Nonclinical Volunteering Options

[einvincible12]

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Hi All,

I just moved and where I previously lived I volunteered at a thrift store(110 hrs) that was attached to a shelter for women and their families who were victims of sexual/domestic violence and abuse. The proceeds from the thrift store went to this shelter along with donations that went specifically to the participants in the shelter.

I liked this volunteering and thought the goal of that organization was very good, but now since I’ve moved I’m looking at starting a new non clinical volunteering gig. What does everyone think about doing something similar or is doing a more traditional premed thing such as food bank better? In the thrift store I never directly interfaced with the participants due to many reasons, and I assume a similar position would also not have direct interaction. Please let me know oracles of sdn.

 

[LizzyM]

The ideal non-clinical volunteering puts you face-to-face with people who are facing big life challenges. They may be unhoused, food insecure, living in poverty, struggling with mental health issues, dealing with immigration/refugee issues, etc. You should be involved in providing support that is non-clinical and non-academic (tutoring and teaching is its own category).

As the divide between those with higher education and those without grows more pronounced, it is important to have some experience dealing with members of the public that fall on the other side of the divide. As a physician, you will be called on to care for people from all segments of society and being comfortable with people whose circumstances might otherwise be unfamiliar to you is an important skill to develop. Plus, if your reason for going into medicine is to help people, don't you want to spend some of your free time now actually helping people?

 

[polymerization]

Take a beat for a second. You've already shown yourself to be a reliable volunteer and have vocalized that you're interested in advocating for women and families facing violence and abuse. There's a clinically adjacent connection here!

If it were me, I would dive deeper into this niche population and expand on that advocacy. I'd visit the shelter and see if there happens to be on-site clinical staff (sometimes better-resourced shelters have at least a SANE-trained nurse) that you could assist on a volunteer basis. If there's any opportunity to help taking point on an initiative they have, or engage with their community in a position of more responsibility, I would do that.

If I have opportunities for shadowing, I'm looking at OBGYN/women's health, ED, psychiatry while continuing to think about why this work is important and learning how this population's specific needs are being addressed (or not) by the safety nets you're working within. Maybe my clinical volunteering/paid employment could be in this area so I might get to see how diagnosis/treatment takes place and how these patients typically do. I'd be getting a strong sense of what the gaps are and where I might contribute.

In other words, the idea is not just "how can I meet requirements most effectively" but rather "how can I create an intelligible and compelling origin story for my commitment to underserved populations and medicine/society more broadly."

When it comes time to write up your application materials, you will regret doing 50 hours here, 100 hours there when you're expected to have this very polished and intentional narrative that requires more planning/coordination than a Taylor Swift album release.

 

[einvincible12]

Take a beat for a second. You've already shown yourself to be a reliable volunteer and have vocalized that you're interested in advocating for women and families facing violence and abuse. There's a clinically adjacent connection here!

If it were me, I would dive deeper into this niche population and expand on that advocacy. I'd visit the shelter and see if there happens to be on-site clinical staff (sometimes better-resourced shelters have at least a SANE-trained nurse) that you could assist on a volunteer basis. If there's any opportunity to help taking point on an initiative they have, or engage with their community in a position of more responsibility, I would do that.

If I have opportunities for shadowing, I'm looking at OBGYN/women's health, ED, psychiatry while continuing to think about why this work is important and learning how this population's specific needs are being addressed (or not) by the safety nets you're working within. Maybe my clinical volunteering/paid employment could be in this area so I might get to see how diagnosis/treatment takes place and how these patients typically do. I'd be getting a strong sense of what the gaps are and where I might contribute.

In other words, the idea is not just "how can I meet requirements most effectively" but rather "how can I create an intelligible and compelling origin story for my commitment to underserved populations and medicine/society more broadly."

When it comes time to write up your application materials, you will regret doing 50 hours here, 100 hours there when you're expected to have this very polished and intentional narrative that requires more planning/coordination than a Taylor Swift album release.

Thank you for the response. Justifiably, these shelters are not keen to have a 21 year old man volunteering there so sadly I may have to go the more traditional food bank route. You do bring up an interesting point with the clinical work, and I will definitely see what options are out there in this space once I get my EMT license in around a month.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Do what you want. Have fun with it. Anything that LizzyM was talking about goes. I don't think you need to "optimize" it, we just want to know youy care about people. And also that you aren't afraid of "poor people"

 

[Goro]

Hi All,

I just moved and where I previously lived I volunteered at a thrift store(110 hrs) that was attached to a shelter for women and their families who were victims of sexual/domestic violence and abuse. The proceeds from the thrift store went to this shelter along with donations that went specifically to the participants in the shelter.

I liked this volunteering and thought the goal of that organization was very good, but now since I’ve moved I’m looking at starting a new non clinical volunteering gig. What does everyone think about doing something similar or is doing a more traditional premed thing such as food bank better? In the thrift store I never directly interfaced with the participants due to many reasons, and I assume a similar position would also not have direct interaction. Please let me know oracles of sdn.

Service need not be "unique"; it can be anything that helps people unable to help themselves and that is outside of a patient-care setting. If you can alleviate suffering in your community through service to the poor, homeless, illiterate, fatherless, etc, you are meeting an otherwise unmet need and learning more about the lives of the people (or types of people) who will someday be your patients.

Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities. The key thing is service to others less fortunate than you. And get off campus and out of your comfort zone!

Examples include: Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Humane Society, crisis hotlines, soup kitchen, food pantry, homeless or women’s shelter, after-school tutoring for students or coaching a sport in a poor school district, teaching literacy or ESL to adults at a community center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Meals on Wheels, mentoring immigrant/refugee adults, being a friendly visitor to shut-ins, adaptive sports program coach or Special Olympics.

 

[meadowlarkk]

The ideal non-clinical volunteering puts you face-to-face with people who are facing big life challenges. They may be unhoused, food insecure, living in poverty, struggling with mental health issues, dealing with immigration/refugee issues, etc. You should be involved in providing support that is non-clinical and non-academic (tutoring and teaching is its own category).

As the divide between those with higher education and those without grows more pronounced, it is important to have some experience dealing with members of the public that fall on the other side of the divide. As a physician, you will be called on to care for people from all segments of society and being comfortable with people whose circumstances might otherwise be unfamiliar to you is an important skill to develop. Plus, if your reason for going into medicine is to help people, don't you want to spend some of your free time now actually helping people?

When you say "face-to-face with people who are facing big life challenges" would volunteering with organizations like habitat for humanity not be as ideal, since you would not be directly interacting with the individuals in need of housing?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

When you say "face-to-face with people who are facing big life challenges" would volunteering with organizations like habitat for humanity not be as ideal, since you would not be directly interacting with the individuals in need of housing?

The important word is "Ideal." Some families are there during the builds, and many help build others' houses.

I personally am okay with working in thrift shops that also act as an income stream for many non-profits such as shelters. OP, I don't have issues with what you are doing, but if you have the time to add something else... it's your schedule.