Shadowing/Volunteering Hours

[mbio2015]

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I would love some input opinions on how many shadowing/volunteering hours are necessary for medical school.

So far I have about 100 hours of hospital volunteering, about 20 hours of volunteering in the community (habitat for humanity, a local shelter, etc), and I should have about 20 hours of shadowing before I apply. I'm hearing that I need 40 hours of shadowing and 200-500 hours of clinical volunteering, is that accurate? I'm just not sure if I can fit it in because I work 20 hours a week, spend 10+ hours on research, study for the MCAT, and I'm a leader in a student organization that takes up about 15 hours a week (that's not counting other organizations I'm in), and this summer I'm going to be working a full time job at Yellowstone. Will medical schools still see my clinical hours as a weakness?

Also, I'm not sure if it counts but from high school to freshman year of college I helped my dad out at nursing/assisted living centers by doing minor exercises with patients, and running errands (he's a physical therapist).

 

[Catalystik]

I would love some input opinions on how many shadowing/volunteering hours are necessary for medical school.

So far I have about 100 hours of hospital volunteering, about 20 hours of volunteering in the community (habitat for humanity, a local shelter, etc), and I should have about 20 hours of shadowing before I apply. I'm hearing that I need 40 hours of shadowing and 200-500 hours of clinical volunteering, is that accurate? I'm just not sure if I can fit it in because I work 20 hours a week, spend 10+ hours on research, study for the MCAT, and I'm a leader in a student organization that takes up about 15 hours a week (that's not counting other organizations I'm in), and this summer I'm going to be working a full time job at Yellowstone. Will medical schools still see my clinical hours as a weakness?

Also, I'm not sure if it counts but from high school to freshman year of college I helped my dad out at nursing/assisted living centers by doing minor exercises with patients, and running errands (he's a physical therapist).

I think you'll be fine with 150 hours of active clinical experience, except maybe at Colorado that has high expectations. I'd recommend 50 shadowing hours, with 40 being a minimum. Your nonmedical community service is very low, so spend the extra time beefing that up.

Since your PT assistance continued into the college years (post HS graduation), it's legit to put time working with patients on the application.

Leaders delegate tasks. Do so, and free up some time.

 

[TheBossDoctor]

You need 267.44 hours of clinical volunteering and 67.06 hours of shadowing. Even 1 hour less and you're rejected.

But really, there's no magic number for hours. For shadowing just do as much as you need to until you see different clinical settings (hospital rounds vs OR vs clinic) and a couple different specialties. For clinical volunteering, just keep doing it until you get something out of the program (usually would take 6-12 months).

 

[mbio2015]

Thanks to the both of you.

Oh wow, I though my community service hours were good, guess I have much to do still.

I will see if I can fit in more hospital volunteering, but I'm not sure how much I will get out of it (I spent a summer doing it nearly every day). I liked it a lot at first, but towards the end I felt somewhat useless because all I could do for the patients was say the doctor would see them as soon as possible or get them refreshments and blankets. One vivid moment was a patient collapsing due to a seizure, but I could not help (it's not like I had the medical knowledge to do something anyway). I wanted to be a doctor more than ever, but I started to question my usefulness. Has anyone had similar thoughts/experiences?

 

[Catalystik]

Why not ask if you can switch to another department to get a different view of hospital services? You aren't that far from having a decent amount of clinical volunteering.

 

[mbio2015]

Why not ask if you can switch to another department to get a different view of hospital services? You aren't that far from having a decent amount of clinical volunteering.

I will ask if they have other departments with patient contact. Don't want to seem like I'm bashing volunteering because it was rewarding, but after a while I started hating the fact the I was basically telling people "hey I know you're in pain, but I'm a lowly pre-med so unless coffee or a blanket can help you I have to go." Thank you guys for the responses and advise, I appreciate it.

 

[Stabley17]

Meaningless hours are meaningless. If you aren't engaged in an experience that fits you and you find rewarding, then don't do it. Yes, shadowing is important and yes, a commitment to improving your community (from the very general to the very specific), is also important. But check-box applicants don't stand out.