Volunteer Questions (Frequency, size of organization, etc..)

[WestCoastNative]

I'm planning on starting both hospital volunteering and community service this upcoming semester. Does it matter at which hospital you volunteer at? There are a couple around me, but the closest one isn't too big or famous. However, a bit further is a U.C. affiliated hospital that I might be able to volunteer for. Would it be better for me to try and volunteer at the bigger, more prestigious hospital even though it's further away? How frequent must volunteer services be? For the hospital, I don't think I'd have trouble volunteering once a week, but for a lot of organizations, they don't have volunteering opportunities where you can come in every single week. They reach out to you when there are upcoming events. Would it be fine to volunteer at an organization like this, or would it be better to find one where I can have a regular schedule? Would 6-8 hours a week for each type of volunteering be sufficient?

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[justAstudent]

Instead of looking at the prestige of the hospital, I would look into the individual volunteer programs and what the "job description" is for a volunteer. I would then choose the one that is more appealing to you. You want to be excited about going to volunteer every week if possible (It'll make life a lot easier). As far as how many hours a week, it really depends on you. What does your schedule look like? What other commitments do you have? How much time can you realistically commit per week without compromising your grades? A lot of hours look good on an application, but what is even more impressive (and I think valued more by medical schools) is the length of time you stay with the same activity.

 

[Euxox]

Does it matter at which hospital you volunteer at?

Not at all. Volunteer work is exactly the same wherever you go. Volunteers at MGH and Hopkins do exactly the same work that you would do at your local hospital.

How frequent must volunteer services be?

Once a week is reasonable. Twice a week if you have a lot of free time and enjoy volunteering. I would not volunteer any more or less than that.

for a lot of organizations, they don't have volunteering opportunities where you can come in every single week. They reach out to you when there are upcoming events. Would it be fine to volunteer at an organization like this, or would it be better to find one where I can have a regular schedule? Would 6-8 hours a week for each type of volunteering be sufficient?

I would recommend volunteering at a place with a regular schedule. It's easier on you. It also makes it much easier to get to know your supervisors better which will be important when you are asking for letters of recommendation down the road. Six to eight hours a week is a lot. I would recommend three. You can do more if you enjoy volunteering and think you have enough free time, but be careful not to bite off more than you can chew.

 

[WestCoastNative]

Thanks for the replies. I heard that its better to have a lower amount of volunteering "jobs" for a long time, than a lot of "fillers". Would just two of them, one for hospital/clinical volunteering, and one for community service be good? I'm planning to do them for at least 2 years. Or should I try to find 3/4+ "jobs"?

 

[justAstudent]

Thanks for the replies. I heard that its better to have a lower amount of volunteering "jobs" for a long time, than a lot of "fillers". Would just two of them, one for hospital/clinical volunteering, and one for community service be good? I'm planning to do them for at least 2 years. Or should I try to find 3/4+ "jobs"?

You are absolutely right. Quality over quantity. A few ECs that you stick with look a lot better than 20 ECs with a couple of hours here and there. I would try to find some type of leadership position. Maybe as a tutor on campus or something?

 

[Lord Osis]

I have something to say about quality of volunteer experience.

I'm not particularly against having "fillers". At least you would have gained some insight how a hospital/nursing ward/ER/etc. operates and how it feels like to be in there, just by spending 100+ hours doing nothing during your volunteering. Fillers are absolutely better than no volunteering, and it's a no-brainer.
Anyhow, you can enter only 15 entries of your extracurricular activities, including volunteering, publications, research, employment, etc. Of those fifteen, you are asked to pick three most important experiences and elaborate more on them. I'd like to encourage you to plan ahead how you'd like to put in ingredients to adorn your primary application.

Of course, if you end up having lots of fillers, you should be ready to explain to AdCom why you hopped here and there for volunteering rather than staying in one institution for a long time. Just be careful not to give AdComs a negative impression by having 10+ volunteering work, ~ 20 hours each, for example.

From my experience, I'd like to suggest that you experience a bad (excuse my poor vocab..) hospital as well as a good one.
I don't want to talk about the importance of doing your volunteering at a good (affluent, well-organized and whatnot) hospital because you already know why.
On the other hand, I think your experience at a bad one would be more valuable than you might expect. You will observe chaotic organization, unhappy staff, and incompetent floor management (and dull cafeteria food). You will be exposed to an unattractive portion of your dream career. Show your commitment despite that and explain why you still wish to accomplish your career goal. If you had a good experience at a good hospital, and one at a less competent hospital, you would be able to formulate your own insight towards your role as a physician and as someone who has to spend majority of your time in these settings.
I volunteered at a world-class cancer hospital and at a small community hospital located in a poor neighborhood; I learned so much by encountering patients in these two extremes, and I think I grew up personally during these experiences.

As a volunteer, you will not be in a position where you can judge the quality of medical practice provided by the hospital. Also, no matter where you are, your exposure to physicians will be limited. Instead, you will have lots of experience with patients, and I think this is the whole point of hospital volunteering.

Lastly, a bad experience is a good experience. You will see why when you interview with AdComs.