Shadowing vs. hospital volunteering...what's more important?

[skyblue2000]

Obviously I know both are important...

However, I have about 70 hours total at hospital volunteering in ER and mental health. I recently started shadowing a family doctor for 3 hours a week...

Also i'm at a pediatrist's office about 10 hours a week (albeit I'm doing research there, videotaping infants getting immunized), however, I'm still in that environment and interacting with parents and asking them questions (collecting data).

In the upcoming semester, with my full course load, shadowing, research in pediatrist's office, and studying for MCAT....I was wondering if it would be ok to not volunteer at the hospital as well? I could push myself to do it...but just wondering if I could get along with out considering the other activities I'm partaking in?

Thanks!

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[NickNaylor]

I don't think one is necessarily better than the other. They stress different things.

I'd do whichever one is more interesting if you only have time to do one.

 

[DirtyJustice]

Obviously I know both are important...

However, I have about 70 hours total at hospital volunteering in ER and mental health. I recently started shadowing a family doctor for 3 hours a week...

Also i'm at a pediatrist's office about 10 hours a week (albeit I'm doing research there, videotaping infants getting immunized), however, I'm still in that environment and interacting with parents and asking them questions (collecting data).

In the upcoming semester, with my full course load, shadowing, research in pediatrist's office, and studying for MCAT....I was wondering if it would be ok to not volunteer at the hospital as well? I could push myself to do it...but just wondering if I could get along with out considering the other activities I'm partaking in?

Thanks!

Which one is more important, your left leg or your right?

 

[RevMD]

I think you should do just fine without additional hospital volunteering. You are already getting plenty of clinical exposure being around infants and shadowing a doctor.

Med schools stress quality over quantity. Considering you have a pretty busy workload for the upcoming sem, like myself, it ultimately comes down whether you even have time to squeeze it in while staying sane.

 

[randombetch]

I don't think either are necessarily necessary. If you have lots of other great clinical experiences, you don't need either at all.

 

[tennisball80]

b o t h

 

[Spiker]

You need both. However to different extent. 50 hour of shadowing is probably enough however 50 hours of volunteering is not.

 

[Narmerguy]

you need both. However to different extent. 50 hour of shadowing is probably enough however 50 hours of volunteering is not.

+1

 

[bannie22]

hospital volunteering wins hands down. you dont need shadowing to get in

 

[lrkoehle]

I thought hospital volunteering was a total waste of my time; however, it seems like it is one of those unspoken requirements. What I mean is that doing it won't necessarily help distinguish you from anyone else, but not doing it may hurt you. Personally, I found my shadowing experiences to be WAY more beneficial to me, because I actually got to see what real doctors do instead of just stocking the rooms. Also, I think I was only asked about my hospital volunteering at maybe 1 of my interviews.

Keep in mind, this is my opinion based on my personal experiences, and you should do whatever you think is most interesting/relevant.

 

[skyblue2000]

I thought hospital volunteering was a total waste of my time; however, it seems like it is one of those unspoken requirements. What I mean is that doing it won't necessarily help distinguish you from anyone else, but not doing it may hurt you. Personally, I found my shadowing experiences to be WAY more beneficial to me, because I actually got to see what real doctors do instead of just stocking the rooms. Also, I think I was only asked about my hospital volunteering at maybe 1 of my interviews.

Keep in mind, this is my opinion based on my personal experiences, and you should do whatever you think is most interesting/relevant.

I completely agree with that, I don't get to do much at all in volunteering but while shadowing I can take blood pressure, fill needles with medicine for the doctor to inject, etc. Like I get to help out more while "shadowing" then while volunteering.

 

[JonathanMD]

Just do a little bit of each and you should be okay.

 

[Catalystik]

Clinical research in a clinical environment with good patient contact is a satisfactory source of the expected clinical experience. But it doen't cover the need for community service, which volunteering in the hospital does.

 

[redsbear]

Each experience serves a different purpose.

Your hospital volunteering fulfills the unwritten volunteering requirement, as well as good clinical experience to comment on in interviews. I've done plenty of thinking about this 'requirement' while at the local ER, and I've come to a conclusion. Hospital volunteering is about 'altruism', but it also tells adcoms that you can assume a role on the very bottom of the hospital hierarchy. Stocking rooms and running to the lab is grunt work. It's boring, and it doesn't require any mental ability. It DOES require you to shut up, get over your desire to run the show (like most premeds do in academics, clubs, sports, etc...), and get the job done. Because once in med school, you won't be in a position to make any decisions for a long time!

Your shadowing confirms that you have researched the profession and have seen what a physician actually does, as opposed to an idealized or romanticized vision out of ER or Gray's Anatomy.

Your pediatric research highlights your ability to take responsibility for a project, work with patients (parents, infants, and needles...I don't envy THAT!), and it sets you apart with a unique story for interviews.

As far as time spent on each... The research is its own beast. The time spent shadowing should be long enough to convey an accurate picture of the daily work environment and issues encountered. I did ~50 hours, and felt that was plenty. As far as volunteering, it seems 150 hours is a pretty common benchmark, and that works out to 3 hours/wk for a year.

Barry

 

[xnfs93hy]

+1

👍

 

[sportsfreak]

i know a lot of people who got in without any shadowing but i don't know anyone who got in without volunteering so I am gona have to say volunteering is way more important

 

[casillas]

I thought hospital volunteering was a total waste of my time; however, it seems like it is one of those unspoken requirements. What I mean is that doing it won't necessarily help distinguish you from anyone else, but not doing it may hurt you. Personally, I found my shadowing experiences to be WAY more beneficial to me, because I actually got to see what real doctors do instead of just stocking the rooms. Also, I think I was only asked about my hospital volunteering at maybe 1 of my interviews.

Keep in mind, this is my opinion based on my personal experiences, and you should do whatever you think is most interesting/relevant.

I agree with this because during interviews, when asked about my clinical experiences, i was better able to talk about my shadowing than volunteering. How long have you volunteered in the hospital? those 70 hours were they over a long period of time? if so then i would agree that you should do the shadowing. And another factor is when are you applying. if it is this upcoming cycle you might be good for volunteering, but if its after that then you will need more recent experience.

 

[skyblue2000]

I agree with this because during interviews, when asked about my clinical experiences, i was better able to talk about my shadowing than volunteering. How long have you volunteered in the hospital? those 70 hours were they over a long period of time? if so then i would agree that you should do the shadowing. And another factor is when are you applying. if it is this upcoming cycle you might be good for volunteering, but if its after that then you will need more recent experience.

Those 70 hours is over almost a year...I did last October 08-February 09, and then September 09-December 09.

It was like a one term at a time deal...Oct-feb was in ER and Sept-Dec was Mental health.

Because it's also one term at a time, I was thinking I should continue volunteering because otherwise it may seem like I can't make a long-term commitment.
I am applying this June, for the Sept '11 enrollment.

 

[TooMuchResearch]

During one of my interview days, the dean told our group that they don't care about shadowing at all. Of course, that's only one school.

 

[skyblue2000]

Sigh! lol

I guess to be on the safest side...I will continue to volunteer at the hospital...

I was wondering is the 150 hours really what adcoms expect, or would it be dependent on the other clinical exposures an applicant has?

 

[Catalystik]

I think your total clinical exposure is probably fine. It's the community service you'd need to keep the hospital activity for, unless you have other altruistic activities ongoing.

 

[skyblue2000]

I think "shadowing" was the wrong word I used...because although I do shadow him, he told that that later on I could take patients history and other small things in the clinic (some I mentioned before)...checking irregular heartbeats, swollen glands, things like that I do now.

But that's not very altruistic...

I have volunteered in the Schizophrenia Society since 2002 as a member of the Walk of Hope committee, but now I am just an annual volunteer at the Walk of Hope (only once a year).

 

[skyblue2000]

Instead of making another thread...I thought I'd just asking a clarifying question here.

Last semester I volunteered at a sexual assualt survivors support line on campus for 4 hrs a week.

This term, I don't have time to do both the support line and hospital volunteering. Since I also shadow 3 hrs a week, I was wondering if the altruistic aspect of hospital volunteering would be satisfied by the support line. I believe the clinical experience will be with my shadowing, research in pediatric office, and existing hospital hours.


OR if I stop volunteering at the support line after 4 months, would it seem like I can't stay committed for a long time?

 

[Hifey]

My experience:

No shadowing (maybe just a couple of hours on a medical missions trip abroad but nothing to write in my AMCAS about)

250+ hours of hospital volunteering and PATIENT contact.

2 MD acceptances so far.

 

[skyblue2000]

My experience:

No shadowing (maybe just a couple of hours on a medical missions trip abroad but nothing to write in my AMCAS about)

250+ hours of hospital volunteering and PATIENT contact.

2 MD acceptances so far.

See I get much more patient contact at shadowing...I think I should start referring to it as volunteering in medical clinic because the doctor let's me do small things like take vital, feel swollen glands, hear irregular heartbeat, etc.