Need advice about paid clinical experience vs clinical volunteering

[doctorwannabe1234]

(URM) I volunteered at the hospital as a patient escort for about 50 hours last summer. I worked as a pharmacy tech for 1.5 years and now for the past month I’ve been working as an aide in the radiology department (I bring patients from the ER and from the hospital floors down to get CT scans, ultrasounds, sonograms, MRI’s etc.. I have to physically get them out of bed into a wheelchair or if they can’t walk, I push them in the bed. I also help the radiology techs slide the patients onto the CT bed for the test. I transport covid patients as well). I have about 16 hours shadowing but I plan on getting more when the semester is over in 2 months. I know my volunteering is weak but I don’t plan on applying until 2022 (1 year from now). Should I continue patient escort volunteering or scrap that and do something else? I haven’t found any volunteering that I’m particularly passionate about yet. I also have tons of research experience.

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[Catalystik]

(URM) I volunteered at the hospital as a patient escort for about 50 hours last summer. I worked as a pharmacy tech for 1.5 years and now for the past month I’ve been working as an aide in the radiology department (I bring patients from the ER and from the hospital floors down to get CT scans, ultrasounds, sonograms, MRI’s etc.. I have to physically get them out of bed into a wheelchair or if they can’t walk, I push them in the bed. I also help the radiology techs slide the patients onto the CT bed for the test. I transport covid patients as well). I have about 16 hours shadowing but I plan on getting more when the semester is over in 2 months. I know my volunteering is weak but I don’t plan on applying until 2022 (1 year from now). Should I continue patient escort volunteering or scrap that and do something else? I haven’t found any volunteering that I’m particularly passionate about yet. I also have tons of research experience.

Your current employment in a radiology department sounds terrific. That plus the 50 volunteer hours as a patient escort will eventually (assuming reasonable longevity) give you more than enough quality active clinical experience. Provided you accumulate sufficient hours with the current job, you don't need more clinical volunteering. You do, however, need nonclinical volunteering. Try to find a cause you care about and give it your time. Longevity counts in that category also.