Rejected twice by same hospital for volunteering

[ThyFutureDoc]

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Apparently, the application is very competitive (it is one of biggest hospital in my state). I don't know whether I should keep applying, but getting rejected twice that I felt like I had great chance to get in really upset my feeling.

Should I keep trying to get in or find different clinic for clinical experience?

 

[Med Ed]

Both.

 

[polymerization]

Don't bother. You are not making headway there. Every hour you spend reapplying and figuring out how to volunteer are hours you are not receiving "credit" for. Take the path of least resistance if available and when feasible.

It's totally OK not to volunteer at a big hospital. Just because you are within the hospital walls does not suggest they will have you doing clinical work. It's OK to work in another setting—freestanding psychiatric hospitals, hospice care, community hospitals and ambulatory care clinics... I can't think of a private practice clinic that wouldn't LOVE someone who does all of the menial tasks their MAs don't have time for, like providing clerical support, turning rooms over, refilling supplies, projects like instrument deep cleaning + autoclaving, that kind of thing.

Ask your friends; pop your head into pre-med clubs on-campus; and reach out to your pre-health office.

It's not that you can't "open the door" at the big hospital. I'm sure if you tried hard enough, the door would open. The real question is, do you really need it to open for you that bad? There are organizations clamoring for free labor. Food banks cannot possibly keep up with rising demand. If you don't have nonclinical hours, you might want to take advantage of the opportunity.

 

[SpicyHotSauce]

I was like you. Freshman and sophomore year of undergrad, I kept getting rejected by the university hospitals to volunteer because the the vast amount of premeds who were trying to volunteer. I eventually did get a spot once covid hit and everyone had gone online and were doing their classes and stuff outside of town (my undergrad was a college town, and most students were not from this town).

However, that volunteering experience wasn't really the best. Minimal patient interaction, just getting them food, blankets, etc.

I'll tell you to instead go to private owned clinics (the smaller and less established, the better), and just go up to the reception and ask if they are looking for any volunteers. Have your resume, dress nicely, and let them know you can help out in any way. This was the best experience I had. I volunteered my time through many ways: reception work (checking in and checking out patient), assisting the nurse and getting the patients' vital signs as they waited to be seen by the physician, doing basic lab work, scribed, and more! I really got a well rounded experience getting a good insight into not only what the physician does, but also every other team member of the clinic. I was placed wherever they needed me most whenever I came into my shift.

So my advice is both. Keep applying to the hospital volunteering position, and look for other experiences too. Apply to privately owned clinics, hospice, free clinics (a lot of places of worship have free clinics and always looking for volunteers, I've seen a couple of food banks have free clinics too). You can also try to work on getting certified to work as an EMT, phlebotomist, MA, or a CNA and get clinical experiences those ways.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Applying for a job is not like applying for medical school.

It's perfectly fine to apply to a job at a hospital. The HR office tends to keep your past application and resume on file for... ever.

They also will likely have scored your past application and kept records of past decisions.

They will note if you applied for multiple positions at that hospital. Perhaps even how frequently.

In some cases, they'll ignore you after you apply to a certain number of positions that don't match what the hiring manager is looking for.

Consequently, you can keep applying, but you ultimately will learn the best way to apply to most jobs is not through the HR system.

Does this apply to volunteering? I don't know how that office works at the hospital where you are applying. But some offices may get annoyed at someone who is too persistent.

I agree that medicine isn't just about hospitals. Look for outpatient or private practice clinics that might have people with hospital privileges. Utlimately you will be navigating in an academic medical center, but might be good with a community clinic where they need volunteers.