Importance of medicine related volunteering

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keptium

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I was just wondering how important is volunteering in a medical field ( ie. hospital). I have lots of other volunteering experiences (soup kitchens, working with elderly). However, I have never volunteered in a hospital during college only in high school. Is this going to hurt my chances in getting into a good medical school?

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It could, perhaps. Many medical schools like to see that you have some kind of exposure to the medical field. The idea is to show that you have some kind of clue what you may be getting in to. So while that doesn't need to be volunteering per se (though that's proably the easiest and most flexible route), a summer job could count (in a hosptial or doctors office) or time spent shadowing a physician, or something similar. I'd recommend trying to work some of that into your college experience, rather than just relying on your high school exposure.

I don't know if this is true for every school, but certainly won't hurt to ensure this kind of exposure.
 
On the surface, it may appear that volunteering shows some humanity in you...that is true and good, but not central to what the med schools are looking for. They want to know that you have some vague idea of what you're getting into. Just sign up for a VA Hospital orientation right away. It doesn't have to be a long period of volunteer work, but you really do need some.
 
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