Any ideas for creative ways to get clinical volunteer experience? There are plenty of hospitals around where I live, but several of them require that college students commit to 2 consecutive semesters (I'll be gone this summer and graduating in January), and it seems like people rarely get any clinical experience in hospitals anyways. I'd like to work somewhere that needs my services more (I live 5 minutes from UAB so plenty of premeds competing for hospital work) and that might be more interesting than a hospital, like a community clinic or something. Who has volunteered in a non-hospital clinical setting and how did you find it? I live in Alabama, so I was thinking that there might be a rural clinic somewhere that I could drive to and volunteer at on the weekends -- I found a directory of rural clinics but most don't have web pages so I'm not sure if they take or need volunteers. (Already searched major volunteer matching sites like united way and volunteermatch.)
Non-hospital clinical volunteering
- Thread starter sarahg
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Where could you go for outpatient services if you didn't have health insurance? Where could you go for treatment of an STD? Those places might have a need for volunteers.
Another option would be to be trained as a hospice volunteer. As a hospice volunteer you work with dying patients. I've had applications from several hospice volunteers and they have found it very eye-opening and inspirational.
Another option would be to be trained as a hospice volunteer. As a hospice volunteer you work with dying patients. I've had applications from several hospice volunteers and they have found it very eye-opening and inspirational.
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The suggestions above are a good start. Do you know any doctors personally who might be able to steer you in the right direction?
There's also medical mission trips if you can afford them. Most universities have groups of kids that go to medically underserved countries like Guatemala for a month or so every year to assist in minor surgical procedures, immunizations, etc. This is definitely creative in terms of volunteer experience, since it's a cultural experience in addition to a clinical experience. But again, if cost is an issue then this probably won't work for you.
There's also medical mission trips if you can afford them. Most universities have groups of kids that go to medically underserved countries like Guatemala for a month or so every year to assist in minor surgical procedures, immunizations, etc. This is definitely creative in terms of volunteer experience, since it's a cultural experience in addition to a clinical experience. But again, if cost is an issue then this probably won't work for you.
