What do YOU do while volunteering in a hospital?

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techiewizz

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How often do you find yourself with nothing to do?

I find that after I take 15 minutes to restock everything on my floor, and 15 minutes to make coffee, there isn't really much else left to do for the remaining 2.5 hours. Once in a while, a patient rings the bell thing, and asks for stuff like water. But other than that, I found myself sitting down browsing web through my phone for 30 minutes, and reading a magazine for another 20, and walking around the hospital for another half hour, etc.

Is this typical for hospital volunteers? Or are most of you busy every minute of your shift doing something productive?

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I'd say that your experience is pretty close to typical, but that doesn't mean that there aren't interesting volunteer positions out there. I moved around a bit before I found something I could tolerate for 3 hours.
 
I mostly did homework, lol. I was never asked about my hospital volunteer experience in an interview.
 
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How often do you find yourself with nothing to do?

I find that after I take 15 minutes to restock everything on my floor, and 15 minutes to make coffee, there isn't really much else left to do for the remaining 2.5 hours. Once in a while, a patient rings the bell thing, and asks for stuff like water. But other than that, I found myself sitting down browsing web through my phone for 30 minutes, and reading a magazine for another 20, and walking around the hospital for another half hour, etc.

Is this typical for hospital volunteers? Or are most of you busy every minute of your shift doing something productive?
That's pretty much all I did. Also putting the shampoos, toothpaste, and toothbrushes into zip lock bags for new admissions.

Be prepared for interviews when they say "I see you volunteered at the hospital, can you tell me about a memorable experience you've had" because I had nothing to talk about
 
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I mostly did homework, lol. I was never asked about my hospital volunteer experience in an interview.
Lucky you! I have to leave my stuff at the volunteer office which is on a different floor than where I volunteer at. Can't do homework :( Otherwise that would have been a great time to do some homework and studying.
 
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I never did traditional hospital volunteering, but when I was volunteering in the ED for something else, I noticed this one volunteer would round to each room introducing himself to every patient and asking them if they needed anything. Of all my shifts, he was the only one I saw doing this, which I think was really proactive of him and probably kept him busier than most volunteers/gave him more memorable experiences.
 
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I never did traditional hospital volunteering, but when I was volunteering in the ED for something else, I noticed this one volunteer would round to each room introducing himself to every patient and asking them if they needed anything. Of all my shifts, he was the only one I saw doing this, which I think was really proactive of him and probably kept him busier than most volunteers/gave him more memorable experiences.

Hmm. I'll keep that in mind next time I volunteer. But I really don't want to be too annoying to patients...
 
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I work in "Guest Relations," which is mainly just me setting up wifi connections for patients and family members as well as telling them that I cannot validate parking/tell them why their drugs are so expensive/speak to the quality of their care plan, etc. I sometimes get to round on the Lung Center, but that's mainly just waking up patients who cannot speak to do PR for the hospital.

My previous position was in the ED, where I stocked drawers, wiped out the patient and staff refrigerators, distributed coffee and magazines, and looked for patients who seemed lonely to chat with. We mostly just talked about my research, laughed at how little I knew about sports/pop-culture, and I got more marriage proposals than I could count. Just as the nurses began to learn I was trust-worthy and useful I had to move away. :(

That being said I've managed to have some meaningful experiences in both milieus; it can be fun to present a panicked mom trying to control obstreperous toddlers with juice boxes, coloring books and a fresh cup of coffee.
 
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When I volunteered on the floor, I started out doing the basic stuff: filing paperwork, restocking supplies, cleaning stuff. After I was finished with that, I spent most of my time just talking to patients.
 
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Transport patients, provide information about the hospital, accompany people to places, look up where patients are and help family members get there, look up physician pager numbers for nurses, do homework during slow hours.
 
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Pretty much the same except phones and hw weren't allowed. It was just sitting and trying to look useful when you totally aren't.
 
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I did Fall Risk sitting, so just chilling in people's room who were really doped up or had psych issues to make sure they didn't try to run off. If they were talkative I would chat with them, but a lot of the time they just ended up sleeping so I'd do homework or read.
 
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How often do you find yourself with nothing to do?

I find that after I take 15 minutes to restock everything on my floor, and 15 minutes to make coffee, there isn't really much else left to do for the remaining 2.5 hours. Once in a while, a patient rings the bell thing, and asks for stuff like water. But other than that, I found myself sitting down browsing web through my phone for 30 minutes, and reading a magazine for another 20, and walking around the hospital for another half hour, etc.

Is this typical for hospital volunteers? Or are most of you busy every minute of your shift doing something productive?

haha ready?
In no particular order

1) Read
2) Homework
3) Talk with friends
4) Talk on the phone
5) Watch TV
6) Take a lonnnnnnng lunch break
7) Cry as time passes away slowly
 
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Wiped butts, gave baths, wiped butts, cleaned poop, wiped butts.

I literally ran my ass off so much every day I had to keep a notebook with me to keep track of the rooms and tasks. I had five rooms to get to one time and forgot a task because a nurse asked me as I was Helping flip a patient in a coma so I didn't write it down in my notebook haha. Man did I get chewed out
 
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I was lucky enough to volunteer at a hospital with a volunteer research associate program. So I cruised around an ED enrolling patients in studies
 
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I was lucky enough to volunteer at a hospital with a volunteer research associate program. So I cruised around an ED enrolling patients in studies
We have a program like this for undergrads but if you do well after a while you can apply for a position as a research associate and get paid.
 
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Hmm. I'll keep that in mind next time I volunteer. But I really don't want to be too annoying to patients...
This is not annoying! Introduce yourself, ask them what their needs are, if the staff answered all their questions, and if there's anything else you can do for them. Sometimes this turns into a conversation and makes for memorable experiences for both you and the patient.
 
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I come in, ask the charge nurse to print the census for the day, cross-check the census with the recorded hearing screen results to see who has been done/needs to be rechecked, stock and clean my machine, then go door-to-door on the maternity floor. I explain the test to the mother, ask if I can screen the baby, set up the sensors and headphones (FYI newborns in giant headphones are ADORABLE BABY DJs), monitor the test, inform the parents of the results, print them out and file them in the nursing station so that they can be entered into the charts by the nurses, then move to the next room. Try to hit at least 4 babies on slow days, up to 7 or 8 on slammed days!
 
I come in, ask the charge nurse to print the census for the day, cross-check the census with the recorded hearing screen results to see who has been done/needs to be rechecked, stock and clean my machine, then go door-to-door on the maternity floor. I explain the test to the mother, ask if I can screen the baby, set up the sensors and headphones (FYI newborns in giant headphones are ADORABLE BABY DJs), monitor the test, inform the parents of the results, print them out and file them in the nursing station so that they can be entered into the charts by the nurses, then move to the next room. Try to hit at least 4 babies on slow days, up to 7 or 8 on slammed days!
Hitting babies is not a good thing. I think you need counseling. :laugh:
 
Hitting babies is not a good thing. I think you need counseling. :laugh:
What can I say, I test their resilience, pain tolerance, AND hearing in one visit! They should almost start paying me!
 
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I sit at my desk and browse the internet, read, or do homework.
 
NOTHING! Talked to people, made beds and read some books.
 
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Flirt with nurses.
 
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If you get bored, try asking people if they'd like a warm beverage (I'm channeling Sheldon Cooper). Haha, seriously though, people might share interesting stories with you and it will make time pass more quickly. It might even translate into a real, meaningful experience. :)
 
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I was kind of dreading volunteering at a hospital because I heard how boring it was. But, I actually really like my volunteer job at the hospital, and I am always kept busy. I unload medications that are delivered and then put them in the proper places. I check for expiration dates of medications, taking out the ones that are about to expire, and listing which ones need to be reordered. I put together various types of IV kits to be delivered around the hospital. I deliver medications to different parts of the hospital. I also perform other miscellaneous tasks. However, I don't get a lot of patient interaction.
 
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How often do you find yourself with nothing to do?

I find that after I take 15 minutes to restock everything on my floor, and 15 minutes to make coffee, there isn't really much else left to do for the remaining 2.5 hours. Once in a while, a patient rings the bell thing, and asks for stuff like water. But other than that, I found myself sitting down browsing web through my phone for 30 minutes, and reading a magazine for another 20, and walking around the hospital for another half hour, etc.

Is this typical for hospital volunteers? Or are most of you busy every minute of your shift doing something productive?

Yes, that's typical. But I always found something to do because I would ASK. I always talked to different doctors and nurses and PAs and somehow I'd always find myself very busy with interesting things to do.
 
Wiped butts, gave baths, wiped butts, cleaned poop, wiped butts.
:wideyed: Really? They made you do that as a volunteer?

Things are done really differently from where I'm at I guess. I basically:
1. Pass out hot blankets
2. Pass out water when it's appropriate
3. Gather all the missing wheelchairs and bring them back to the ED
4. Clean and Makeup the beds
5. Stock the cabinets with gowns and sheets
6. Point to where the bathroom and the cafeteria is for patients and their families
7. Staple pamphlets and other paperwork in the nurses lounge

Nothing more... nothing less....
 
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hold babies, play games, make crafts, go to patient's rooms and play with them so their parent could have a break. fun times in the children's hospital :)
 
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Stand around... It's painful. I left volunteering after 8 weeks because I felt so useless. I started volunteering at a homeless outreach organization and a hospice, which has been much busier.
 
hold babies, play games, make crafts, go to patient's rooms and play with them so their parent could have a break. fun times in the children's hospital :)
Yup. Children's hospital = the best volunteering, hands down!
 
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:wideyed: Really? They made you do that as a volunteer?

Things are done really differently from where I'm at I guess. I basically:
1. Pass out hot blankets
2. Pass out water when it's appropriate
3. Gather all the missing wheelchairs and bring them back to the ED
4. Clean and Makeup the beds
5. Stock the cabinets with gowns and sheets
6. Point to where the bathroom and the cafeteria is for patients and their families
7. Staple pamphlets and other paperwork in the nurses lounge

Nothing more... nothing less....
Oh yes like you wouldn't believe. And usually it was the super nasty stuff the CNAs didn't want to do. Like for instance one time it was a very, VERY LARGE man who had poo that was like a dark brown pudding that was churning with his continued farts. His legs literally made a pool where it sat several inches deep and a nurse told me to get some washcloths and bags, said "dig in" and walked away. I excused myself politely and went to the nurse and flat out refused. The coordinators warned us that they would pass us the nastiest things so to just speak up if we felt uncomfortable or didn't want to do a certain task. I ended up just assisting the nurse while she did it (gave her clean towels, helped clean the patient after she scooped out most of it etc)

Oh... The stories I have (gag)

On a funnier note.. Previously when I mentioned forgetting to do that one task it was a young twenty something guy who was in a motorcycle accident and broke both his arms and a leg. I was supposed to feed him dinner, and for whatever reason he hadn't eaten the entire day and it was around 10pm. I walked in to him trying desperately to eat his food by taking a bite of his steak without his hands but his arms were slung up high enough that he jussssst couldn't reach it. It reminded me of Tantalus hahaha poor dear had been waiting over an hour and a half with the food waiting on a tray over his lap. He was actually panting and squirming by the time I gave him his first bite he was sooooo happy once I got him fed and we had a great time talking lol

Edit: I think my most favorite time was when I volunteered in the nursery. When times were slow I would tickle their feet and rub their cute little tummies. I looooooved that rotation.
 
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I have volunteered in 3 hospitals. My presence was not very helpful, if not annoying, at two of the three hospitals (inpatient ward and ED). My experience was just like what OP described about his/her own.
The other one, a leading cancer hospital of the country, was different. I volunteered as a patient aide there, and I actually helped them a lot.
They train you thoroughly for weeks before they let you transport patients on your own. After the mandatory training, you work as any other paid aide would.
Get your pager and log sheet, pick up and drop off patients, talk to patients and families on the way, etc. You just don't get paid for your work, and punctuality is not mandatory. Employees and medical staffs were very friendly to volunteers also.
 
Oh yes like you wouldn't believe. And usually it was the super nasty stuff the CNAs didn't want to do. Like for instance one time it was a very, VERY LARGE man who had poo that was like a dark brown pudding that was churning with his continued farts. His legs literally made a pool where it sat several inches deep and a nurse told me to get some washcloths and bags, said "dig in" and walked away. I excused myself politely and went to the nurse and flat out refused. The coordinators warned us that they would pass us the nastiest things so to just speak up if we felt uncomfortable or didn't want to do a certain task. I ended up just assisting the nurse while she did it (gave her clean towels, helped clean the patient after she scooped out most of it etc)

Good lord, you deserve an acceptance just for putting up with that crap while not getting paid a cent. I would have just been like "lolno:uhno:" if some CNA tried to pass that crap off to me. Really gives a literal meaning to Lizzy's definition of volunteering...

At least you got to hang out with babies though.
 
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I went to a hospital volunteering introduction meeting and never went back. Not only were we basically useless, but pre-meds are the boneriest group of people imaginable.
 
I volunteered in the ED and we had absolutely no work to do. It was more of a shadowing experience than volunteering. I just got to follow residents around all day and stand in the corner while they examined patients. But I feel like it was a good experience. All of the residents and attendings were really friendly and inviting, and they would answer any questions that I had. But in the end I felt like the only purpose that my volunteer badge served was to get the security guards to unlock the doors to the ED.
 
Good lord, you deserve an acceptance just for putting up with that crap while not getting paid a cent. I would have just been like "lolno:uhno:" if some CNA tried to pass that crap off to me. Really gives a literal meaning to Lizzy's definition of volunteering...

At least you got to hang out with babies though.
I tee-hee'd when you said "pass that crap off..." Hehehe

But yes, you know it really did give me an incredible perspective. I learned quickly that when presented with an especially disgusting situation to mentally coach myself through it by thinking "wow this poor person must be feeling really crappy right now to have this happening." Like the man with the poo problem. He must have been feeling absolutely horrible and very sick to have all that churning around inside him. The last thing he needed was to be worried, stressed, or embarrassed because he was laying stark naked in bed with a young female volunteer making disgusted faces at his situation while he's feeling so sick. It really did teach me to have empathy and control my expressions while in difficult situations.. So in that aspect I'm glad :)

And oh yeah, those babies were soooooo much fun. I couldn't pull myself away from their bassinets I just went from baby to baby completely turned to mush for hours on end.
 
Oh yes like you wouldn't believe. And usually it was the super nasty stuff the CNAs didn't want to do. Like for instance one time it was a very, VERY LARGE man who had poo that was like a dark brown pudding that was churning with his continued farts. His legs literally made a pool where it sat several inches deep and a nurse told me to get some washcloths and bags, said "dig in" and walked away. I excused myself politely and went to the nurse and flat out refused. The coordinators warned us that they would pass us the nastiest things so to just speak up if we felt uncomfortable or didn't want to do a certain task. I ended up just assisting the nurse while she did it (gave her clean towels, helped clean the patient after she scooped out most of it etc)

Haha that sounds like a typical night at the long term care center I CNA at. That sucks though the CNAs tried to dump their work off on you though. I've seen and gotten covered in enough poo, pee, puke, and other bodily fluids to last a lifetime, but at least I get paid for it and now literally nothing grosses me out.
 
Oh yes like you wouldn't believe. And usually it was the super nasty stuff the CNAs didn't want to do. Like for instance one time it was a very, VERY LARGE man who had poo that was like a dark brown pudding that was churning with his continued farts. His legs literally made a pool where it sat several inches deep and a nurse told me to get some washcloths and bags, said "dig in" and walked away. I excused myself politely and went to the nurse and flat out refused. The coordinators warned us that they would pass us the nastiest things so to just speak up if we felt uncomfortable or didn't want to do a certain task. I ended up just assisting the nurse while she did it (gave her clean towels, helped clean the patient after she scooped out most of it etc)

Oh... The stories I have (gag)

On a funnier note.. Previously when I mentioned forgetting to do that one task it was a young twenty something guy who was in a motorcycle accident and broke both his arms and a leg. I was supposed to feed him dinner, and for whatever reason he hadn't eaten the entire day and it was around 10pm. I walked in to him trying desperately to eat his food by taking a bite of his steak without his hands but his arms were slung up high enough that he jussssst couldn't reach it. It reminded me of Tantalus hahaha poor dear had been waiting over an hour and a half with the food waiting on a tray over his lap. He was actually panting and squirming by the time I gave him his first bite he was sooooo happy once I got him fed and we had a great time talking lol

Edit: I think my most favorite time was when I volunteered in the nursery. When times were slow I would tickle their feet and rub their cute little tummies. I looooooved that rotation.
Nope.
 
I volunteered in ED and ICU for 3+ years. Aside from the typical restocking, cleaning, and paperwork filing, the best thing to do is talk to the patients and their families. Do not neglect them for fear of being "annoying" as they will tell you if/when they've had enough of you. Many patients in a hospital setting have a significant wait time for the doctor, test results, etc. In my experience, many of them want to be kept informed about their status and that is where you can best be of service to the hospital staff. Consider that a lot of patients do not want to be stuck in the hospital, and engaging them in a conversation about their life/hobbies/plans outside of their current situation will take their mind off of their boredom, confusion, and fear.

Some of my most memorable healthcare experiences are from just sitting and talking with patients: a war vet telling me his stories from back in the day, a lady who longs to go home and prepare for her daughter's wedding, an (unfortunately) frequent flier who ran a music shop and would always tell me the latest deals in his store and insist that we jam together. Those are the things that stick out in my mind and add to my motivation for medicine.
 
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I volunteered in the peds unit and picu. My 4 hour shifts were always busy. Patient rounds or playing with kids or setting up projects for the CLS or holding babies. :p
 
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hold babies, play games, make crafts, go to patient's rooms and play with them so their parent could have a break. fun times in the children's hospital :)
Hmmn does playing with kids really count as "patient interaction"? Technically they're patients but you could do that at a day care. What if you have no interest at all in pediatrics?
 
hold babies, play games, make crafts, go to patient's rooms and play with them so their parent could have a break. fun times in the children's hospital :)
Same here, played lots of video games, made a lot of art projects, ruined quite a few pairs of pants. Had a great time, as I did my volunteer work at the same time each week with a friend for over 2 years. It was our 2 hour catchup time, and time to act like goof balls with kids!! Definitely recommend a peds unit. I was on a rehab unit, so some kids stayed for months, so you develop great relationships with "your" kids. They really look forward to your visit and you feel appreciated. Only sad part was one kid passed away after months on the unit, and that was hard, as he was always excited when I came on the unit to play with him.
 
Hmmn does playing with kids really count as "patient interaction"? Technically they're patients but you could do that at a day care. What if you have no interest at all in pediatrics?
If you get into the patient rooms, it is great to observe how care is really delivered, and all the different teams that work together: residents, fellows, nurses, respiratory therapists, the technicians, food service, janitors. You see it all if you get to be in a patient's room for any length of time.
 
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Hey, this is quite a relief to see people experiencing the same thing as me while volunteering in the hospital. Is there anyone else out there that thinks hospital volunteer work shouldn't be required because we are taught more janitorial duties, rather than submersing ourselves in the daily life of a practicing doc?
 
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Srs
 
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I impersonate a heart surgeon and save lives.

...

But I guess stocking shelves and fetching water is cool, too.
 
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In my opinion, hospital volunteering is the greatest thing you can do for a typical pre-med. This assumes a "typical" college student who previously wasn't involved in significant volunteer work before becoming pre-med (true altruism is rare).

Ultimately, hospital volunteering is what you make of it, since it's kind of like Vegas (minus 99% of the fun). If ADCOMs end up verifying your experience, then they will ask if you completed the said amount of hours. They won't know about your actual performance at the hospital, unless there's that highly unlikely possibility that the volunteer director is friends with the ADCOM you're interviewing with. Therefore, most people will naturally embellish their experiences.

As for my personal experience, it mirrors what most of you have said. Over the few hundred hours I accumulated before gaining admission, I did have a few nice moments here and there (which was all I needed for the PS and interview), but mostly did scut work while being bossed around by the techs. But hey, I was happy because it was only four hours per week, which allowed me to spend time doing things I actually enjoyed while studying for my classes and the very important MCAT.

With this said, hospital volunteering has something for everyone. If you are really passionate about what you're doing and want to make a difference, then you can become proactive and just about become an honorary member of the hospital team! Are you just checking off a box to get into medical school? Then you can do the minimal amount of stuff that's asked for you, and then spend the rest of your time studying or doing whatever you'd like!

People like hospital volunteering because you can kill numerous birds with one stone. It's great when you can check off both the clinical experience plus volunteering boxes at the same time, all while doing something that involves a minimal commitment. But, depending on what you want, you can kill more than two birds! You can kill a third bird with one stone if you decide to shadow a physician during your volunteer time. You can even kill a fourth bird with one stone if you decide to spend your volunteer hours studying for classes or the MCAT. It sucks that you're not getting paid, but ultimately, you're paying a price for this convenience.

I know that people think that they should do paid entry-level clinical work, but in my opinion, it's not worth it. Entry-level clinical work will pay you, which is nice, but the money is pocket change compared to what you'd make as a physician. These jobs require a serious time commitment. If you manage to blow your grades and MCAT and are forced to take an extra year to do an SMP or improve your application some other way, you're missing out on way more money than you'd ever earn doing this job. Since these jobs are so common, they won't set you apart.

As you all know @LizzyM , she says that if you can smell the patient, it's clinical experience. She didn't say that if you can lance the patient, put an IV in the patient, clean the patient, take the patient's blood pressure, etc (and the list goes on and on) it's clinical experience. Hospital volunteering is seriously all you need. There's no need to learn a skillset that you're unlikely to ever use once you get into medical school. Therefore, hospital volunteering will do everything you need with such a small time commitment. Use the time you save (versus entry-level clinical work) and do things that matter most to you, like improving your stats or MCAT (since ECs won't make up for a poor applicant). The experience in itself can range from horrible to amazing. But for most part, it's up to you to make it what it is. And don't forget why you're here. You're here to get into medical school, not to become the next Mother Teresa. So think wisely, and remember...

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. ;)
 
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