Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Hey, I need some advice on volunteering to beef up my post-bacc application. As some of you may have already seen me complain about, I cannot find any clinical volunteer opportunities in my area that don't require previous medical training.
My question is whether clerical volunteer positions are worthwhile? There is a hospice near my home and they have 2 opportunities. One is a patient-family assistant thing where you basically run errands for the family while they stay with their loved one. Unfortunately you need a car, which I don't have thanks to extended unemployment. The other position is just your regular front-desk/administrative volunteer position, which is what I would have to do. The closest thing to patient contact I would have is talking to the family members on the phone or in the office (maybe), but mostly just filing and other mindless tasks.
Ok, so the pros include: I have a current gap on my resume and this would close that, it would also show that I am a caring individual willing to donate my time. The cons: I used to get paid to do this same thing, except I was also had medical assistant duties (not certified); the hospice is Catholic, but does not mention whether it is non-profit, which makes me feel that having unpaid workers is exploitative; I will not be adding any growth to my resume; clerical work does not prove my interest in medicine as a career.
I have been an activities instructor to senior citizens in the past and worked as a medical assistant, but this current resume gap is making me nervous that the schools will toss my app. Do you guys think volunteering my clerical "skills" would be worthwhile?
Oh, and one last question, I have been volunteering with the Occupy Wall Street movement, and my location has remained 100% peaceful with no police altercations. Is that something I could put on school apps, since it shows my community involvement, or does it just make me seems like a crazy rebel not worth educating?
My question is whether clerical volunteer positions are worthwhile? There is a hospice near my home and they have 2 opportunities. One is a patient-family assistant thing where you basically run errands for the family while they stay with their loved one. Unfortunately you need a car, which I don't have thanks to extended unemployment. The other position is just your regular front-desk/administrative volunteer position, which is what I would have to do. The closest thing to patient contact I would have is talking to the family members on the phone or in the office (maybe), but mostly just filing and other mindless tasks.
Ok, so the pros include: I have a current gap on my resume and this would close that, it would also show that I am a caring individual willing to donate my time. The cons: I used to get paid to do this same thing, except I was also had medical assistant duties (not certified); the hospice is Catholic, but does not mention whether it is non-profit, which makes me feel that having unpaid workers is exploitative; I will not be adding any growth to my resume; clerical work does not prove my interest in medicine as a career.
I have been an activities instructor to senior citizens in the past and worked as a medical assistant, but this current resume gap is making me nervous that the schools will toss my app. Do you guys think volunteering my clerical "skills" would be worthwhile?
Oh, and one last question, I have been volunteering with the Occupy Wall Street movement, and my location has remained 100% peaceful with no police altercations. Is that something I could put on school apps, since it shows my community involvement, or does it just make me seems like a crazy rebel not worth educating?
