Surgical Waiting Area

[snowygirl]

I have almost no volunteering experience and I am a junior in college. I have about 20 hours of straight shadowing, but the only place I could volunteer was in the surgical waiting area. Would this be considered clinical experience? I get to interact with doctors and their families but I wouldn't have much interaction with patients.

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[Goro]

I have almost no volunteering experience and I am a junior in college. I have about 20 hours of straight shadowing, but the only place I could volunteer was in the surgical waiting area. Would this be considered clinical experience? I get to interact with doctors and their families but I wouldn't have much interaction with patients.

Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics.

Some types of volunteer activities are more appealing than others. Volunteering in a nice suburban hospital is all very well and good and all, but doesn't show that you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty in the same way that working with the developmentally disabled (or homeless, the dying, or Alzheimers or mentally ill or elderly or ESL or domestic, rural impoverished) does. The uncomfortable situations are the ones that really demonstrate your altruism and get you 'brownie points'. Plus, they frankly teach you more -- they develop your compassion and humanity in ways comfortable situations can't.

 

[deleted877060]

@gonnif I don't mean to piggy back off the OP but I volunteer at the surgical waiting areas as well -- I escort patients and families to pre-op and take families to PACU for visit. Would this count as clinical?

 

[Tenk]

Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics.

Some types of volunteer activities are more appealing than others. Volunteering in a nice suburban hospital is all very well and good and all, but doesn't show that you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty in the same way that working with the developmentally disabled (or homeless, the dying, or Alzheimers or mentally ill or elderly or ESL or domestic, rural impoverished) does. The uncomfortable situations are the ones that really demonstrate your altruism and get you 'brownie points'. Plus, they frankly teach you more -- they develop your compassion and humanity in ways comfortable situations can't.

What Goro said. There's nothing wrong with volunteering in a waiting room but there are definitely better options out there for sure.

 

[deleted877060]

barely, it just is weak as they go; I would have other clinical experience/volunteering in addition to it

What would be considered strong clinical volunteering in your books?
I also volunteer at a hospice, helping out caregivers, grief support groups, etc.

 

[deleted877060]

Hospice can be great as clinical EC

Any clinical experience in Hospital or clinic where you see
1) how doctors interact with patients
2) how doctors and medical team interact with each other
3) where you interact with patients.

Volunteering directly with doctors in free/charity/public clinic is one of the best
Working directly with doctors as scribe in a clinical setting is a good paid gig

Let me just add, you need to look at your overall application and see how it works together. Surgical escort/waiting is OK if combined with other items. It also to fit your schedule, workload, etc. So be reasonable with yourself

Thanks for the helpful perspectives. The escorting is for my university hospital, where we can sign up to volunteer at different departments each semester, and I am just trying to volunteer for different departments/positions to get a general sense of what it is like to work in a hospital. We have a few free clinics in town but they do not accept volunteers, which I think is reasonable of them.
I'm still a sophomore, and definitely am not in a rush to build my app to apply next year. I'll take my time.