understand what medicine is about. That said, find something you're passionate about, because we always find time for things we love to do! And when time comes, it will help you reaffirm "Why medicine?"

 

[LizzyM]

You need

• at least 150 hours of clinical experience (volunteer or paid-- to give you face-to-face experience in an environment where patients are cared for -- it can be a hospital, or an ambulatory care facility. or "doctors' office") and
• at least 150 hours of non-clinical volunteering (to demonstrate that you really do like to help people who can't help themselves).

 

[21Rush12]

Although saying “I agree with @LizzyM” about admissions is like saying “I agree with Dr. Hawking” about black holes — I agree with LizzyM.

I would like to add a caveat that the duration of the experience is possibly even more important than the raw numbers. The name of the game is commitment to service. For example: 100 hours of volunteering that you do in 3 weeks over a summer vs an hour a week for 2 years. Duration of service shows commitment and the 2 years wins every time in my view.

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

Imho sufficient and high quality clinical volunteering can overcome lack of non clinical volunteering too.

 

[lumya]

I sympathize with feeling like there's not enough time to get everything done even if you want to do it.

Building up something long-term is always more sustainable and you can always integrate it into what you already like to do. Like to cook? Help out at a soup kitchen. Huge fan of a sport? There's a lot of boys and girls clubs who need coaches. Heck, I volunteered at a cat shelter for years and then taught people about planes because that's what I was interested in and my interviewers found that to be fascinating.

The reason why both clinical and non-clinical is important is because clinical gives you an insight into what healthcare is like while non-clinical gives the adcoms an insight in what you're like. And there's so options in both you can be creative and find a way to integrate it into your busy schedule.

 

[bigdawg45]

My only true volunteering experience was nonclinical, but it was really far from the typical cookie cutter stuff normally seen and I was able to passionately write and speak about it. That said, I did have many clinical experience hours working as a scribe so I didn't feel the need to do any clinical volunteering. I recommend volunteering in something you're truly passionate about. You'll get the most for your time in doing so.

 

[LindaAccepted]

I've seen conflicting advice online about what kinds of volunteering experiences you should have. From what I can tell, there are three kinds of volunteering experiences:

• clinical volunteering (which I assume is essentially like a clinical job except you're not paid?)
• non-clinical volunteering (e.g. soup kitchen, tutoring)
• hospital volunteering (stuff like stocking shelves, but no exposure to patients)

and I would do a lot of these naturally but y'all know how it's like as a premed--I just don't have the time to do a lot of stuff I don't need to. And I'm super confused about what is needed. Some clarification would be highly appreciated.

@Goro and @LizzyM have given you very clear guidelines. I'd also like to point out that it's not just about X hours; it's about commitment, consistency, and what you both learn and contribute while doing these activities.

And if you need to take a gap year to fit it all in, prep for the MCAT, and maintain your GPA (not to mention your sanity), that's not so terrible. It's worth considering.

 

[BeMoConsulting]

Hi there, this is a great question. We suggest quality over quantity in terms of your volunteer and other activities. This means that you should choose only a couple activities to engage in at any one time. This helps to avoid burn out, but it also helps you commit to something and evolve in the role.

Schools look for two main things in the activities: commitment and progression. Commitment means that you stick with something for a long time- for example, a couple of years. Progression shows that you progress through the role. For example, maybe you start off as a member of a club, then proceed to chair and finally to president. If you choose just a few activities then you can get your hours and you can also show both of these traits.

You will gain a lot of important skills that schools look for like leadership, collaboration, etc. I suggest looking up the AAMC Core Competencies to see what kind of skills are preferred for the field of medicine.

There are many things you can do to gain clinical skills. A few are: scribing, EMT work, volunteering in a clinic or hospital, or doing a mission with a medical organization. If you are able to have patient interactions you will learn a lot about the field and will gain important skills at the same time. We suggest finding volunteer and paid activities that really interest you and that you are passionate about because it won't feel like work and you will be happier to engage in them and to stick with them, progressing through the roles.

Best of luck!