I'm not sure if I should classify this as medically-related volunteering or not

[Daiichi]

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I have hundreds and hundreds of hours as a volunteer at a local nonprofit. This nonprofit provides housing and medical care for adults with brain injuries, genetic disorders, etc.

When I first began volunteering there, it was handyman-like in nature - I helped paint, maintain the houses, mow the yard, etc. It then evolved into me doing that along with helping set up fundraisers to raise money and awareness for them. After a while of this, I began to get to know the residents and my volunteer time once again evolved into spending time with them, having conversations with them, assisting them around the house/into chairs/etc.

Overall, it has been a great experience and I have learned a lot in the ways of compassion and so forth, but I'm not sure it's medically-related since I didn't actually *do* much past spend time with them, raise money, and take care of their homes. How should I classify this?

 

[Goro]

I'd say it is, and a patient group that most people shy away from. So kudos to you!

 

[Tenk]

If these people have chronic disabilities and you are helping improve their quality of life that sounds pretty medically related to me. Medicine isn't all about prescriptions and hospitals. The key way to phrase this is to put the emphasis on how you helped improve their lives and living situation rather than the actual process itself.

 

[LizzyM]

I'd argue that they are not "patients" receiving clinical services when you interact with them. That said many adcoms value "volunteer, non-clinical" highly because it isn't a "two birds one stone" situation; you really did it to be helpful (altruistic) and not because it was a way to get clinical hours.

 

[Daiichi]

I'd argue that they are not "patients" receiving clinical services when you interact with them.

This is kind of what I was thinking as well. While I don't regret this volunteer experience at all, outside of this volunteer experience I have another ~80 hours of non-medical volunteer and only maybe ~30 hours of medical volunteering. Is it going to reflect poorly upon me to have many hours of non-medical and then just a small stint of medical volunteering?

 

[Catalystik]

I have hundreds and hundreds of hours as a volunteer at a local nonprofit. This nonprofit provides housing and medical care for adults with brain injuries, genetic disorders, etc.

When I first began volunteering there, it was handyman-like in nature - I helped paint, maintain the houses, mow the yard, etc. It then evolved into me doing that along with helping set up fundraisers to raise money and awareness for them. After a while of this, I began to get to know the residents and my volunteer time once again evolved into spending time with them, having conversations with them, assisting them around the house/into chairs/etc.

Overall, it has been a great experience and I have learned a lot in the ways of compassion and so forth, but I'm not sure it's medically-related since I didn't actually *do* much past spend time with them, raise money, and take care of their homes. How should I classify this?

If you were to split out the time after you came to "know the residents," when you spent time with them conversing and assisting with transfers to chairs, and such, what would be the start date? How many hours would this entail?

I think you might be able to make a reasonable case for that portion being "clinical" in nature, but to highlight it, you wouldn't want to leave it with the "handyman" and "fundraising" components, which are clearly Volunteer/Community Service - Not Medical/Clinical in nature.

 

[Daiichi]

If you were to split out the time after you came to "know the residents," when you spent time with them conversing and assisting with transfers to chairs, and such, what would be the start date? How many hours would this entail?

I think you might be able to make a reasonable case for that portion being "clinical" in nature, but to highlight it, you wouldn't want to leave it with the "handyman" and "fundraising" components.

Probably about 4 hours or so a month for the past 9 years on average. Past 7 years or so more focused on the residents and less on the handywork.

 

[Catalystik]

Probably about 4 hours or so a month for the past 9 years on average. Past 7 years or so more focused on the residents and less on the handywork.

Dissect out the interaction time, list it separately, denote it as medical volunteering, spin it right, and I feel many adcomms will look on this as "clinical". Take care not to double count the hours. Hopefully, the other 30 hours you plan to list took place in a more traditional clinical environment where doctors work?

 

[Daiichi]

Dissect out the interaction time, list it separately, denote it as medical volunteering, spin it right, and I feel many adcomms will look on this as "clinical". Take care not to double count the hours. Hopefully, the other 30 hours you plan to list took place in a more traditional clinical environment where doctors work?

Yep, 30 hours in a hospital.

Are you saying just to list the volunteering as two separate activities - one as a non-medical volunteer activity when I did house work / fundraising, and then another activity as medical when I was with the residents?

 

[Catalystik]

Are you saying just to list the volunteering as two separate activities - one as a non-medical volunteer activity when I did house work / fundraising, and then another activity as medical when I was with the residents?

Yes, that is my suggestion. Each Activities entry would have it's own separate dates of involvement and Total Hours.