volunteering or work

[whitesoxfan2000]

Is volunteering necessary for med school? I have the opportunity to work in a doctor's office this summer. If I do this do you think I still need to volunteer? I hear from other premeds that as a volunteer you do mostly clerical work. Thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Deoxynando]

I suggest that you find and read "What exactly can I do as hospital volunteer?" posted by NLS earlier this month. Many great responses were posted which may shed light on your question.

In my opinion, you have heard biased responses from disatisfied premeds who are not savvy enough to gain placement in positions other than clerical duties or are not motivated to seek them (you can decide which is more accurate for yourself). I tell folks to skip private hospitals and go directly to public/county hospitals where the need for help is greatest. From my own experiences, emergency rooms are a great place to volunteer. Working at a doctor's office is fine too. Volunteering at the right place where you can talk to patients and hear their experiences will start you on your journey towards becoming a truly compassionate and altruistic physician.

 

[Malftap]

Emergency rooms are probably the best place to volunteer in a hospital. When you sign up make sure you tell they that you are pre-med and that you want to gain experience in the medical. There should not be any reason for you to end up doing clerical work while volunteer. Deoxynando made a point about private vs public hospitals and he is pretty much right. Though when I volunteer it was in a private hospital and I was allowed to do a lot. The point is that you have to find out what hospital will let you see the most and do the most. Too many people get volunteer jobs in an ER and never open their mouths. They end up sitting around not doing anything and not learning. You have to make an effort to get to know the staff and the doctors and let them know you are there to help out in any way possible and learn. Trust me..usually the ER staffs are pretty tight because of common working shifts. Get in there; make the effort; and make the most of the opportunity because it's worth it.

Oh to answer your question...is volunteer necessary...it's not a requirement but most competitive applicants have some kind volunteer work or some kind of experience working the in medical field.