Making a point to interact with homeless, disabled, etc. on a level field (non-volunteer/charity)

[Gauss44]

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Do you think it's easier and more effective to learn about another person:

1. by making casual conversation on a regular basis with them on a regular basis (as just another person at the bus stop or wherever)

OR

2. when you are their provider of charity?

If you chose #1, then why do you think medical schools seem more interested in #2 (or do you think so)?

 

[Gauss44]

I would answer #1. Without a doubt, I believe that staying off a pedestal helps a person to understand another person better and usually makes communication more honest and open. I figure that the AMCAS application asks about #2 because it is easier to quantify. I believe that the point of essentially requiring pre-meds to volunteer with disadvantaged groups is to "teach them" about others.

 

[Ismet]

The main point of volunteering is to demonstrate altruism.

Yes, #1 is the easier way to learn about another individual. But chatting with a person every day at the bus stop is not really pertinent to medical school.

 

[LizzyM]

Volunteerism is showing that you are willing to be of service because medicine is a service profession. A by-product of that service is learning about people who will someday be your patients, or people in circumstances similar to those of your future patients. It also provides a reality check... serving the poor is not all rainbows and butterflies and some of them aren't very nice and they aren't grateful and it can be easy to be angry or feel used. On the other hand, it can be very gratifying to serve and know that you have made a positive difference in the lives of those who have made bad choices and those who have been born into families in poverty.

 

[Planes2Doc]

#1 would show that you're a nice person most likely, but you can't just tell ADCOMs that you're a nice person that likes to make conversation with certain populations. You need to show it through action, which is volunteering.

 

[aesculapian]

The main point of volunteering is to demonstrate altruism.

Yes, #1 is the easier way to learn about another individual. But chatting with a person every day at the bus stop is not really pertinent to medical school.

I think using the experience of #1 to inform your actions through #2 is actually highly relevant and important.

 

[QofQuimica]

Do you think it's easier and more effective to learn about another person:

1. by making casual conversation on a regular basis with them on a regular basis (as just another person at the bus stop or wherever)

OR

2. when you are their provider of charity?

If you chose #1, then why do you think medical schools seem more interested in #2 (or do you think so)?

I don't think either option necessarily teaches you very much about what it's like to be a homeless or disabled person. Sure, you spend a little time out of your day chatting with someone, but you're not really seeing the ins and out of how they live their life.

You really want to see what it's like to live one's day-to-day life with a disability? Then just like you have to immerse yourself into another culture if you want to really learn a foreign language, you need to go immerse yourself into the world of that disabled person or group. I spent a summer in college working at an Easter Seal Society residential camp here in Florida. It was an eye-opening experience being the only able-bodied person in my dorm for two months, spending every meal alternating between feeding myself and one or two of my campers (many of whom were adults), and designing ways to adapt outdoor activities for people in wheelchairs. (I was the Nature Director for the camp that summer.)

I see they now have a rock climbing wall and zip lining, which they did not have in the early 90s when I was there. That's pretty sweet.