Summer wasted?

[PreMedder]

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It turns out that my nearest local hospital is already full of adult (18 y/o+) volunteers. I applied for a position as a lab assistant but I have no idea if that will pan out.

So my summer boils down to me: taking multivariable calc at a nearby 4 yr accredited school for my math major, volunteering with my local fire department as an EMT, and working as a cashier at a shoe store 👎. I am in the process of filling out all this red tape to volunteer at a university hospital a little farther away, but if I don't get the lab spot - would this summer hurt my application?

EDIT: I'll throw in here that volunteering with my fire dept. is really limited pt. contact since the only way to guarantee you actually ride on the ambulance is either a) be on duty, which is only a couple of times/month or b) speed the ---- down the road to the firehouse to be there before it takes off which is hard since I'm not the closest to the station. So I kind of wanted something else to bolster my pt. contact over the summer.

 

[christina30]

EMT work is far better experience when it comes to patient contact, imho. Hospital volunteers aren't allowed to do all that much when it comes to working with patients.

I know at work, when I have a volunteer at my disposal, I send them on errands and make them tidy up file cabinets/drawers, because that's really all they're permitted to do.

 

[student113]

You are under 18, meaning you're not in college yet?

RELAX! If you do what you listed, of course it's not "wasted." You have so much time to get clinical experiences later on.

 

[PreMedder]

You are under 18, meaning you're not in college yet?

RELAX! If you do what you listed, of course it's not "wasted." You have so much time to get clinical experiences later on.

No. I meant "already full of adult volunteers" as in, they have no more room for me since I would be considered an adult volunteer as well - just finished first year at my university.

 

[Xcellerator]

I'm in a similar situation as you. Just finished my first year of college too and have found out almost all of my local hospitals are filled with volunteers already. I've already applied for several jobs and such. Only real clinical experience that I'll have this summer will be shadowing some doctors. Arghhh!!! 😡

 

[Perrotfish]

I'm not sure what your/your family's financial situation is, but if you can afford it maybe this is a good time to jump into a study abroad course? Learn a language abroad or something? It would be way more interesting, both personally and on your app, than just hanging around and taking CC courses. You could probably get credit for it too.

I don't think it will have a big effect on your application or anything, I just think that working in a shoe store seems sorta dull.

I liked these guys, btw: www.ecela.com

 

[MeRLin443]

Summer wasted is the best kind of wasted.

 

[PreMedder]

I'm not sure what your/your family's financial situation is, but if you can afford it maybe this is a good time to jump into a study abroad course? Learn a language abroad or something? It would be way more interesting, both personally and on your app, than just hanging around and taking CC courses. You could probably get credit for it too.

I don't think it will have a big effect on your application or anything, I just think that working in a shoe store seems sorta dull.

I liked these guys, btw: www.ecela.com

Yeah I would like to try to do something like that but I already am enrolled for the course - not at a CC, at a nearby SUNY school - for the first summer session, so fitting this in at this point isn't really feasible. And I know it is clearly dull but needed money since I haven't heard back about any of my other applications as an EMT at local beaches/parks 🙁. Is this going to look bad?/Any ways to add good experience?

 

[willen101383]

Summer wasted is the best kind of wasted.

You beat me to it!

Come on OP...freshmen year summer you are still well enough in contact with your home friends to party...woooo party!

(I never even volunteered once in college)

 

[QuizzicalApe]

If you absolutely have to do something, see if there are local clinics you could help out at, or find a doctor to shadow. Hopefully of a type you haven't had experience with yet. Schools like to see that you shadowed, but more importantly than that it'll give you something to draw on when people say, "Hey, so have you given any thought to what specialty you'd like to go into?"

 

[willen101383]

Yeah I would like to try to do something like that but I already am enrolled for the course - not at a CC, at a nearby SUNY school - for the first summer session, so fitting this in at this point isn't really feasible. And I know it is clearly dull but needed money since I haven't heard back about any of my other applications as an EMT at local beaches/parks 🙁. Is this going to look bad?/Any ways to add good experience?

Which SUNY to you live by?

 

[Procyon]

It turns out that my nearest local hospital is already full of adult (18 y/o+) volunteers. I applied for a position as a lab assistant but I have no idea if that will pan out.

So my summer boils down to me: taking multivariable calc at a nearby 4 yr accredited school for my math major, volunteering with my local fire department as an EMT, and working as a cashier at a shoe store 👎. I am in the process of filling out all this red tape to volunteer at a university hospital a little farther away, but if I don't get the lab spot - would this summer hurt my application?

At least you have a job. And the money to take a summer course. And there are labs near you that are accepting applications for an assistant. Doesn't sound like a wasted summer to me.

I'm still unemployed, moneyless and researchless. haha. But OP, make sure you relax too. It is summer, after all. 🙂

 

[Bojangles85]

Summer wasted is the best kind of wasted.

Time isn't wasted, when you're getting wasted 😀

 

[Bojangles85]

EMT work is far better experience when it comes to patient contact, imho. Hospital volunteers aren't allowed to do all that much when it comes to working with patients.

I know at work, when I have a volunteer at my disposal, I send them on errands and make them tidy up file cabinets/drawers, because that's really all they're permitted to do.

I currently volunteer at an university hospital and I receive A LOT of pt contact with transporting.

Got to be able to think on your feet to speak with a pt the 5-15 mins you're with them.

 

[LizzyM]

Working is a shoe store is good. Keep in mind that medicine and retail sales are both service businesses and shoes is often more "service" than some other types of retail because you are dealing with hands-on assistance with fetching, fitting, etc (unless it is one of those bargain places where all the sales staff does is ring up the sale).

Also, it is an opportunity to learn about real people, both co-workers and customers. These will be the people you are taking care of some day and learning about human nature as you do in a retail setting is invaluable. Several of us were comparing notes after an adcom meeting one day and it was surprising how many of us had had some work experience in retail or in manual labor while in college.

What you have planned sounds just fine for the summer after freshman year.

 

[bravofleet4]

it's perfectly fine to explore life. go develop a hobby or pursue some interests. they'll ask you about these things during your interview and i highly doubt you like to do research or volunteer as EMT during your freetime...

 

[PreMedder]

Thanks all for the posts. And I guess I didn't think about retail work in that light before, LizzyM, thanks. Hopefully I will begin to volunteer at the university hospital soon - and then I will just sit back, relax and enjoy the summer! 🙂