Second Job Teaching vs Volunteering?

[Music_To_Medicine]

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I intend to apply to Med School in 2021. Currently working full-time as an MA/Phlebotomist in Addiction Medicine while taking classes in the evenings on weekdays. I have the opportunity to teach Phlebotomy on the weekend at the school I went through for certification. On the other hand, I know I need to get some longitudinal volunteering under my belt. With my background in education, the teaching job really brings together my passions of medicine&teaching, and the extra money wouldn't be so bad either. I have 120 hours of volunteering from UG and about 40 hours in the last 2 years.

Advice?

 

[daw05]

I intend to apply to Med School in 2021. Currently working full-time as an MA/Phlebotomist in Addiction Medicine while taking classes in the evenings on weekdays. I have the opportunity to teach Phlebotomy on the weekend at the school I went through for certification. On the other hand, I know I need to get some longitudinal volunteering under my belt. With my background in education, the teaching job really brings together my passions of medicine&teaching, and the extra money wouldn't be so bad either. I have 120 hours of volunteering from UG and about 40 hours in the last 2 years.

Advice?

I would teach part-time, especially because it still relates to the medical field. I think nontrads get a little bit of leeway for the number of volunteering hours that they need to have. Since you have another 18 months or so before application time, I would still look to try to get some additional volunteering time done. If you were able to do 2-4 hours a week or so, you're already looking at another 100-200 more hours of time.

That said, I don't know your other obligations to family, friends, etc., so you will have to weigh all that as well.

 

[Music_To_Medicine]

I would teach part-time, especially because it still relates to the medical field. I think nontrads get a little bit of leeway for the number of volunteering hours that they need to have. Since you have another 18 months or so before application time, I would still look to try to get some additional volunteering time done. If you were able to do 2-4 hours a week or so, you're already looking at another 100-200 more hours of time.

That said, I don't know your other obligations to family, friends, etc., so you will have to weigh all that as well.

Were you non-trad? If so, how many volunteering hours did you gather up?

 

[Ad2b]

both? you don't have to volunteer 8 full hours each weekend - can you do a couple every now and then? Ronald McDonald house? or soup kitchen? or food shelf? or animal shelter?

 

[daw05]

Were you non-trad? If so, how many volunteering hours did you gather up?

I am non-trad; I'll start school this year. I ended up with about 150 hours of shadowing, but no official volunteer hours otherwise. However, I'm active duty Army and have been for 14 years, so it wasn't hard to make the argument that I understand service to others (which is the whole reason ADCOMS want you to volunteer, anyway)

 

[Music_To_Medicine]

both? you don't have to volunteer 8 full hours each weekend - can you do a couple every now and then? Ronald McDonald house? or soup kitchen? or food shelf? or animal shelter?

This is most likely what I'll end up doing. Thank you for the perspective. Something just a few hours a week or maybe bi-weekly. The either/or decision is mainly due to wanting to make sure I'm able to juggle everything while still maintaining top grades, work/life balance, etc. I know med school will be like balancing 10 massive, spinning plates at once, so I'm slowing building my way up to that. I'm still early in my journey but I'm doing pretty well balancing these 7 regular plates 🙂😉

 

[Ad2b]

I'm doing pretty well balancing these 7 regular plates 🙂😉

Keep balancing those spinning plates 🙂 it will work out - I have 10,000 hours volunteering which sounds like a LOT but really, it was a few hours every weekend doing "something" along with one major event, typically, each year