volunteering vs. shadowing

[jtimmer1]

So I have a delimma. I volunteered at a small hospital last semester a few times and really did not enjoy it at all. I felt like there was nothing for me to do and I was wasting my time (I only did it ~5 times). I have also been shadowing since the school year began and have logged around 250 hours total (just finished my freshman year).

There is a larger, and much busier hospital a small drive away (where I typically shadow) that I could volunteer next semester. However, I would rather continue to shadow different specialties to "get a feel" for things instead of volunteering. Is there a problem with having a lot of shadowing experience and not as much volunteering experience? I feel forced to volunteer because it is "the typical pre-med thing". What should I do?

Thanks in advance.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Arzt67]

Clinical experience is what their looking for, quality being prioritized. If you can get it through shadowing instead of volunteering, do shadowing, especially if its more enjoyable. The "typical pre-meds" are probably miserable doing hospital volunteering. In addition to shadowing, non-medical volunteering would also help.

 

[GlamDoc]

Do you know if the volunteering at the other hospital would be the same type of volunteering that you disliked at the previous one? Perhaps you could be placed in a department of your choice.

 

[SuperSaiyan3]

So I have a delimma. I volunteered at a small hospital last semester a few times and really did not enjoy it at all. I felt like there was nothing for me to do and I was wasting my time (I only did it ~5 times). I have also been shadowing since the school year began and have logged around 250 hours total (just finished my freshman year).

There is a larger, and much busier hospital a small drive away (where I typically shadow) that I could volunteer next semester. However, I would rather continue to shadow different specialties to "get a feel" for things instead of volunteering. Is there a problem with having a lot of shadowing experience and not as much volunteering experience? I feel forced to volunteer because it is "the typical pre-med thing". What should I do?

Thanks in advance.

completely agree with you here. I tried to volunteer at the Ottawa Civic Hospital and I felt like I was being taken advantage of and doing stuff that I should have been PAID to do. Multiple times they asked me to go around the hospital and rack up wheel chairs. Why do you have porters who get paid 25$/hour and I'm there earlier than they are and leave later than they do and I don't get anything? If you ask me, hospitals tend to take a big advantage of pre-meds by putting the reference letter on a hook and making you chase it.

I did some shadowing for dentistry and needless to say, I loved it. Working with professionals is so much more satisfying and fun. Not to mention it's actually worth your time rather than rotting in a hospital hating what you're doing for x amount of time.

I think volunteering should be something that you're passionate about, since you're dedicating yourself to work for free for that cause. Personally, I love to volunteer for my local rowing club and teach just about anything to anyone, whether it's personal training or calculus. It's too bad it's not as easy to make a living off what you love...

 

[Quester]

i'm a bit confused. so what exactly is 'clinical experience?'
i thought it was like volunteering at a hospital, you know delivering meals, ER, post-op, stuff like that...Am i totally off with the concept?

 

[GlamDoc]

i'm a bit confused. so what exactly is 'clinical experience?'
i thought it was like volunteering at a hospital, you know delivering meals, ER, post-op, stuff like that...Am i totally off with the concept?

Clinical experience could be working/shadowing/volunteering in a medical setting in which you can have patient contact.

PATIENT CONTACT are the key words.

 

[alibai3ah]

I personally think you should do both, but if you have to pick I would think volunteering would be more important.

Shadowing is a very passive activity (it may count as clinical experience), but you really do not do anything except watch. With volunteering you at least show your caring and giving side, because you are doing something for someone else. And I know that sometimes it can get a bit tedious, but maybe if you volunteered for an extended period of time, they might give you added responsiblities. Try volunteering at an underserved clinic instead of a hospital.....

PS- 250 Hours is ALOT of shadowing (especially by freshman year),

 

[Brent8927]

I had pretty much no formal shadowing experience (but a lot of informal shadowing through my volunteer work).

A few interviewers told me they thought shadowing was useless except that a little bit was recommended so that you could get a feel for the profession. Of course, I'm sure other interviewers think shadowing experience is really important.

I also agree that 250 hours is a lot of shadowing experience--I think that's more than enough and would highly recommend volunteering or research experience, unless your shadowing experience includes a lot of patient contact, etc. But then it really isn't shadowing if it does, and you might want to consider those hours as "volunteer medical assistant," or something more appropriate.

Also, take a look at some free clinics--they're generally a lot more fun and hands-on than a hospital. Community health projects, like Healthcare for the Homeless, and even non-health related ones, like Meals on Wheels and Habitat for Humanity are other great organizations to look into.

 

[jtimmer1]

I also agree that 250 hours is a lot of shadowing experience--I think that's more than enough and would highly recommend volunteering or research experience, unless your shadowing experience includes a lot of patient contact, etc. But then it really isn't shadowing if it does, and you might want to consider those hours as "volunteer medical assistant," or something more appropriate.

Sure, 250 hours is a lot, but I get tons of patient contact, get to help perform some procedures, watch surgeries, and generally talk with patients. It is a lot of fun and a great experience. I'll probably continue too.

 

[mvenus929]

You should, ideally, do both. BUT, if you really dislike volunteering in a hospital, focus your volunteering outside the medical field. You are not required to volunteer in a hospital; adcoms just like to see that you've done something to give back to your community, especially since physicians are often leaders in their own communities.

Become a Big (Brother/Sister), work in a homeless shelter, do Habitat for Humanity, volunteer in a humane society... do something that you're passionate about outside the realm of medicine. It'll broaden your application and give you some great things to talk about to show that you aren't just doing something because it's deemed obligatory.

 

[Quester]

Clinical experience could be working/shadowing/volunteering in a medical setting in which you can have patient contact.

PATIENT CONTACT are the key words.

So if you deliver meal trays to each patients' room and be less than 1m away from them, then there is 'patient contact'?

How about being a physio porter, where you transport patients in wheelchairs from their rooms to therapy rooms?

Or do you simply have to touch them to have 'contact?'

 

[GlamDoc]

So if you deliver meal trays to each patients' room and be less than 1m away from them, then there is 'patient contact'?

How about being a physio porter, where you transport patients in wheelchairs from their rooms to therapy rooms?

Or do you simply have to touch them to have 'contact?'

Hey, more often than not, those things are a part of clinical volunteering.

I wouldn't quite recommend "patient contact" in its literal terms.

 

[dr seuss]

I hated volunteering at a hostpital. I felt like I was just wasting my time.

You've already done a ton of shadowing. You should volunteer in something outside the hospital. A free clinic would probably help you the most in getting into med school, but you should also think about other things. Big brothers big sisters or tutoring are good because then you are actually helping someone instead of just being free labor for the hospital.

 

[crystalgreen]

So I have a delimma. I volunteered at a small hospital last semester a few times and really did not enjoy it at all. I felt like there was nothing for me to do and I was wasting my time (I only did it ~5 times). I have also been shadowing since the school year began and have logged around 250 hours total (just finished my freshman year).

There is a larger, and much busier hospital a small drive away (where I typically shadow) that I could volunteer next semester. However, I would rather continue to shadow different specialties to "get a feel" for things instead of volunteering. Is there a problem with having a lot of shadowing experience and not as much volunteering experience? I feel forced to volunteer because it is "the typical pre-med thing". What should I do?

Thanks in advance.

i never volunteered and i only shadowed. dont worry too much about the hours, nobody's gonna call and check whether u really had 250 hrs. u just have to make sure u've witnessed enough stuff to talk about in ur personal statement and interview.

 

[Quester]

Hey, more often than not, those things are a part of clinical volunteering.

I wouldn't quite recommend "patient contact" in its literal terms.

lawl Thanks for the clarification!

 

[bad virus]

You should, ideally, do both. BUT, if you really dislike volunteering in a hospital, focus your volunteering outside the medical field. You are not required to volunteer in a hospital; adcoms just like to see that you've done something to give back to your community, especially since physicians are often leaders in their own communities.

Become a Big (Brother/Sister), work in a homeless shelter, do Habitat for Humanity, volunteer in a humane society... do something that you're passionate about outside the realm of medicine. It'll broaden your application and give you some great things to talk about to show that you aren't just doing something because it's deemed obligatory.

QFT!

Don't waist your time volunteering at the ER or anything like that when you could be giving back to the community a 100 fold. Adcoms love to see that a person actually gives a crap instead of just lots of hours of forced community service (which is obvious when your only volunteer efforts are the ER). Hell, you might even like it. Shadowing will give you enough clinical experience and if you want direct patient contact, try shadowing at a homeless clinic or a pediatrics clinic or primary care health facility, as a I am pretty sure a surgeon wouldn't let you touch their patient with a 10 foot pool while he's holding it.

 

[runrunrudolph1]

how do you get so many shadowing hours? Do you have a lot of connections with doctors or is this all one doc...?

I completely agree though, continue shadowing- medical schools are looking to see that you learned a lot from the experience regardless of what it is.