non-clinical volunteering questions

[med12443i]

Hi, I am currently involved in a few non-clinical volunteering opportunities which I enjoy, and I am wondering if they are sufficient or if I should look into more opportunities.

Big Brother Big Sisters (160hrs) - I am matched with a child who I hang out with every other week for four hours. I act as a mentor and a role model but also just as a friend.

Prison Tutoring (100hr) - I am currently volunteering in a prison where I tutor prison inmates to help them get their GEDs.

College Support Program (50hr) - This is a program at my university where I am paired with another undergraduate students with autism. I essentially hang out with him once a week for about an hour. I act as a friend and just someone he can talk to.

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[Mr.Smile12]

I like what you are doing. That said, you can always stretch out with other opportunities that do not require you to teach or be a subject matter expert.

In your case, does the prison also help the incarcerated gain job skills? Do you help them with resumes? Interview skills? Getting housing once they get a job? Job skills including earning a GED to help them return to society and avoid recidivism is very important. If you can stretch out there, that will help show me/ others how invested you are in making sure they return to society.

Another 100 hours in such an activity will be worthwhile.

 

[med12443i]

I like what you are doing. That said, you can always stretch out with other opportunities that do not require you to teach or be a subject matter expert.

In your case, does the prison also help the incarcerated gain job skills? Do you help them with resumes? Interview skills? Getting housing once they get a job? Job skills including earning a GED to help them return to society and avoid recidivism is very important. If you can stretch out there, that will help show me/ others how invested you are in making sure they return to society.

Another 100 hours in such an activity will be worthwhile.

Thanks for the quick response. I really appreciate it. I would like to get involved in another activity, however between classes MCAT studying and clinical volunteering (EMS and hospice), I am not sure if I will be able to fit it in. That being said, do you think my activities will be sufficient enough for me to prioritize a good MCAT and GPA or should I prioritize more nonclinical hours?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thanks for the quick response. I really appreciate it. I would like to get involved in another activity, however between classes MCAT studying and clinical volunteering (EMS and hospice), I am not sure if I will be able to fit it in. That being said, do you think my activities will be sufficient enough for me to prioritize a good MCAT and GPA or should I prioritize more nonclinical hours?

Looking strictly as a checklist to avoid getting screened out, I think you have sufficient experience there. As long as you have a strong mission fit, you seem good. Networking with the schools should help you gauge the value of what you have done so far.

 

[Goro]

Hi, I am currently involved in a few non-clinical volunteering opportunities which I enjoy, and I am wondering if they are sufficient or if I should look into more opportunities.

Big Brother Big Sisters (160hrs) - I am matched with a child who I hang out with every other week for four hours. I act as a mentor and a role model but also just as a friend.

I have a high regard for people who do this. It's also not a common EC.

Prison Tutoring (100hr) - I am currently volunteering in a prison where I tutor prison inmates to help them get their GEDs.

This is also a good thing to do. Very uncommon

College Support Program (50hr) - This is a program at my university where I am paired with another undergraduate students with autism. I essentially hang out with him once a week for about an hour. I act as a friend and just someone he can talk to.

I think it's better that you get off campus and out of your comfort zone.

And remember this: love what you do, and do what you love.

 

[LunaOri]

I don't think you need additional volunteer activities, but I think you should continue with the first two.

 

[LizzyM]

The prison thing is unusual and can be important even if someone's sentence is so long that they are not a candidate for a job on the outside for many, many years. Still, the GED provides a sense of accomplishment and opens up the opportunity to take courses at the college level. Several T20 schools are now offering enrollment to individuals who are incarcerated but first they need a GED or HS diploma.

So, keep on doing what you are doing. It is a benefit to the recipients of your tutoring but it also helps you to get to know people who are invisible to those of us on the outside and gives you some knowledge of life on the inside. That may be very valuable, particularly as what happens inside (like the spread of MRSA) can affect those outside.

 

[jhmmd]

Hi, I am currently involved in a few non-clinical volunteering opportunities which I enjoy, and I am wondering if they are sufficient or if I should look into more opportunities.

Big Brother Big Sisters (160hrs) - I am matched with a child who I hang out with every other week for four hours. I act as a mentor and a role model but also just as a friend.

Prison Tutoring (100hr) - I am currently volunteering in a prison where I tutor prison inmates to help them get their GEDs.

College Support Program (50hr) - This is a program at my university where I am paired with another undergraduate students with autism. I essentially hang out with him once a week for about an hour. I act as a friend and just someone he can talk to.

I am trying to figure out what your question is...I mean I can read. But do you enjoy these things? Do they make you happy? Do they contribute to HOW and WHY re: you being a physician? Do you see yourself continuing to do altruistic, volunteer-type opportunities such as the ones listed in the future, and why? Do you think that they are important? Why?

Just some things to think about.

 

[LizzyM]

I am trying to figure out what your question is...I mean I can read. But do you enjoy these things? Do they make you happy? Do they contribute to HOW and WHY re: you being a physician? Do you see yourself continuing to do altruistic, volunteer-type opportunities such as the ones listed in the future, and why? Do you think that they are important? Why?

Just some things to think about.

Give me a break. Everyone has 168 hours in a week and sometimes we forego things we enjoy, and do things we don't really "enjoy" because we know that the payoff will come later. So don't give me this "does it make you happy??" because for many pre-meds that is not a relevant question. The question is, "do these activities make good use of the hours I have in a week or should I be doing other things if my long term goal is to get into medical school?"

 

[med12443i]

I have a high regard for people who do this. It's also not a common EC.

This is also a good thing to do. Very uncommon

I think it's better that you get off campus and out of your comfort zone.

And remember this: love what you do, and do what you love.

Thanks for the reply! I also had question regarding Big Brother volunteering. Would this be considered volunteering with underserved populations?

 

[LizzyM]

Thanks for the reply! I also had question regarding Big Brother volunteering. Would this be considered volunteering with underserved populations?

I'm not sure what "underserved" means in this context but would say that kids involved in Big Brother/Big Sister are disadvantaged by a shortage of adult role models in their lives.

 

[Goro]

Thanks for the reply! I also had question regarding Big Brother volunteering. Would this be considered volunteering with underserved populations?

Depends upon who the kids are. Are they poor kids?

 

[med12443i]

Depends upon who the kids are. Are they poor kids?

To my knowledge, I would say that they are poor. They are also single mother families.

 

[Goro]

To my knowledge, I would say that they are poor. They are also single mother families.

Then all is good!

 

[med12443i]

Hi,
I am wondering if it would be okay to list my hospice volunteering as non-clinical. I originally thought it would be clinical but my role is actually to provide companionship at the patient's home. I basically hang out with them for 2 hours a week. I really enjoy it, but it does not seem clinical at all to me. Is this a good non-clinical volunteering experience?

 

[LizzyM]

You can list volunteering as a companion to the dying in their homes as non-clinical volunteering. It is good - actually pretty common and not going to knock our socks off, but not an unreasonable activity to list as non-clinical. Rather like volunteering in a nursing home to read to residents or entertain them.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

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How to Choose Extracurriculars as a Premedical Student - SDN

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