Unsatisfied with Volunteering

[cee]

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about 5 months ago, i started voluteering at the local hospital in the surgical ICU.. as time has gone by, i'm starting to get bored with it-- mostly because they dont give me much responsibility.. and for good reason, i'm not authorized to do alot of things outside of stock shelves and wipe down stretchers.. i get virtually no patient contact, and its gotten to the point where i'm only doing it to do something extracurricular. i know its bad, but i'm only going on average about once every 2 weeks (only because i feel guilty).. everyone i speak to who knows i'm trying to get to med school says that i gotta do something with clinical experience, and there is still no doubt that i want to be a doctor someday, but volunteering at the hospital has just become a burden. i really dont think i'm getting anything out of it.

i've basically come across the dilemma of: volunteering at something that looks good to med schools (but i am bored of), or volunteering at something that i can actually get satisfaction from (but wont look good for a medical profession... i.e.- soup kitchens, habitat for humanity, boys & girls club)

do schools favor some extracurriculars over others? i am REALLY trying to get something positive from this experience, but its pretty boring and have run out of ideas of other similar volunteer opportunity ideas

 

[mx_599]

soup kitchens, habitat for humanity, boys & girls club)

These would be noble of you.

What do you do for work? Can you do transporting or something at the Hospital? You would get some patient contact and it is entry level. You can probably do it as paid employee or volunteer.

Volunteer at a nursing home or something. Do you have any access to a puppy or a kitten?

 

[cee]

Can you do transporting or something at the Hospital? You would get some patient contact and it is entry level. You can probably do it as paid employee or volunteer.

Volunteer at a nursing home or something.

long story about transporting.. i was supposed to get a job, but there were no jobs available.. i'm actually leaning towards working at a nursing home, but i dont know if it would be more of the same as the hospital..

as for soup kitchen, habitat, and boys/girls club-- i've heard it may not be beneficial for med school

 

[JMCarpenter]

If you want to volunteer at a soup kitchen/habitat, then do it! Being bored out of your mind volunteering at the hospital won't be as huge a push for your application as you think. Yes, clinical experience is important for you app, but it doesn't sound like you're getting much out of where you're at anyway. If you do something you enjoy (habitat, etc) you'll be able to talk about your experiences with more enthusiasm than just... "I changed bed linens and stocked shelves"... As for clinical experience, see if you can work part time at a hospital in either transport, PCA, phlebotomy, unit clerking, etc... all of these are positions you can hold while in school... you might have to do a certification class for some...
Or if you don't have time/can't get a job at a hospital, try shadowing physicians. This will give you good clinical insights that you can share in your interview. In the end, don't live the next year under the guideline "Must look good to med schools"... do what makes you happy, work hard and you'll be fine!! 🙂

JMCarpenter

 

[unk_fxn]

Take EMT class and join a volunteer rescue squad.

 

[ernieraisin]

huh?? why would volunteering at a soup kitchen or for that matter, any other community service not look good on a med school application? i dont understand that logic at all. as a physician, you are called to serve the community and i believe that this career is a calling. if you truly feel that your heart is telling you to volunteer your time and effort to a cause other than a hospital setting, go for it! your passion and dedication to those causes will far outweigh the services you give to the "boring" clinical setting. in addition, your enthusiasm for these causes will show during your interviews and your essays.

i, too, did not want to volunteer in a hospital for that reason. i worked at a local hospital in high school and found it to be such a bore....instead, i found a cause that was especially close to my heart. i have been volunteering at the ronald mcdonald house for the past three years and i have absolutely no regrets. there isnt one clinical setting that would have given me the opportunities and the incredible relationships ive built with the children at this amazing organization.

so, my point is..🙂
follow your heart. dont work in a hospital because you feel you have to. there is no guideline on what will get you in to med school. do something you truly love and the rest will follow. i promise..

 

[Em&M]

huh?? why would volunteering at a soup kitchen or for that matter, any other community service not look good on a med school application? i dont understand that logic at all. as a physician, you are called to serve the community and i believe that this career is a calling. if you truly feel that your heart is telling you to volunteer your time and effort to a cause other than a hospital setting, go for it! your passion and dedication to those causes will far outweigh the services you give to the "boring" clinical setting. in addition, your enthusiasm for these causes will show during your interviews and your essays.

I agree with the above poster but I would like to add my own experience; which I have touted before on SDN, regarding "boring clinical experience". I volunteer in the ER and it is pretty much the same thing. I have the mindset that if I am going to be here, offering free labor, I am going to learn something golldarnit!

I have learned much about what is driving me into medicine by my experiences in the ER. I watch and learn, watch and learn. I try to talk to patients whenever possible, I ask questions of those around me and pay attention to the medical speak of the docs.

Yes, it is a little boring when it is slow but it is a part of my learning experience that has shown me the "unpleasant" aspect of medicine. The parts we don't glorify when we speak of "gaining clinical experience". Aging, poor, homeless, drug-addicted, immigrant populations,etc... The plight of these people, their stories, their lives... it all seems so mundane but to each and every one of them, this is their life and I want to be a small piece of it.

I supplement my patient contact by doing quite a bit of shadowing (about 2x a month... hard with a full time job and daughter...) but I have plenty of patient contact and I also feel that I have a realistic picture of the sick and dying and of the cycle of human life... and that is what I set out to find through my volunteer experiences.

I hope that you can find similar fulfillment in whatever you choose to pursue. Just keep your objectives in mind and always be thinking about how this experience will make you a better doc someday... 👍

 

[GqDocStar]

about 5 months ago, i started voluteering at the local hospital in the surgical ICU.. as time has gone by, i'm starting to get bored with it-- mostly because they dont give me much responsibility.. and for good reason, i'm not authorized to do alot of things outside of stock shelves and wipe down stretchers.. i get virtually no patient contact, and its gotten to the point where i'm only doing it to do something extracurricular. i know its bad, but i'm only going on average about once every 2 weeks (only because i feel guilty).. everyone i speak to who knows i'm trying to get to med school says that i gotta do something with clinical experience, and there is still no doubt that i want to be a doctor someday, but volunteering at the hospital has just become a burden. i really dont think i'm getting anything out of it.

i've basically come across the dilemma of: volunteering at something that looks good to med schools (but i am bored of), or volunteering at something that i can actually get satisfaction from (but wont look good for a medical profession... i.e.- soup kitchens, habitat for humanity, boys & girls club)

do schools favor some extracurriculars over others? i am REALLY trying to get something positive from this experience, but its pretty boring and have run out of ideas of other similar volunteer opportunity ideas

let me just tell you..dont waste your time... i NEVER volunteered at ANY hospitals..i have 0 hours as a hospital volunteer...its just not worth it...you dont get anythng out of it that you cant get by shadowing a doctor..even you get more walking around with the doctor...i specifically didnt volunteer because of it...i instead had a lot of clinical experience being PAID and worked in a hospital where i got so much exposure . i volunteered and showed that part of my character by rebuilding cars for charity ...it was something i very much enjoyed and it was very fulfilling to know that i raised more then 10k by working less then if i was to volunteer at a hospital stocking shelves and cleaning streatchers...my clinical exposure was awesome and my volunteer experience was awesome...nobody ever asked why i didnt volunteer for a hospital and frankly i think they didnt care....if you have things on your application that speak to the committee then you are good. make sure you are spending your time doing things that not only are helping you but helping others as well. go do something else...you could work part time in clinical research for someone...or take a leadership position where you can arrange others to go read to children at the hospital...you guys can ask different departments of the hospital directly if they would like some volunteers to come visit patients that dont get visitors ...ect. ect..that looks a lot better then x hours volunteered at hospital...and guess what ...if youre doing nothing ..then you have nothing to talk about and what you did is worth 0. spend your time elsewhere...the er volunteering isnt made for you to get patient contact...if it was, it wouldnt be so easy to sign up...get away from the norm ...

my 2 cents

 

[cee]

thanks for the replies, guys... i've pretty much decided to stop volunteering at the hospital, but i think my problem is that i really have NO IDEA what i'd be interested in... i know i want to have some effect on someone (or someoneS), but nothing really catches my eye.. i know for a fact there's some type of philanthropy out there that i can get involved with, but i guess i havent sat down and done the brainstorming.. ideally, i'd like to see some sort of long list of positions/ideas in hopes that i could find something that would really peak my interests.. does anyone have any ideas on how i can find a multitude of different types of volunteer opportunities in my area?

 

[samenewme]

thanks for the replies, guys... i've pretty much decided to stop volunteering at the hospital, but i think my problem is that i really have NO IDEA what i'd be interested in... i know i want to have some effect on someone (or someoneS), but nothing really catches my eye.. i know for a fact there's some type of philanthropy out there that i can get involved with, but i guess i havent sat down and done the brainstorming.. ideally, i'd like to see some sort of long list of positions/ideas in hopes that i could find something that would really peak my interests.. does anyone have any ideas on how i can find a multitude of different types of volunteer opportunities in my area?

How about hospice work? The hospice in my area offers almost all patient contact--feeding them (which the hospital where I volunteer never lets me do), bringing them meals, sitting and chatting with them, holding the hand of patients who are comatose...it still has its moments of boredom, but far fewer of them.

I also found literacy tutoring to be very fulfilling.

Otherwise, your campus, county, city, or local paper may have a volunteer clearance center where many opportunities are listed.

 

[leumas614]

I think you should stay at the hospital. It's not important that all you did was clean stretchers. What's important is that you got a first-hand experience of what the Surgical ICU is like. Medical schools want applicants who are familiar with a medical setting. If you can, don't do the hospital as much. Once every two weeks for a few hours can't be that bad. Keep in mind that if you were a doctor in the ICU, you would probably be under a lot more stress and dislike the ICU more than the volunteer making beds. How did you get that job anyway? I heard hospitals aren't good with that kind of stuff. They usually place people in the gift shop or something.

 

[carn311]

Take EMT class and join a volunteer rescue squad.

I agree wholeheratedly...

Your EMT-B will only take a couple of months and minimal effort but it will open TONS of doors.

I ride a 12hr shift a week with a local volunteer squad and through my training have gained s $12.50/hr job as an oncology pct at a local hospital. From there they will pay for other training; PCT II, LPN, RN, Pheliobotomy...

Its a great way to get your foot in the door

 

[LevatorAni]

I had no problem getting into med school with 0 hrs of clinical volunteering or shadowing. My volunteering included working the mail room at the hospital and coaching little league.

If you really want some patient contact, try contacting some of the free clinics in your area. I know that some have non-healthcare professionals helping patients with paperwork etc. It may not be hands-on, but it is patient contact.

I'm a firm believer that med schools want to see that you have other interests than medicine. Find a volunteer activity that allows you to do something you enjoy.

 

[Kubed]

I worked as an EMT-B for the last 2.5 years part time while going to school. I loved it and it hooked me up with the DO who wrote my letter of rec. He was a great old guy who even called the schools on my behalf. It's one of the reasons I'm starting touro in a few weeks. EMT is so worth it.

I agree wholeheratedly...

Your EMT-B will only take a couple of months and minimal effort but it will open TONS of doors.

I ride a 12hr shift a week with a local volunteer squad and through my training have gained s $12.50/hr job as an oncology pct at a local hospital. From there they will pay for other training; PCT II, LPN, RN, Pheliobotomy...

Its a great way to get your foot in the door

 

[cee]

I worked as an EMT-B for the last 2.5 years part time while going to school. I loved it and it hooked me up with the DO who wrote my letter of rec. He was a great old guy who even called the schools on my behalf. It's one of the reasons I'm starting touro in a few weeks. EMT is so worth it.

ya i looked into being an EMT-B.. the classes at the local community college always fill up (for the summer at least), but the problem is that i've asked around my area (tampa, fl) and i have no idea how to get a job.. if i get certified, i dont want to end up jobless as an EMT-B.. i think i'm leaning towards either a nursing home or ronald mcdonald house

 

[Hauskhat]

A friend of mine is a volunteer EMT.
She has to keep up with training just like a paid EMT, but it's volunteer work and she gets in on all the action that the paid EMTs do. She lives in a small town so I think that has something to do with it. But I live in a very urban area and I'm only twenty minutes from her. I don't think that they would be anything but thrilled even in a big town to have someone volunteer for them. If you live near a fire station you could also do volunteer rescue work for the fire department. What's more appropriate for Medical school than saving lives?

Hope this helps, I agree with you! Volunteering on the floor is boooring and extremely disenchanting!

 

[cee]

If you live near a fire station you could also do volunteer rescue work for the fire department.

actually, does anyone know about this? there is a fire station right next to my neighborhood with a sign for volunteers.. what would that entail?

 

[PD187540]

I had no problem getting into med school with 0 hrs of clinical volunteering or shadowing. My volunteering included working the mail room at the hospital and coaching little league.

0 hrs of clinical volunteering or shadowing and you got in? How did that happen?

I'm probably overestimating the amount of volunteering or shadowing I have to do.....During my senior year of college, I did a 40-hour per week year-long unpaid internship for college credit as a Pathologist's Assistant trainee (that's my clinical experience right there), plus I worked as a P.A. for about 2 years sporadically after that.

It may be good to do SOME shadowing of physicians other than pathologists in order to see what other medical specialties are all about, but I'm not sure if I should even bother with that. As for volunteering, I have no hours yet, but I may do a hospice or general hospital stuff. Either way, I don't think I should stress too much about that aspect of the application process.

 

[MedicineMike]

0 hrs of clinical volunteering or shadowing and you got in? How did that happen?

I'm probably overestimating the amount of volunteering or shadowing I have to do.....During my senior year of college, I did a 40-hour per week year-long unpaid internship for college credit as a Pathologist's Assistant trainee (that's my clinical experience right there), plus I worked as a P.A. for about 2 years sporadically after that.

It may be good to do SOME shadowing of physicians other than pathologists in order to see what other medical specialties are all about, but I'm not sure if I should even bother with that. As for volunteering, I have no hours yet, but I may do a hospice or general hospital stuff. Either way, I don't think I should stress too much about that aspect of the application process.

You just responded to a 6 year old thread....

 

[PD187540]

You just responded to a 6 year old thread....

And your point is???

Are you saying that in 6 years, volunteering is now a requirement to get into med school?

Sometimes, the oldies are goodies, you know...

 

[Uspchef]

I was extremely bored at my volunteer hospital too. I got my EMT certification and got an job at an ambulance company and then got a job as a technician at an hospital. Now I have a lot more clinical experience and so much more patient contact than before.

I get to draw blood, straight cath patients, EKGs, etc.

 

[alphasyn]

go volunteer with a local free clinic for underserved population, you will see/learn/interact much more from patients and doctors!!

i was able to take vital signs, fill out medical history forms, accompany patients in waiting room, interact one-on-one with the pediatrician mentor at the clinic.

find some positions where you can actually do something for god sake...thats why i dont like hospital volunteer positions, just too much restrictions and regulations...(for good cause of course)

 

[Goro]

Can you try a different dep't at the hospital?
Are there any other hospitals you could volunteer at?
Any local clinics?

You do need to find out if this is the career for you, and seeing how doctors interact with patients is crucial. If you don't have that experience, an AdCom member will call you out on it.

about 5 months ago, i started voluteering at the local hospital in the surgical ICU.. as time has gone by, i'm starting to get bored with it-- mostly because they dont give me much responsibility.. and for good reason, i'm not authorized to do alot of things outside of stock shelves and wipe down stretchers.. i get virtually no patient contact, and its gotten to the point where i'm only doing it to do something extracurricular. i know its bad, but i'm only going on average about once every 2 weeks (only because i feel guilty).. everyone i speak to who knows i'm trying to get to med school says that i gotta do something with clinical experience, and there is still no doubt that i want to be a doctor someday, but volunteering at the hospital has just become a burden. i really dont think i'm getting anything out of it.

i've basically come across the dilemma of: volunteering at something that looks good to med schools (but i am bored of), or volunteering at something that i can actually get satisfaction from (but wont look good for a medical profession... i.e.- soup kitchens, habitat for humanity, boys & girls club)

do schools favor some extracurriculars over others? i am REALLY trying to get something positive from this experience, but its pretty boring and have run out of ideas of other similar volunteer opportunity ideas

 

[mmikey]

I faced a similar situation as you, OP. Take what you can from it and quit asap. You should have observed nurses doctors and techs all together working--take that insight with you. Don't expect a great LOR from someone you don't know. Watch a surgery if that is your thing. If possible, you may be able to pull strings in the HR department and get a job as a hospital assistant, basically a nursing assistant with OTJ training.

Find something to which you can dedicate at least a year as a volunteer (or work in clinical, a position leadership, helping patient populations or underserved). Get clinical experience, and a good letter of recommendation from shadowing a physician for a few times. These will help you much more than dreading hospital volunteering. With so many patient privacy and liability issues, a volunteer in a hospital can barely look at a patient without getting a nurse's approval.

Do things that make you yourself!!!! This is my biggest recommendation. I had lots of clinical work experience, clinical volunteering, volunteering with patient populations and medical politics. However I had ZERO research experience. I played the hand I dealt myself and landed up with great choices for medical school.


SIX YEAR OLD THREAT? F7U13. I didn't type all that advice for nothing, it is 100% applicable.

 

[PD187540]

I faced a similar situation as you, OP. Take what you can from it and quit asap. You should have observed nurses doctors and techs all together working--take that insight with you. Don't expect a great LOR from someone you don't know. Watch a surgery if that is your thing. If possible, you may be able to pull strings in the HR department and get a job as a hospital assistant, basically a nursing assistant with OTJ training.

Find something to which you can dedicate at least a year as a volunteer (or work in clinical, a position leadership, helping patient populations or underserved). Get clinical experience, and a good letter of recommendation from shadowing a physician for a few times. These will help you much more than dreading hospital volunteering. With so many patient privacy and liability issues, a volunteer in a hospital can barely look at a patient without getting a nurse's approval.

Do things that make you yourself!!!! This is my biggest recommendation. I had lots of clinical work experience, clinical volunteering, volunteering with patient populations and medical politics. However I had ZERO research experience. I played the hand I dealt myself and landed up with great choices for medical school.


SIX YEAR OLD THREAT? F7U13. I didn't type all that advice for nothing, it is 100% applicable.

This is a great response! You hit it on the head 🙂. I'll probably check out the local clinics first, then the hospitals as a back-up. Hospices are probably great, too. My logic is that if med students are going to mostly be involved in a hospital setting for the majority of their careers, why not experience the same level of doctor-patient interaction elsewhere without all the bureaucratic BS? (yes, I'd say that at an interview, too lol).

 

[munchymanRX]

about 5 months ago, i started voluteering at the local hospital in the surgical ICU.. as time has gone by, i'm starting to get bored with it-- mostly because they dont give me much responsibility.. and for good reason, i'm not authorized to do alot of things outside of stock shelves and wipe down stretchers.. i get virtually no patient contact, and its gotten to the point where i'm only doing it to do something extracurricular. i know its bad, but i'm only going on average about once every 2 weeks (only because i feel guilty).. everyone i speak to who knows i'm trying to get to med school says that i gotta do something with clinical experience, and there is still no doubt that i want to be a doctor someday, but volunteering at the hospital has just become a burden. i really dont think i'm getting anything out of it.

i've basically come across the dilemma of: volunteering at something that looks good to med schools (but i am bored of), or volunteering at something that i can actually get satisfaction from (but wont look good for a medical profession... i.e.- soup kitchens, habitat for humanity, boys & girls club)

do schools favor some extracurriculars over others? i am REALLY trying to get something positive from this experience, but its pretty boring and have run out of ideas of other similar volunteer opportunity ideas

Stop worrying about "what looks good". You'll have to do some clinical volunteering, but there's lots of places to get it, and probably organizations that would be a lot more fun for you. I volunteered at my undergrad's massive hospital for 2 days before I decided it sucked (too massive, too many people doing the exact same thing, bored out of my mind, etc). I joined a medical-school run community clinic instead as a volunteer and had an absolute blast.

What's going to get you in isn't going to be how closely you followed the cookie cutter model of an applicant. This isn't an RPG, and no one 'build' works every time. What gets you in is your ability to demonstrate that you're a competent, intelligent, driven individual, and therefore you're better off doing things that are personally meaningful
to you.

I'd also suggest doing shadowing as much as you can with either a family physician or one that's willing to take you on for a while. You'll learn a TON more than you will as just a run-of-the-mill volunteer and it's far more indicative of a medical-school type experience than volunteering at X hospital will be.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

I'm feeling the same way in Pharmacy, I just wish I can find a way to actually gain some real good volunteering experience.

 

[Goro]

some more ideas:
local hospice
local rehab center (for stroke/injury/elderly, NOT drug abusers)
local senior center
"developmental" center for severely autistic/brain damage person
county public health dep't

about 5 months ago, i started voluteering at the local hospital in the surgical ICU.. as time has gone by, i'm starting to get bored with it-- mostly because they dont give me much responsibility.. and for good reason, i'm not authorized to do alot of things outside of stock shelves and wipe down stretchers.. i get virtually no patient contact, and its gotten to the point where i'm only doing it to do something extracurricular. i know its bad, but i'm only going on average about once every 2 weeks (only because i feel guilty).. everyone i speak to who knows i'm trying to get to med school says that i gotta do something with clinical experience, and there is still no doubt that i want to be a doctor someday, but volunteering at the hospital has just become a burden. i really dont think i'm getting anything out of it.

i've basically come across the dilemma of: volunteering at something that looks good to med schools (but i am bored of), or volunteering at something that i can actually get satisfaction from (but wont look good for a medical profession... i.e.- soup kitchens, habitat for humanity, boys & girls club)

do schools favor some extracurriculars over others? i am REALLY trying to get something positive from this experience, but its pretty boring and have run out of ideas of other similar volunteer opportunity ideas

 

[TriagePreMed]

LOL guys, the OP is probably an MD/DO by now. It's from 2005.