Volunteering at Hospitals

[davethebarbarian]

I have been planning on volunteering in hospitals, but the hospitals I have applied for have been telling me to commit to 6 months! This one hospital which has a medical school says it will look bad if you leave/snake us by quitting before the 6 months is over. They told us during orientation that it's possible that leaving the hospital could affect our medical school application. It is also the best medical school shot I have since i have in state residency. I do not want to snake the hospital because I have to go back to college in September. I have approximately a 4-5 month summer so it's impossible for me to commit 6 months unfortunately. What is the best option I have? I'm not sure about volunteering during the school year, where I have school and a research job.

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[eteshoe]

You could explain your situation to them or ask if you can just volunteer for reduced hrs on weekends if the commute isn't too much

 

[davethebarbarian]

You could explain your situation to them or ask if you can just volunteer for reduced hrs on weekends if the commute isn't too much

They sent me a response saying come volunteer in the fall so you can meet the 6 month commitment... even though I e-mailed them saying I'll be gone in September...

 

[DingoPingo]

If you can't make the 6 month commitment you should look for a different option, especially if you've already asked and explained. The 6 month commitment is there so that they don't just have a bunch of students doing volunteering in the summer and then leave and never come back after that.

Keep looking for other opportunities, and explain your situation to them, I am sure you will find something fantastic.

 

[Goro]

There's always clinics, hospice, nursing homes, Planned Parenthood, camps for sick children, or crisis hotlines.

 

[iwanttobeadoc]

Where can I get volunteer work for the weekends. I'm a full-time worker and in the process of changing my career. I want to know what I'm getting myself into but no one is giving me the time of day. I've applied to formal volunteer programs at hospitals and haven't heard from anyone. One lady went out of her way to tell me I don't have a chance since I'm not a student or a resident. I've called random doctors on zocdoc to shadow as well. Any insights are welcome. I don't want to fully commit on quitting my job until I'm pretty sure I will love this field. My gut tells me I will. But it would be nice to have some hands on experience.

 

[aldol16]

I have been planning on volunteering in hospitals, but the hospitals I have applied for have been telling me to commit to 6 months! This one hospital which has a medical school says it will look bad if you leave/snake us by quitting before the 6 months is over. They told us during orientation that it's possible that leaving the hospital could affect our medical school application. It is also the best medical school shot I have since i have in state residency. I do not want to snake the hospital because I have to go back to college in September. I have approximately a 4-5 month summer so it's impossible for me to commit 6 months unfortunately. What is the best option I have? I'm not sure about volunteering during the school year, where I have school and a research job.

This isn't unusual for hospitals. They usually have their pick of volunteers and they do make somewhat of an investment in you - state laws dictate certain occupational health regulations so depending on where you're at (or maybe not), you may need vaccinations, PPD tests, etc. The hospitals might do those for you for free so they're paying for it. They will also invest in training you to do whatever it is they're going to have you do (though, admittedly, these tasks are usually pretty basic and self-explanatory) and 6 months really isn't that much to ask (unless they want like an absurdly high hourly requirement per week).

 

[LizzyM]

Where can I get volunteer work for the weekends. I'm a full-time worker and in the process of changing my career. I want to know what I'm getting myself into but no one is giving me the time of day. I've applied to formal volunteer programs at hospitals and haven't heard from anyone. One lady went out of her way to tell me I don't have a chance since I'm not a student or a resident. I've called random doctors on zocdoc to shadow as well. Any insights are welcome. I don't want to fully commit on quitting my job until I'm pretty sure I will love this field. My gut tells me I will. But it would be nice to have some hands on experience.

Are there federally qualified health clinics (FQHC) in your area? These are clinics that serve lower income populations. They often have evening and weekend hours and might be open to having a mature volunteer who is exploring a career in medicine. You could also contact hospital volunteer offices and specify that you are interested in volunteering in the emergency department or another area where you could be helpful on Saturday/Sunday or evenings. Children's hospitals take weekend volunteers to play with kids; fewer procedures and therapy sessions are scheduled on weekends so the kids have more down time. Ditto for veterans hospitals.