Volunteer Records

[13132]

When applying to medical school how do they ask about how much volunteer work you have done. Is it a total hours question or is it outlined activity by activity and is documentation necessary?

For example...I volunteered over the the summer about 50 hours at an ER and that is kept track of but what about random volunteering at a potluck of places and events?

Do I need to keep track of these and accurately report them?

 

[LizzyM]

When applying to medical school how do they ask about how much volunteer work you have done. Is it a total hours question or is it outlined activity by activity and is documentation necessary?

For example...I volunteered over the the summer about 50 hours at an ER and that is kept track of but what about random volunteering at a potluck of places and events?

Do I need to keep track of these and accurately report them?

The AMCAS (common) application asks for:
Experience Type: (you select from a pull-down menu)
Experience Name: (e.g. Emergency Department volunteer)
Inclusive dates (month/year to month/year) Hours/week: ___
Contact Name & title:
Organization Name
City/State/Country:
Experience Description:

Keep track of your big volunteering activities. It sounds like your hospital voluntering was 5 hours per week from 6/2010 to 8/2010.

For a potpourri of activities you can either choose not to list, or you could throw it in a generic "community volunteer, non-clinical" estimate the start date and say "to present" and then just say 1 hour per week (or whatever), leave the other stuff blank and say "I have been engaged in community service from the age of xx including ____ To me, community service is a life long endeavor."

 

[13132]

Also, I volunteered at the same hospital in high school for 100 hours senior year. Does this count since I am still continuing with the activity when I come home from college. I feel like since I have shown commitment it might be valuable.

 

[LizzyM]

Also, I volunteered at the same hospital in high school for 100 hours senior year. Does this count since I am still continuing with the activity when I come home from college. I feel like since I have shown commitment it might be valuable.

Well, now you have 200 hours to divide from 9/2008 to 8/2010 (although you were away at school from 9/2009 to 6/2010 -- just making up dates here).

So, in those 102 weeks you did 200 hours which averages 2 hours per week but the adcom also sees that you were away at school for nine months and then they wonder what was going on ....

I'd say go with the 5 hrs wk for 2-3 months and in the description section say that you volunteered at the same hospital for about 3 hrs/wk during your senior year of HS. This sounds like bigger time commitment during the periods you were actually engaged in the activity than representing it as 2 hours/wk over 2 years.