Is clinical volunteering required if you have clinical work experience?

[deleted846074]

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I interpret for patients during their appointments at various clinics and hospitals. I have just started doing this in the past 3 months. I intend to apply this upcoming summer. Other than that I have volunteered at a children’s museum & the ronald mcdonald house charity as well. Do I still need to gain clinical volunteering experience? I do volunteer in an ER but the patient contact & experience isn’t as much as the direct work I do in my interpreting role. Thoughts?

 

[LizzyM]

List both the ER volunteering and the interpreting. The volunteering with children and families in non-clinical settings is good too and shows what a big heart you have.
Good luck!

 

[Andrew Baines Bernard]

I don't think anyone will dock you points for not specifically having clinical volunteer experience. I think what adcoms are more concerned with is you having had clinical exposure that left a meaningful impression on you. It sounds like interpreting would allow you to have a pretty personal connection with patients, and that's something I would certainly focus on on apps. Yes you need to volunteer and yes you need to have some clinical exposure, but I'd try not to think of your "required" experiences as items you need to check off. Rather experiences that help you paint a clearer picture of what a future in medicine would look like. Just my two cents

 

[Goro]

List both the ER volunteering and the interpreting. The volunteering with children and families in non-clinical settings is good too and shows what a big heart you have.
Good luck!

/thread.