Should I stop volunteering?

[Irish Football]

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I have a question for you guys and it's really bothering me.

I have volunteered 150 hours at my home-town hospital over the course of two summers. I go to school out of town, so I have also volunteered 50 hours in another hospital's ER over the course of almost a year during school (during my breaks I go home so that is why the number is so low). I have decided that I just cannot continue volunteering at this hospital because with my impossible schedule I really need the time to study for MCAT and catch up on school work.

I love volunteering but my question is, obviously there is never enough volunteering, but is 200 hours a good amount? Would 250 or 300 total hours look THAT much better? Also, will medical schools look poorly on me because I only did 50 hours at this hospital?
Another question I had, is that the hospital's policy is that they only write LORs for volunteers who complete 150 hours, so if I was not able to get an LOR from this second place can I still list it on my experiences list on my application? (I have plenty of other LORs so the lack of another letter isn't a big deal for me).

 

[aSagacious]

A - You have plenty of volunteering already. Use your time to prepare for the MCAT.
B - You definitely don't need a letter from the hospital.

 

[sector9]

A - You have plenty of volunteering already. Use your time to prepare for the MCAT.
B - You definitely don't need a letter from the hospital.

This.

 

[Stumpyman]

Agree with above.

 

[cheekiemunky]

Yeah I had about 150 hours of volunteering and all my interviewers seemed to think that was plenty. The MCAT is important. I would HATE to have had to take that test a second time. Do as well as you can the first time and hopefully you won't have to. I usually tell friends not to study for the MCAT while even taking classes (i.e. over the summer), but obviously that's not an option for some people (it wasn't for me).

 

[AestheticGod]

Sorry to ask a question in someone elses thread, but how does one go about volunteering at a hospital? are there any pre-reqs I will need to have? Is it as simple ask calling them and tell them I want to volunteer?

 

[grindtime1]

I could have sworn I've read from plenty of people here that you need an LOR from a volunteer supervisor, preferably a doctor you observed/helped while volunteering.

Or am I wrong?

 

[deleted390966]

Sorry to ask a question in someone elses thread, but how does one go about volunteering at a hospital? are there any pre-reqs I will need to have? Is it as simple ask calling them and tell them I want to volunteer?

Just ask them 🙂

 

[sector9]

I could have sworn I've read from plenty of people here that you need an LOR from a volunteer supervisor, preferably a doctor you observed/helped while volunteering.

Or am I wrong?

I think most people don't have a LOR from a volunteer supervisor at a hospital

 

[deleted390966]

...........

 

[BurntFlower]

I could have sworn I've read from plenty of people here that you need an LOR from a volunteer supervisor, preferably a doctor you observed/helped while volunteering.

Or am I wrong?

Look up the websites of hospitals you want to volunteer in and see the requirements for volunteers.