What department to volunteer in?!

[Paulz]

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I found gold in the hospital in which I am volunteering in. The volunteer director said that I could volunteer in pretty much ANY of the hospitals departments and I could even rotate between them daily, weekly, or monthly!! Not only that but I need 150 hours over any period of time!! I am really pumped about this and am planning on doing it way over the 150 necessary hours.

But I don't know where I want to volunteer? I want to check out more specific departments like the cardiology department, maybe radiology. But I also want the basic ones also like the ER and the nursing halls and pediatrics. Does anyone have any recommendiations on what to try out?

 

[Mobius1985]

I got more actual patient contact time, and learned more in the post-op area than I did in the ER, where I was expected to assist medical assistants (who take vital signs).

 

[sweetlife]

I think it really depends on the hospital which department you will get the most patient contact. Since you can rotate around, I suggest you do until you find one that you enjoy the most. I did all of my volunteering in the ER. However, this was not the run-of-the-mill ER volunteer program. I had tons of patient contact. Almost everything I did dealt with the patients, and I enjoyed my time there. You gotta make sure you like what you are doing, or its a waste. (imo 😀)

 

[TexPre-Med]

Agree, the ED is the place to be

 

[Isoprop]

i think rotation looks good. gives you a feel for different areas of the hospital. a few med students have said that rotating through the hospital has impresses their interviewers.

the only probably is that you'd be out of luck trying to find an LOR if you rotate too quickly.

 

[wizenedone]

I agree that it depends on the hospital you are volunteering at. However, I think volunteering in the ER is your best bet.

 

[decafplease]

I vote for something OTHER than ED. Everyone does ED. It's not that interesting. Do something you're interested in. If it were me, I'd pick the NICU or L&D, but that's what interests me.

 

[emttim]

I vote for something OTHER than ED. Everyone does ED. It's not that interesting. Do something you're interested in. If it were me, I'd pick the NICU or L&D, but that's what interests me.

Yeah, but screaming and massive amounts of bodily fluid is a lot more entertaining and far less disgusting when it's from a drunk who's bleeding than a baby who was just born.

 

[theserbatron]

i'd say go for ED as well, just to be a hopefully hectic and insane exposure to medicine as it's happening. see if you can get in good with any of the visiting docs over time, that can help you get into shadowing other specialities like radiology or orthopedics. if you show a genuine interest and willingness to learn, it will take you far.

 

[Bacchus]

I think if you rotate too much its going to turn into a shadowing experience instead of a volunteer experience. If you're at a large hospital it is going to take time learning the department. Take some time in a few key areas and decide which one or two departments you like best.

 

[JaggerPlate]

spent 250 hours in a clinical volunteer internship and rotated in: Critical Care Unit, Neo-natal, Labor and Delivery, and ER ... and I must say ER was my favorite. I think I got to see the 'craziest' stuff in L and D (mainly due to emergency cesareans and live births) but the ER just gives you the full range of everything, allows for quite a bit of patient contact and the docs, ER techs, and nurses really let you help out (from my experience at least). For me, volunteering in the ER could change a boring/bad day into a crazy experience I would never forget!!

 

[Ella Shepherd]

I'll be shadowing doctors in a hospital soon. I just need official permission from the hospital director. I wrote a letter to him and mentioned that the departments I'm interested in are those in surgery and orthopedics. But I'd be interested in other departments as well. My doctor says I can do rounds in all departments if I want to. 😀 I have all summer! 😀

 

[ZarbK2]

Don't get stuck in a boring position like I did. I was only allowed to do three things:

1) Sit at the nurses station and listen to the clerk babble about her cats. **** yo cats.
2) Bring flowers to sedated patients. You're welcome.
3) Contemplate never going back because it was the most disorganized hellhole I'd ever seen. You better hope you don't get sick and live there, wow.

And I know someone is gonna say it so I'll get this out of the way: No, I wasn't sitting there with a sullen look on my face refusing to do anything because it was below me. I offered to do every little thing I could, but they wouldn't even let me Xerox blank paperwork. They had HOUSEKEEPING do it.

I contacted damn near every volunteer-able place around here, and my only choice was that hospital. Everywhere else is scared of pre-meds. Unless I wanted to go to another one and pay $400 for "training" and begin delivering flowers (what the hell is it with those) months and months AFTER my interviews. Oh boy!

tl;dr - Do rotations, so if one place sucks really badly you can move on.

 

[decafplease]

Yeah, but screaming and massive amounts of bodily fluid is a lot more entertaining and far less disgusting when it's from a drunk who's bleeding than a baby who was just born.

I've done 200 hours in the ED and I can say, without question, no.

I see the ED volunteers standing around like bumps on a log all the time. It looks boring as hell to me, but apparently I'm the loner. I'm not a big fan of meth-heads and drunks, so maybe that's part of it.

 

[wizenedone]

I think OP should atleast start out with ER department. Then move somewhere else if he/she does not like it. Simple.

 

[Paulz]

i'd say go for ED as well, just to be a hopefully hectic and insane exposure to medicine as it's happening. see if you can get in good with any of the visiting docs over time, that can help you get into shadowing other specialities like radiology or orthopedics. if you show a genuine interest and willingness to learn, it will take you far.

I can actually volunteer in radiology and cardiology and probably more specified departments as well. I am really want to try both of them.

 

[wizenedone]

I can actually volunteer in radiology and cardiology and probably more specified departments as well. I am really want to try both of them.

I think you should rotate around when it comes to shadowing. When you volunteer, it is best to stick to one place, IMO. Have you done some shadowing before?

 

[emttim]

I've done 200 hours in the ED and I can say, without question, no.

I see the ED volunteers standing around like bumps on a log all the time. It looks boring as hell to me, but apparently I'm the loner. I'm not a big fan of meth-heads and drunks, so maybe that's part of it.

I've been an EMT for close to a year. I probably have a much blacker/sicker sense of humor than most people, so what you may find repulsive I probably find amusing. 😛

But I'd probably never volunteer in the ER. In fact, I'll probably never volunteer in a hospital again. You accomplish absolutely nothing productive (in most cases) so I just don't see the point since the volunteering check box doesn't require it to be in health care. Sure, some people might volunteer for clinical experience, but let's face it, any clinical experience you get from that is going to be crappy anyway (again in most cases)...unless you're a RN, EMT, etc. your best bet for clinical experience is shadowing, so why on earth volunteer in a hospital?

Hell, if you volunteer at Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, etc. you're at least doing something useful and productive.