Volunteer Opportunities.

[budhak0n]

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I'd be interested in hearing what volunteer opportunities you've explored or what options may be open to a student applying to get into Med School especially as a non traditional student.

I would expect that any help we'd be able to offer would be limited but I would think this would be a major area of experience for someone who is interested in getting into the field.

So whatever volunteer opportunities you've explored. Please post what it is you did and how you got involved. Obviously groups are always open to trained licensed professionals volunteering their time, however without the licensing or education, what would one be qualified to do to help and in what way.

Thanks for your input.

 

[Kateb4]

I'd be interested in this info also. I just finished up school year volunteer positions that I had at my church, but now what. There's the hospital, but I have to find childcare while I volunteer, and I'm pregnant so I really am limited as to options that I have been able to find.

 

[Twitch]

Schools look for the person who did something more than follow a recipe (so to speak). Make your own recipe. I'd expect that from a non trad. Organize a trip for a bunch of students with interest similar to yours for a medical trip to a developing country. Something a little less hackneyed than the volunteered at ED and such. If you're an adcom, and have a pile of cookie cutter applications and a few who truly stand out - guess who'll get the call.

I suggest a better (and perhaps original) approach: Think about what you like to do or how you can make a difference in someone's life. Then run it by someone here or if your confident go do it. Think of how much more entertaining interviews will be than the usual cookie cutter premed guy. As a non-trad you certainly have much to leverage.

 

[chanjurban]

Schools look for the person who did something more than follow a recipe (so to speak). Make your own recipe. I'd expect that from a non trad. Organize a trip for a bunch of students with interest similar to yours for a medical trip to a developing country. Something a little less hackneyed than the volunteered at ED and such. If you're an adcom, and have a pile of cookie cutter applications and a few who truly stand out - guess who'll get the call.

I suggest a better (and perhaps original) approach: Think about what you like to do or how you can make a difference in someone's life. Then run it by someone here or if your confident go do it. Think of how much more entertaining interviews will be than the usual cookie cutter premed guy. As a non-trad you certainly have much to leverage.

Unfortunately, often non-trads don't have the time or flexibility or connections to do something off the wall. First off, what makes you a non-trad? Right there is a point of difference between you and a majority of the applicants. If you're a career changer, the adcoms are looking to see that you've been exposed to medicine as a career. Hospital volunteering (including ED - as hackneyed as it seems) is one option. Hospice volunteering is also a great option. And definitely find a doctor to shadow. If you've been out of school for a while, they want to see that you can handle yourself in an academic setting in addition to seeing that you've had exposure to the medical field. Do you have kids? Don't kill yourself with the ECs. Be reasonable with your time - you'll need to budget it throughout this journey. Plan on doing volunteer work a few hours every other week for a decently long period of time so that you can accumulate hours. Coming to medicine with a non-science degree? See advice on career-changer.

I applied while working full-time as a teacher and having just given birth. I volunteered in the ED for 4 hours every other Saturday for about 10 months, shadowed 3 docs in the summer (it's best to start with docs you know rather than cold call), and chaired a diversity committee at the high school where I worked. That's pretty much what they wanted to see.

Oh, I had a really hard time getting in with the medical community for volunteer opportunites because I was not a student associated with one of the local universities. This is why you're better off talking to doctors you know first.

 

[Pemberley]

I'd be interested in hearing what volunteer opportunities you've explored or what options may be open to a student applying to get into Med School especially as a non traditional student.

I would expect that any help we'd be able to offer would be limited but I would think this would be a major area of experience for someone who is interested in getting into the field.

From what I understand, most pre-med volunteer work involves absolutely no contribution of expertise or talent whatsoever, only of time.

There were several threads like this in the past; I would do a search for more ideas.

My own input is this: do something you might actually enjoy, so going is something to look forward to, not a pain. The last thing any of us needs is more stress. I cuddle babies in the NICU. It's the best volunteer work ever; I got it by calling around and asking. It's also mentally undemanding (pick up peanut, rock peanut) which is really, really good when you're brain-dead from studying all week long. Before that I tutored high-schoolers in math for about 5 years (for the organization Boys Hope Girls Hope boyshopegirlshope.org ), which was also very, very rewarding, though not as relaxing and not medicine-related. I found that through that big america volunteer website whose name I can't remember at the moment.

 

[kronickm]

I have posted this elsewhere but I will reiterate.

The hospital at which I hold a paying job (blood bank tech) had a research assistant program in the ED. It involved enrolling patients with chest pain in a study being done with regard to ACS (acute coronary syndrome). I have to basically get an H+P from these patients, go in their charts, document their Labs/radiology tests/EKGs and such, track down residents and attendings for their opinions (easily the hardest part), follow up with the patients after a month, and so on and so forth. It is pretty cool. I actually get very immersed in the care of the patient without actually doing anything hands on. I love it, mostly, because I am a junkie when it comes to reading medical records and transcripted radiology/pathology reports and stuff like that (probably why I am becoming a doctor).

I got lucky in that I am in a post-bacc program and we have a list-serv that doctors/hospitals from all over the country use to make known the opportunities they have for volunteering. I would suggest, if such a resource is not at your disposal, to search the internet, and, if your really proactive, to e-mail as many people that you think might be involved in such things at your local hospital. Your not going to burn any bridges by asking someone if you can work for them for free, so the worst thing that could happen is that they say there are no opportunities.

 

[sehnsucht]

I'd be interested in hearing what volunteer opportunities you've explored or what options may be open to a student applying to get into Med School especially as a non traditional student.

I would expect that any help we'd be able to offer would be limited but I would think this would be a major area of experience for someone who is interested in getting into the field.

So whatever volunteer opportunities you've explored. Please post what it is you did and how you got involved. Obviously groups are always open to trained licensed professionals volunteering their time, however without the licensing or education, what would one be qualified to do to help and in what way.

Thanks for your input.

Here are some that I've done:

-clinical (hospital) setting: 4+ years
-clinical (private practice + rotations): 2 years (still doin' this)
-clinical (field healthcare/ mobile healthcare in the gulf states after Katrina): 12 weeks or so.

To start volunteering, I contacted my local hospital and worked with the volunteer office to find a place that would fit with my goals and background. I volunteered for over 4 years and had the opportunity to work extensively with medical staff, physicians, nurses and out-patients.

 

[DrMidlife]

ER volunteering: cleaning/making beds, trauma setup, lab deliveries, transporting patients, holding patient hands, errands, whatever they want me to do. For every hour I spend rolling bandages etc. I get about an hour of observing trauma etc. 2 years, 4 hrs/week so far. Most of the hospitals where I live have volunteer coordinators. Many want you to spend 6 months as a visitor escort before they'll let you work in the ER. Vaccinations required. Getting to talk to bazillions of rotating M4s and residents is the best part.

Doula volunteering: I'm just starting this one. A doula is a woman's assistant during labor and delivery. One hospital here has lots of high risk deliveries, and volunteer doulas, as available, are provided to laboring mothers for free. 8 hrs every 2 weeks. Training: 4 days, $500+

Database volunteering: entering consented chart records into a tumor database. I expect to get a chart review paper out of this. 1 year, ~10hrs/wk so far.

International medical missions: this is voluntouring, and it's expensive. There are several orgs that let premeds pay to work with patients in Mexico, Africa and elsewhere. I saw diseases and morbidity that are rarely seen in the US. I got to take vitals and history, and after doing so, present patients to a local doctor like a subI. It was sad and fun. Experiences that expose a premed to poverty and public health are starting to be easier to find without leaving the US.

 

[sehnsucht]

International medical missions: this is voluntouring, and it's expensive. There are several orgs that let premeds pay to work with patients in Mexico, Africa and elsewhere. I saw diseases and morbidity that are rarely seen in the US. I got to take vitals and history, and after doing so, present patients to a local doctor like a subI. It was sad and fun. Experiences that expose a premed to poverty and public health are starting to be easier to find without leaving the US.

I have had similar experiences to voluntouring in the US and abroad. I definitely recommend it if you have the time or the money to engage in something like it. Seeing the practice of medicine with a great diagnostician beside you showing the ropes without the use of fancy equipment is a humbling and empowering experience. I learned a lot from my clinical field experience, definitely.

 

[budhak0n]

I'm a father of two , with a wonderful wife and great life.

I would love to be able to get some experience during something of this sort but I'd be concerned about the length of stay and so on.

On average what is the the length of time one of these programs lasts? And how do you find information about them? I'll scan the net tonight a bit but it all sounds so strange... Yeah I could definitely see it happening... Just foreign to me of course.

 

[budhak0n]

Does anyone know of an organization that sponsors trips to developing nations for the purposes of basic medical services and "clinic" building?

Some of the ones I've seen just browsing the net , seem to be "marketing" to high school and college kids and basically trying to sell them a bag of goods.

I was wondering if there were any Catholic or Christian or even non denominational programs where you could volunteer your time for a period of maybe a month or so and work under the direct supervision of a licensed physician providing care and services to underdeveloped countries...

Seems to be a popular thing on applications just looking for some other links then I ones I've found through Google.

 

[budhak0n]

I found this.. this particular organization is affiliated with the Catholic church.

http://www.cmmb.org but I've literally found 100 or so... have to really wonder which would be the best but I'll look into it... I do have 2 kids and can't afford to be going off for months at a time .

 

[sehnsucht]

I'm a father of two , with a wonderful wife and great life.

I would love to be able to get some experience during something of this sort but I'd be concerned about the length of stay and so on.

On average what is the the length of time one of these programs lasts? And how do you find information about them? I'll scan the net tonight a bit but it all sounds so strange... Yeah I could definitely see it happening... Just foreign to me of course.

i think the length of the commitment vary with each organization but my stateside field experience in the US lasted 12 weeks. my abroad experience lasted a bit longer.