Volunteering E.C.

[koh1995]

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Hello,

I was wondering in regards to EC activities. I already volunteer at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center (hospital) doing patient escort and have volunteered in the pharmacy there as well for a bit ( i did paperwork mainly). I have around 250 hours total so far volunteering there. I was wondering if I join Venice Family Clinic (hospital) and do volunteering there is it worth doing? I would be a healthcare navigator there. I was wondering this because I only have two years of undergrad left and do not know if I will be able to do many hours there. Also I have just started doing prostate cancer research and was wondering if that would be better to just do more hours there instead of volunteering at Venice Family Clinic. There are two scenarios I can do:

Continue volunteering at UCLA hospital and do research and get many hours with both.

Continue volunteering at UCLA hospital, but split up the time and volunteer at both Venice hospital and do research but not have many hours with each since I would be splitting the time.

I wish I could do many hours at all of them, but at the end I have lots of schoolwork to complete and will not find time to do it all.

 

[ac62994]

Quality > Quantity

Stick with the Reagan Medical Center, unless there's something else at Venice Family Clinic that you won't be able to do at RMC.

 

[LizzyM]

I'd drop Reagan and go with Venice as it appears that you'll have a different role that will give you the opportunity to communicate with patients rather than just moving them around with chit-chat optional (if even possible given some patients' level of consciousness). While longevity is valued, the reason for the change and the desire to have a greater role in patient care would be a legitimate rationale.

 

[NickNaylor]

I'd drop Reagan and go with Venice as it appears that you'll have a different role that will give you the opportunity to communicate with patients rather than just moving them around with chit-chat optional (if even possible given some patients' level of consciousness). While longevity is valued, the reason for the change and the desire to have a greater role in patient care would be a legitimate rationale.

I would agree with @LizzyM and say that volunteering in different settings can be helpful. Not all of medicine - and, in fact, a relatively minor and specific subset of it - takes place in huge academic centers. It can be enriching for your own experience to see how medicine works in different settings. And in this case, a community hospital is more of what you're likely to see as a practicing physician than an academic center, despite the fact that you will spend most or all of your training at academic centers.

 

[koh1995]

Quality > Quantity

Stick with the Reagan Medical Center, unless there's something else at Venice Family Clinic that you won't be able to do at RMC.

I'd drop Reagan and go with Venice as it appears that you'll have a different role that will give you the opportunity to communicate with patients rather than just moving them around with chit-chat optional (if even possible given some patients' level of consciousness). While longevity is valued, the reason for the change and the desire to have a greater role in patient care would be a legitimate rationale.

I would agree with @LizzyM and say that volunteering in different settings can be helpful. Not all of medicine - and, in fact, a relatively minor and specific subset of it - takes place in huge academic centers. It can be enriching for your own experience to see how medicine works in different settings. And in this case, a community hospital is more of what you're likely to see as a practicing physician than an academic center, despite the fact that you will spend most or all of your training at academic centers.

Sorry guys if I was not clear,

I am continuing to do UCLA Ronald Reagan Volunteer because I enjoy it most and because it is right next to me.

I was wondering since I am just starting research and volunteering at Venice i was wondering if I should just stick to doing lots of research since I have a lot of volunteer hours already, or i should split up the time and do both? what do you think?

 

[Holmwood]

You be the judge. It's not about volunteer hours as LizzyM stated. Do you think you can write passionately about escorting patients around the hospital? If not, then get more significant clinical experience.