Volunteering

[freshstart4]

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Hi All ~

I am new to this forum, so I needed some help.

I had a question about volunteering (which I haven't done much). I was thinking of volunteering at a hospital for "clinical" part but I contacted two different hospitals and they said that they don't put students in "clinical" areas with the patients. they allow them to volunteer at gift shops, reception desk, etc. etc. and at the very least, have students escort the patients to their pick-up areas. Can someone please give me some examples as to where they volunteer for "clinical" part? Also, for non-medical volunteering, I can just start volunteering at any place for any position, right? Your help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[vickpick]

I volunteer at a hospital 30 minutes from my home, even though there is a huge hospital from US's third biggest medical corporation right by my neighborhood. And that is because the hospital close to my home does allow clinical exposure...

Well, at the place where I volunteer, I have a lot of exposure... I have already helped a couple of hispanics order their food - We have a spanish menu for them to look at but for the specifications, they need a translator, and its not easy get hold of one.. I've taking spanish for 4 years so I'm pretty good at it now. I helped a nurse with wound vac... I've observed a couple of surgeries at the same place.. and no I wasn't shadowing.. they had me in so I could help them if they need any help.. unfortunately, they didnt end up needing any help, but I got to observe. Does that sound like good clinical exposure? Probably. So don't just wander arnd at the hospitals close to u... u need to find places that are far away from college areas, there they probably need volunteers for actually important stuff.

I only started a month ago- 8 hrs a week.

 

[SnarkyMD]

Don't volunteer at a hospital. Everyone does it and it's probably going to be boring. I worked at a free clinic once a week for a year and loved it. I worked the desk, but would tag along on interesting cases. Are there any free clinics or a planned parenthood or something you could work for instead? You'd probably enjoy yourself more, and it stands out much more than doing patient transport at your University hospital.

And that's great that vickpick is apparenlty scrubbing in on surgeries (go you!), but if you're somewhere and you feel all your doing is shadowing, don't sweat it. That's what everyone else does, but they'll usually try and make it sound like they do much more. I'm a 3rd year med student, and I still have a hard time getting to do much in surgery.

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

I get to be in the OR once a week like vicpick helping nurses, etc. the other day im in the ER running small errands. I don't get how some people discourage volunteering at hospitals, it provides invaluable experience and gets you familiar with the hospital environment.

 

[Revilla]

You want to go to small hospitals or free clinics. Those are the places that truly need the help. They're understaffed and an extra pair of hands could help tremendously. If you show yourself to be reliable, those places will allow you to get your clinical experience.

 

[SnarkyMD]

I get to be in the OR once a week like vicpick helping nurses, etc. the other day im in the ER running small errands. I don't get how some people discourage volunteering at hospitals, it provides invaluable experience and gets you familiar with the hospital environment.

Volunteering at a big University hospital is discouraged because there will be 10 dozen other Pre-meds running around, and you probably won't do much anyway. It's also discouraged because EVERYONE applies at their university's hopsital, and med school applications are not the time to blend in.

 

[phonyreal98]

I volunteer at a big university hospital. This week, during my volunteer shift, I started out helping nurses copy stuff, stocking scrubs for surgeons, and transporting patients; then I scrubbed up and spent the last two hours in the OR observing a surgery. I've done a little bit of everything in my time volunteering at the hospital: patient transport, helping patients and family members find where they're going, talking to patients, helping out patients with rehab (under the strict supervision of a PT, of course), clerical work, bitchwork, observing surgeries and procedures....

However, this is my fourth summer volunteering there and I did not start out in the more interesting areas. I remember my first day consisted entirely of filing charts and scanning slides of different surgeries. It definitely can take awhile for you to see anything really interesting

 

[runrunrudolph1]

Volunteering is pretty much the best pre-med experience. I volunteer at a big hospital in the ER which is incredible, I do get to see sweet trauma come in and the doctors never mind explaining what's going on and teaching. You also get a lot of patient contact in the ER if you put your mind to it and are outgoing- just go talk to the patients. You can pretty much try any service you want and the volunteer coordinator will work with you- after all you are helping them out, so they are usually willing to pull some strings for you. Even at small hospitals you can learn tons by just walking around talking to the patients and asking them something as simple as getting drinks for them... and just make conversation, and with time the nurses will teach you more and let you do more stuff. you just have to be patient and willing to "work your way up" so to speak. and most importantly... enjoyyyyyy it

 

[fried rice]

Hi All ~

I am new to this forum, so I needed some help.

I had a question about volunteering (which I haven't done much). I was thinking of volunteering at a hospital for "clinical" part but I contacted two different hospitals and they said that they don't put students in "clinical" areas with the patients. they allow them to volunteer at gift shops, reception desk, etc. etc. and at the very least, have students escort the patients to their pick-up areas. Can someone please give me some examples as to where they volunteer for "clinical" part? Also, for non-medical volunteering, I can just start volunteering at any place for any position, right? Your help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I volunteer at an ER about 15 minutes from my apartment. Basically all we do there is sit in triage and transport patients to the other sections of the emergency department. It's really quite boring and useless and I'll probably find another place to volunteer at eventually (I haven't volunteered in about a month), but it did open the door for me to get a job as a scribe in that same ER after about a month of volunteering so the process was worth it for me.

 

[LizzyM]

I didn't think much about transportation services until ...

"I was a patient in the hospital earlier this year and a volunteer pushed my wheelchair out to the curb when it was time to go home. It might seem like "nothing" and "unrelated to medicine" but it requires introducing yourself to the patient and putting them at ease, (something docs need to do, too) attention to detail (do not ram the lady's bandaged leg into the wall when you approach the elevator), and sacrificing your own comfort for the benefit of the patient (yes, it may be below freezing outside but dropping her in the lobby is not an option).

Medicine is a service business and I can't emphasize enough how the transportation service provided by volunteers gives you a chance to practice being of service. How can I make this easy for you? How can I put you at ease and make the time we spend together more pleasant (with small talk in the elevator or just a cheerful smile)? How can I assure that I don't cause you any unnecessary pain? (Did I mention how important attention to detail is?)"

I'd stay away from the gift shop but the reception desk and transportation are not bad. Getting your foot in the door is the first thing and from that other opportunities may present themselves.

 

[mokamadness]

Have you considered going abroad to get some clinical experience while volunteering? I spent six weeks in Honduras volunteering in a small clinic down there, and the experience was awesome. I was able to be involved with everything that went on there, even doing physical exams and histories etc. And, my Spanish skills improved tremendously. Plus, an extra set of hands IS needed almost wherever you go when you volunteer abroad... and the trip is fun 🙂

 

[freshstart4]

Thanks everyone. Really appreciated.