Volunteer Question

[BlakeC93]

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Hello, my name is Blake, and I am new to this site. I will be starting college in August as a Biology major on the pre-med track. I have no idea what kind of doctor I want to be, although I am very interested in surgery. Maybe a thoracic surgeon or a neurological surgeon? No clue. Anyway, I have a question about volunteering. Last summer I volunteered at a local hospital. It was such a great job that I decided to apply for a part-time position doing the same work at the same hospital. Well, herein lies my issue: is it better to work in a hospital or volunteer in a hospital when building a resume for medical school applications? Being a college student, I really need the money, and the hours are great with my class schedule. When I apply to medical school, will the committees put my job experience in a hospital on the same level as volunteering at a hospital? I also volunteer at shelters and such, so the hospital work won't be the only thing on my resume. Please let me know what you think. Also, I am always looking for people to chat with about college, science, English lit, medical school, etc. Please feel free to message me. Thanks!

 

[VardamanBundren]

Hi, Blake. Thanks for posting!

Med schools don't really care if you are paid or not for your experiences. They understand that college students need the money. If it is something you love, go for it!

 

[BlakeC93]

Great! Thank you! I will be working in patient transport, so my job will be to take patients to surgery, to procedures, to their rooms, etc. It will be nice to get the hands-on experience with patients that this job offers. I will also get to meet several doctors, so I think it will be a great experience all around.

 

[xxhopefulxx]

Take the job... Med schools really won't care- as long as you are getting the experience.