WAMC, volunteering hours

[sixersfan]

Merry Christmas everyone,
So I have been worrying about my lack of volunteering hours, both clinical and non-clinical. I have a 3.71 GPA, have rather strong EC's, but as far as volunteering I am definitely lacking. I have been volunteering at my local hospital for the past 7 months now and go weekly, problem is, there isn't much I am able to do so my hours don't rack up very quickly. I'm thinking by the time I submit my application early this summer I will have a little over 50 hours of clinical volunteering and around 25 hours of non-clinical volunteering through my schools service events in the community. Of course I have heard its about quality over quantity, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my volunteering experiences as I have learned a lot and was able to help out a local community near home and I have gotten my first patient interactions and learned how to speak to patients. However, I know a lot of this comes down to MCAT but say for example if I get a desired score for the schools I am applying to, do I even stand a chance, given my lack of hours. Thank you everyone and have a great holiday season.

Some other things about me:
From medically underserved area
130 hours of shadowing primary care
Microbiology and Histology Teaching Assistant
Work Study Position
Peer Tutor (Paid)
First Generation Student
Great job experiences (blue collar and customer service work)
Strong LORs

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[candbgirl]

You have to step up your game. 50 hours of clinical experiences and 25 of nonclinical are not going to be viewed as competitive. I’m not sure why you have such meager experiences in these areas. You say you have rather strong ECs. What are they? Nothing you have listed is strong or outstanding or even interesting so I’m hoping you just haven’t shared your strong ECs. Clinical work doesn’t have to be in a hospitals. Try hospice, public clinics, planned parenthood etc. As to non clinical get off of campus and outside of your comfort zone. You said you live in medically unserved community. Does this mean economically disadvantaged? Are there homeless shelters or soup kitchens in the area? Of course there are! Find some organization that serves the unserved or underserved in your community. If there isn’t something like that maybe think of starting one!

 

[premed1234567891011]

I had very few volunteer hours (~50) and no shadowing, but the volunteering I did was somewhat unique and my gap year job was healthcare related. Med student now and not ADCOM, but imo number of hours is overrated - if you can talk about your experiences in a meaningful way and show passion for the activities you've been involved in, I think that matters much more.
Focus on getting a strong MCAT score and personal statement.

 

[sixersfan]

@candbgirl @premed1234567891011 Thank you both for your responses. And just curious because i have seen some people without it, is non-clinical volunteering necessary?

 

[jarednogeek]

Your ec’s seem very weak. You only need 50 hours shadowing so stop doing that. Get 150-200 hours of patient interaction (hospice, ER volunteer) and 150-200 hours of non clinical (work with the underserved). Your current application is setting you up for failure. Someone may get by having little hours in a certain area with an otherwise strong app but that is not the case for you.