Need-Based Clinic Volunteering

[Strudel19]

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I'm from Detroit. As you can probably guess, there are a boat-load of need-based clinics around the area and I think doing a little bit of volunteering at one would be a good experience and maybe even something to talk about during in-state interviews, or all interviews for that matter.

For those of you that have done this kind of volunteering before, what work did they have you do? Did they have you do silly or pointless tasks or did you get something valuable from it?

 

[plumhill]

I'm from Detroit. As you can probably guess, there are a boat-load of need-based clinics around the area and I think doing a little bit of volunteering at one would be a good experience and maybe even something to talk about during in-state interviews, or all interviews for that matter.

For those of you that have done this kind of volunteering before, what work did they have you do? Did they have you do silly or pointless tasks or did you get something valuable from it?

You won't be doing too much. I pulled charts, went over paperwork with patients and helped show patients to their room. As far as patient interaction there wasn't much but a LOR from the volunteer coordinator helped me get a job at a hospital which provided better experience.

 

[Strudel19]

That's the kind of thing that I was expecting. Good answer, thanks for the help!

 

[deleted407021]

The work I do at our free clinic has been highly rewarding and has shown me how much I do, in fact, like to help people, which is a lot! The work I do includes office work like pulling and filing charts. I have lots of patient contact with performing eye exams and triaging patients before they see our doctors. I take BP, weight and family and current patient medical history. I also handle medications and make sure patients get them. A big bonus is that the dozen or so physicians who volunteer there are eager to let us college students shadow them. If you are interested in a school which favors reaching underserved populations, then this is a highly valued venue, much more so than an ER, for example. I could not recommend it more highly. Good luck!

 

[DakAttack]

+1

I pulled charts, handled the front desk and phones, took vitals and basic info, handled pages, etc. There was a lot of patient contact. I would recommend it. Mine was an inpatient facility, and so there was the chance to see patients long-term; this differed considerably from the ED. Good luck!

 

[cyaneidae]

I'm from Detroit. As you can probably guess, there are a boat-load of need-based clinics around the area and I think doing a little bit of volunteering at one would be a good experience and maybe even something to talk about during in-state interviews, or all interviews for that matter.

For those of you that have done this kind of volunteering before, what work did they have you do? Did they have you do silly or pointless tasks or did you get something valuable from it?

I know what you mean; I worked at a free clinic in the area (~1-1.5 hours away from Detroit, but I lived in the greater Detroit area).

I thought it was a great experience even though I didn't get to be in the patient rooms or whatnot. My duties included answering phones, calling pharmacies and medical records departments, dealing with financial aid forms, greeting/signing patients in, scheduling future appointments, pulling/searching charts, doing electronic data entry, working with the pharmacists and doctors, etc.

As you're from Detroit you probably already have an idea of the patient population, but I'm from a whole different state so it was a great experience in that aspect as well--it really opened my eyes and for a lot of reasons it ended up becoming one of my most important experiences for AMCAS (I volunteered full-time there for an entire summer).

 

[Planes2Doc]

Even if you end up doing mostly scut work at a free clinic, you at least won't feel like a used unlike working at a typical hospital where you are taken advantage of and are mostly lining the pockets of hospital management.

It feels nice to actually contribute to an organization that helps people in need. 👍

I'm all for volunteering at free clinics, but I've noticed that it's harder to get a position close to large campuses due to all the pre-meds trying volunteer at them. Generally speaking, people feel that you can do "more" at a free clinic versus your average hospital ED.

 

[deleted407021]

I'm all for volunteering at free clinics, but I've noticed that it's harder to get a position close to large campuses due to all the pre-meds trying volunteer at them. Generally speaking, people feel that you can do "more" at a free clinic versus your average hospital ED.

I agree on both counts. I was lucky to get my spot where I work. It helps that I'm from and live in the same city where I go to school as I can work during breaks. The population we serve is really in need and I get to do a lot more than just stock shelves in an ER.