Question about logging volunteer hours

[Pete Clat]

Hi,

With all the stuff that has recently come up about verification about your clinical volunteers hours, I have one question.

I volunteer at the VA hospital in my city and there is a sign in center at the hospital for volunteers, but it is closed on the weekends when I go. When I check in at the hospital, I just tell the charge nurse that I am there, and she gives me tasks to do. Even though this is a little down the road, when the medical school ask for verification, should I just give them the charge nurse's email and phone number?

Thanks in advance.

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[Doug Underhill]

Yep. This is what the volunteer supervisor's contact info is for.

 

[Pete Clat]

Alrighty, thanks.

 

[Satire5Texul]

make sure you ask if your hours are being logged manually in paper every semester. From personal experience, those system will sometimes fail, they have network/logging problems. Just to give you a heads up because my head volunteer now logs the hours manually into file folders. This will aid in any problems that might arise from technical difficulty. and its always a good idea to have your own separate log. Just politely ask your head volunteer person, keeping in mind not to insult them in any way. Just ask if the hours are logged manually in case of technological disruptions.

Also I dont think there would be any problem with you logging in your hours during the weekdays if you are there. That might not be a bad idea (just dont double up so much that u print a bunch of meal tickets because they will take note of this).

I have an app that counts just how many hours I have. Easiest way.

 

[Pete Clat]

Ya, I have been keeping my own excel sheet, but with work and school I just haven't had too much time to go during the week. I'll definitely ask her about how the hours are logged, though.

 

[Satire5Texul]

Okay awesome.

Wasn't trying to be neurotic, just the VA system had this problems before that's the only reason I mentioned it. My high school volunteer hours got lost this way.

But I feel ya. Even with the app counter I am always going a week later thinking "how many did I do last week....?"


Best of wishes ~

 

[LizzyM]

AMCAS asks you to report the hours and to provide the name of a contact person. It is really, really rare for the contact person to be contacted. For the most part, letters of recommendation from volunteer coordinators are not very valuable as they will provide nothing more than a statement that you volunteered from date x to date y and served a total of xx hours; this is of no value to an admissions committee.

Keep track of your hours even if you just write the number of hours in a date book or on a calendar and then save your calendars until it is time to add up hours and fill out your application.

 

[Halcyon32]

AMCAS asks you to report the hours and to provide the name of a contact person. It is really, really rare for the contact person to be contacted. For the most part, letters of recommendation from volunteer coordinators are not very valuable as they will provide nothing more than a statement that you volunteered from date x to date y and served a total of xx hours; this is of no value to an admissions committee.

Keep track of your hours even if you just write the number of hours in a date book or on a calendar and then save your calendars until it is time to add up hours and fill out your application.

Do volunteer hours from high school count? As in can I list them on my app. I plan on volunteering again at the same hospital that I volunteered in during high school as well so should I just list these new hours after I finished HS or can I add in the ones from HS, as well?

 

[LizzyM]

Do volunteer hours from high school count? As in can I list them on my app. I plan on volunteering again at the same hospital that I volunteered in during high school as well so should I just list these new hours after I finished HS or can I add in the ones from HS, as well?

AMCAS does not prohibit you from listing activities from HS. Plenty of people list Eagle Scout activities which almost always take place in HS. However, some adcom members believe that what you've done recently is more important than what you did as a youngster. You can now list multiple episodes of a given activity so you could list HS and then show that you have continued your efforts at that site.

 

[Spector1]

if whoever is supposed to vouch for you will vouch for you then its all good.

 

[Satire5Texul]

^ thank you. I thought nothing from high school is valid at all. But that makes sense to show commitment.

For activities sometimes there is a break during summer or more hours during holidays, do we just average this out like AMCAS asks: weekly hours or is it important to list these nuances?

Or are only 1 year + plus gaps of importance?

 

[LizzyM]

^ thank you. I thought nothing from high school is valid at all. But that makes sense to show commitment.

For activities sometimes there is a break during summer or more hours during holidays, do we just average this out like AMCAS asks: weekly hours or is it important to list these nuances?

Or are only 1 year + plus gaps of importance?

AMCAS now permits you to list multiple episodes (start/end dates) for the same activity so you can show a break for summer or multiple periods of intense activity. The number of hours is now total hours ever whereas it used to be "hours per week" which was confusing for activities that varied in intensity from one time of year to the next.