Qualifying Volunteer Experience

[BacktoSchoolBob]

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Ok, I see medical schools and so forth want "volunteer experience." I'm guessing any type of community service via volunteerism suffices. I've been a volunteer fireman since summer of 2002 (7 years in mid June). I've certainly done quite a bit of strenuous and needed volunteering, but it was usually fun and I liked helping out. It was never done to satisfy any requirement, but if I can get a leg up from that now I'll certainly take it. If it's just medical volunteerism they want then I haven't and probably won't do that. I used to work some as an EMT (paid) and am now busy with other things as a working nontrad / back to schooler. At any rate might that volunteer experience be ok? 🙂

 

[cliffhuxtableDO]

It is definitely good experience, but the adcoms are really looking for you to have some clinical experience too, via shadowing (passive) or volunteering in a hospital for instance. Otherwise, how do you know, and how do they know, you're serious about being a doctor?

 

[Mattabet]

I think you'd look pretty good to the adcoms, Bob. 7 years of volunteer firefighting is about as good as volunteering gets, and the fact that you have worked as an EMT gives your application some clinical exposure.

I might think about doing a little bit more in the EMT realm (or something new clinical) if you've been out of that loop for years, but your volunteering is great.

 

[GlamDoc]

Yeah, clinical experience of some form is definitely necessary. Many people choose to fufill this through volunteering in a hospital, clinic, or other such locations, since it will help them in the community service area as well. Your volunteer experience is wonderful, and will certainly help out in the latter category. 🙂

 

[ArkansasRanger]

It is definitely good experience, but the adcoms are really looking for you to have some clinical experience too, via shadowing (passive) or volunteering in a hospital for instance. Otherwise, how do you know, and how do they know, you're serious about being a doctor?

I was a vollie myself. Oops. Meant to reply to Bob, lol.

 

[BacktoSchoolBob]

Thanks for the good replies. It's nice to know that my volunteer experience will count for something. At this point I'm looking for whatever boost I can get. I'm glad that my clinical exposure will help also. Once I finish these prereqs and get that MCAT knocked out maybe I can make it. 🙂