Paid Position and altruism?

[Neuronom]

Thank you in advance! Please ask me for clarification, if necessary.

I recently began a position working with a greatly under-served population of clients, suffering from addiction and seeking rehabilitation (willingly or unwillingly). I am really excited to work with these clients due to personal reasons. This also builds on my research experience working in alcohol and substance abuse, as well as my motivation for becoming a physician.

However, this position is paid. Would my compensation for this job belittle my altruistic intentions of serving this particular population? I could volunteer, but I would like to spend more than 5 hours a week with this work during my time off before medical school. I also do need an income.

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[Rhabdoviridae]

No. Volunteer work is the biggest scam one can fall into in today's world (unless perhaps you are in middle school or are doing an apprenticeship in a skilled trade). Especially if you are living on your own and need to pay your own expenses, the proposition of doing work for free should not even cross your mind. No one will think you are being selfish or lacking "altruism" by justly accepting compensation for the hours you put in. If anything, doing volunteer work is a moot point for admissions and some may even look upon it negatively for someone who I am assuming graduated from college (indicating poor judgement and/or self-value).

 

[LizzyM]

You can certainly hold a paying job during a gap in your education and that is highly desirable. If you have any free time over and above your paying job, you might consider doing something completely different that would be of service to your community. Even 2 hours per week for a year would be a plus on your application.
Some ideas: Assistant scout leader, coach bitty basketball, big brother/big sister, friendly visitor to the elderly, soup kitchen/food pantry, animal shelter, refugee resettlement, etc, etc.

P.S.: I've been volunteering in one form or another for my entire adult life... it's not just for kids.

 

[Professional Student]

No. Volunteer work is the biggest scam one can fall into in today's world (unless perhaps you are in middle school or are doing an apprenticeship in a skilled trade). Especially if you are living on your own and need to pay your own expenses, the proposition of doing work for free should not even cross your mind

They will, however, think you are selfish and lack altruism if you say or think things like this. 0/10.

 

[Neuronom]

You can certainly hold a paying job during a gap in your education and that is highly desirable. If you have any free time over and above your paying job, you might consider doing something completely different that would be of service to your community. Even 2 hours per week for a year would be a plus on your application.
Some ideas: Assistant scout leader, coach bitty basketball, big brother/big sister, friendly visitor to the elderly, soup kitchen/food pantry, animal shelter, refugee resettlement, etc, etc.

P.S.: I've been volunteering in one form or another for my entire adult life... it's not just for kids.

Thank you for your response, I am currently going through an application process to volunteer with a local behavioral and mental health center. Specifically for addiction clinic position, I wanted to be sure that I was displaying my intentions as well as I could, despite receiving compensation.
edit: I suppose that isn't a completely different way to serve.

No. Volunteer work is the biggest scam one can fall into in today's world (unless perhaps you are in middle school or are doing an apprenticeship in a skilled trade). Especially if you are living on your own and need to pay your own expenses, the proposition of doing work for free should not even cross your mind. No one will think you are being selfish or lacking "altruism" by justly accepting compensation for the hours you put in. If anything, doing volunteer work is a moot point for admissions and some may even look upon it negatively for someone who I am assuming graduated from college (indicating poor judgement and/or self-value).

I agree that this is not what I was looking for. You seemed biased. Bad previous volunteering experience?

 

[LizzyM]

Maybe we are not speaking the same language. If you are paid, you are not a volunteer for the purposes of AMCAS, you would tag that "employment". If you are being paid a stipend as part of a service organization (e.g. Lutheran Volunteer Corps, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, CityYear, etc) then that's a different thing and you could call that volunteer, in my opinion.

Are you planning to volunteer with a addiction clinic as well as working in a similar setting? It might be better to do something different as a volunteer. Homeless shelters and soup kitchens serve clients who are similar to those you'll be treating on your job but in a very different setting and with a different purpose. That might be a change of pace that could be seen as "branching out".

 

[Rhabdoviridae]

Thank you for your response, I am currently going through an application process to volunteer with a local behavioral and mental health center. Specifically for addiction clinic position, I wanted to be sure that I was displaying my intentions as well as I could, despite receiving compensation.
edit: I suppose that isn't a completely different way to serve.



I agree that this is not what I was looking for. You seemed biased. Bad previous volunteering experience?

I have never personally volunteered. But I have seen many volunteers at the hospital (most in high school or undergraduates) since I've been in medical school, and I have never really understood the point of it. In most volunteer positions you don't really learn all that much to justify not getting paid, and the things you get tasked with doing are often tedious, redundant, or just superfluous in nature. With a paid position, you will be given more responsibilities and are far more likelier to get something out of the experience.

 

[LizzyM]

I have never personally volunteered. But I have seen many volunteers at the hospital (most in high school or undergraduates) since I've been in medical school, and I have never really understood the point of it. In most volunteer positions you don't really learn all that much to justify not getting paid, and the things you get tasked with doing are often tedious, redundant, or just superfluous in nature. With a paid position, you will be given more responsibilities and are far more likelier to get something out of the experience.

Do you have some specific examples of the tedious, redundant and superfluous?

I've seen people test newborns' hearing, hold babies in the NICU, comfort children coming out of anesthesia, play with inpatients in the pediatric ward, supervise fun activities in the waiting room for outpatients in pediatrics, wheel discharged patients to the curb, sit with confused patients, shuttle information between the ICU/OR and the waiting room. They take some of the pressure off of clinical staff by doing things that can be done by a non-professional. I guess you'd rather the nurses do it.

 

[Neuronom]

Maybe we are not speaking the same language. If you are paid, you are not a volunteer for the purposes of AMCAS, you would tag that "employment". If you are being paid a stipend as part of a service organization (e.g. Lutheran Volunteer Corps, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, CityYear, etc) then that's a different thing and you could call that volunteer, in my opinion.

Are you planning to volunteer with a addiction clinic as well as working in a similar setting? It might be better to do something different as a volunteer. Homeless shelters and soup kitchens serve clients who are similar to those you'll be treating on your job but in a very different setting and with a different purpose. That might be a change of pace that could be seen as "branching out".

Yes I am planning to volunteer with a local behavioral/mental health, working with youth. In addition to the addiction clinic (paid).
These are very similar experiences, I have a passion for working with patients with these particular disorders. Should I seek a different experience to spend my time volunteering?

 

[LizzyM]

Yes I am planning to volunteer with a local behavioral/mental health, working with youth. In addition to the addiction clinic (paid).
These are very similar experiences, I have a passion for working with patients with these particular disorders. Should I seek a different experience to spend my time volunteering?

If it is youth and adult, it might be different enough... just watch out that you aren't pigeon-holed as "the psych guy". There is more to medical school than behavioral/mental health and you need to be willing to invest your time during the 4 years in the whole megillah and not just psych. Just keep that in mind when you apply/interview for med school. Good luck!

 

[infectiousdisease101]

You have to eat. Looking for a paid position doesn't belittle altruism. Can't take care of others if you can't take care of yourself.