International volunteering

[Min:))]

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Two weeks before starting college, I volunteered as a medical assistant for three weeks at an orphanage in Egypt. Can this experience be put on my med school app?

 

[Catalystik]

Two weeks before starting college, I volunteered as a medical assistant for three weeks at an orphanage in Egypt. Can this experience be put on my med school app?

As it occurred after your HS graduation, you can list it on the med school application as a college-related activity. What was your role? Do you have a Contact (name, email or phone #) who can verify the activity?

 

[Goro]

Two weeks before starting college, I volunteered as a medical assistant for three weeks at an orphanage in Egypt. Can this experience be put on my med school app?

You can...it won't count for much. Most of us consider it medical tourism.

 

[Min:))]

As it occurred after your HS graduation, you can list it on the med school application as a college-related activity. What was your role? Do you have a Contact (name, email or phone #) who can verify the activity?

My role was to take vitals, help restock the pharmacy, change some wound dressings, and play with the younger kids. Yes, I can list one of the supervising doctors who got me into it. The number will be an Egyptian cell phone # tho, but I guess email should be fine

 

[Catalystik]

My role was to take vitals, help restock the pharmacy, change some wound dressings, and play with the younger kids. Yes, I can list one of the supervising doctors who got me into it. The number will be an Egyptian cell phone # tho, but I guess email should be fine

Email alone is fine. Playing with kids won't count as "Clinical" though, so figure out the % of your total time this represents on site. Even though this activity won't add a lot of benefit to your application, I can understand why you want to list it, to demonstrate that your interest in medicine spanned a longer time than your US active clinical experience (starting sometime this month, I think you said) would suggest.

 

[Min:))]

Email alone is fine. Playing with kids won't count as "Clinical" though, so figure out the % of your total time this represents on site. Even though this activity won't add a lot of benefit to your application, I can understand why you want to list it, to demonstrate that your interest in medicine spanned a longer time than your US active clinical experience (starting sometime this month, I think you said) would suggest.

That's exactly why I thought about bringing it up. I really appreciate your help.

 

[Catalystik]

That's exactly why I thought about bringing it up. I really appreciate your help.

Due to knowing your situation, I thought the more detailed response might help you de-stress. 😉 I'm glad you're thinking strategically.

 

[Min:))]

Due to knowing your situation, I thought the more detailed response might help you de-stress. 😉 I'm glad you're thinking strategically.

I'm thankful for people like you on SDN. Not gonna lie, I've been really stressing over that aspect of my application and your answers always calm me down LOL

 

[holdthemayo]

You can...it won't count for much. Most of us consider it medical tourism.

At best. The fact is as a recent high school graduate, there isn't really anything you are qualified to do that someone off the street can't be trained to do for much cheaper- and they won't leave after two weeks. You should list it, just don't try to pitch it as you went there and saved the day. You didn't, and you would sound conceited (and a bit racist?) to describe it that way. Instead focus on how it instilled a genuine interest in global health, a desire to do humanitarian work, or helped reaffirm your decisions to pursue medical school.

 

[Min:))]

So this doesn't apply to me, but, just of curiosity, how are medical mission trips perceived then? I know at my school, some clubs go to Guatemala

 

[ciestar]

So this doesn't apply to me, but, just of curiosity, how are medical mission trips perceived then? I know at my school, some clubs go to Guatemala

Not well.

 

[holdthemayo]

So this doesn't apply to me, but, just of curiosity, how are medical mission trips perceived then? I know at my school, some clubs go to Guatemala

It depends.
If you are an attending ophthalmologist doing a few weeks of cataracts surgery, then it's life-changing humanitarian work.

If you are a premed, then it's voluntourism. Hopefully, you learned something valuable about the world or yourself from it and didn't harm anyone.

 

[Min:))]

Not well.

Oh wow. That sucks. I know people who paid close to $3K to go on it just to be able to put it on their application.

 

[gyngyn]

Oh wow. That sucks. I know people who paid close to $3K to go on it just to be able to put it on their application.

Another reason we have a low opinion of it.

 

[Goro]

So this doesn't apply to me, but, just of curiosity, how are medical mission trips perceived then? I know at my school, some clubs go to Guatemala

"Voluntourism"
Medical tourism

These trips are about polishing the credentials of applicants, and not about actually helping people.

Or they're a vacation to the old country to visit Abuela/Nana.

 

[MyOdyssey]

I understand the sentiments of the ad com posters on this thread regarding international medical missions.

However, can't the same be said about clinical volunteering here in the US. Consider that when I volunteered, I basically acted as an assistant to the nurses. I did have patient contact in that I sometimes was called upon to convey messages from patients to nurses. No premed is qualified to administer health care or health care services and, in light of that limitation, a lot of clinical volunteering really isn't that helpful to anyone.

I understand that some premeds work as scribes, CNAs, EMTs, etc. Those positions are much more helpful to patients but they're also often paid positions as well.

 

[holdthemayo]

I understand the sentiments of the ad com posters on this thread regarding international medical missions.

However, can't the same be said about clinical volunteering here in the US. Consider that when I volunteered, I basically acted as an assistant to the nurses. I did have patient contact in that I sometimes was called upon to convey messages from patients to nurses. No premed is qualified to administer health care or health care services and, in light of that limitation, a lot of clinical volunteering really isn't that helpful to anyone.

I understand that some premeds work as scribes, CNAs, EMTs, etc. Those positions are much more helpful to patients but they're also often paid positions as well.

Sure to some extent applicants may just be volunteering to check the box. Some obvious differences I see is that it doesn't cost $3000 to volunteer at the free clinic in your town, they aren't going to let you do anything you aren't credentialed to do, you aren't stealing a paying job from a local, and a long-term commitment is more likely to be expected from you.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

@Goro - How about someone spending 6 weeks in summer to conduct a healthcare study and submitting a report to that country's health department?

 

[Goro]

@Goro - How about someone spending 6 weeks in summer to conduct a healthcare study and submitting a report to that country's health department?

That's more interesting...kinda research + service

 

[Min:))]

Just to clarify, I am Egyptian (I'm a US immigrant) and was visiting family at the time. Then, I picked up that volunteering gig because I wanted to make use of my time to give back to the community I was born in. So, the "white man's burden" or "medical tourism" connotations don't apply to my motives for volunteering...at least I don't believe so.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Goro]

Just to clarify, I am Egyptian (I'm a US immigrant) and was visiting family at the time. Then, I picked up that volunteering gig because I wanted to make use of my time to give back to the community I was born in. So, the "white man's burden" or "medical tourism" connotations don't apply to my motives for volunteering...at least I don't believe so.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

It's still going to be discounted. Volunteer with American patients.

 

[holdthemayo]

Just to clarify, I am Egyptian (I'm a US immigrant) and was visiting family at the time. Then, I picked up that volunteering gig because I wanted to make use of my time to give back to the community I was born in. So, the "white man's burden" or "medical tourism" connotations don't apply to my motives for volunteering...at least I don't believe so.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

It may not add weight to the experience, but it definitely removes the more negative connotations. You are Egyptian, it makes sense that you want to work with Egyptian patients. Definitely list it on your application.

But like Goro said, you want to go to an American medical school, make sure you show experience & understanding of medicine in the US by seeking out long term volunteering & shadowing options here too.