What to expect from Volunteer interview?

[Pisiform]

ok, so I planned to volunteer in a hospital and they told me I need to give an interview. I am kind of baffled now that what would they ask in interview.

I don't think I should worry because I will be working for free and they should thank me 😉. Interview for a Volunteer doesn't make sense.

I called them to make sure that interview is just a formality for paperwork, but they said that its a formal interview and I need to bring my resume too

Really!!!

Does a hospital volunteer place require this stuff ?

Please, shed some light 😀

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[rhesuspieces]

I've volunteered in two different hospitals and I had to do a formal application (with LORs!) and an interview for both positions. Hospital volunteer positions are very much in demand so the volunteer offices have the luxury of picking and choosing the best people to be volunteers. Hospitals certainly rely on their volunteers, but don't make the mistake of thinking that they owe you anything just because you're working for free. It's a privilege to be working in a hospital regardless of whether you're getting paid.

That being said, I think the interviews are to weed out candidates who aren't volunteering for the right reasons or who don't seem to be responsible enough to work in a hospital environment. I'm sure you'll be fine.

 

[Pisiform]

I've volunteered in two different hospitals and I had to do a formal application (with LORs!) and an interview for both positions. Hospital volunteer positions are very much in demand so the volunteer offices have the luxury of picking and choosing the best people to be volunteers. Hospitals certainly rely on their volunteers, but don't make the mistake of thinking that they owe you anything just because you're working for free. It's a privilege to be working in a hospital regardless of whether you're getting paid.

That being said, I think the interviews are to weed out candidates who aren't volunteering for the right reasons or who don't seem to be responsible enough to work in a hospital environment. I'm sure you'll be fine.

Thanks pieces. The second thing is that I have to chose a department before hand and they made it clear that I cannot switch departments later. To get most out of the hospital in terms of Clinical perspective, which of the following top three areas should I choose:

• Activity Therapy
• Ambulatory Surgery
• Cardiac Care Unit
• Emergency Room
• Flower Delivery
• Food & Nutrition Services
• Intensive Care Unit
• Labor & Delivery
• Sports Medicine & Athletic Trauma
• Pastoral Care
• Patient Care Units
• Patient Transport
• Patients' Library
• Physical Therapy
• Physician Assistant
• Progressive Cardiac Care Unit
• Radiology Escort
• Recovery Room

 

[bigbad]

Thanks pieces. The second thing is that I have to chose a department before hand and they made it clear that I cannot switch departments later. To get most out of the hospital in terms of Clinical perspective, which of the following top three areas should I choose:

That's pretty much something you should choose on your own, but I think most people would agree that ER is something you should do just for the experience even if you won't get to do much, along with pretty much any nursing floor.

 

[rhesuspieces]

Choosing a department to volunteer is tough without knowing exactly what you'd be doing in each area. Sometimes what you actually end up doing is a lot different (and involves a lot less patient interaction) than what you thought you'd be doing. If I were you I definitely wouldn't do anything like Flower Delivery, Food & Nutrition, Pastoral Care, Patients' Library, or Patient Transport (unless pushing wheelchairs and making awkward conversation is your thing.) Also I've found Recovery Room involves a lot of washing beds between patients/preparing beds for incoming patients.

I agree with bigbad that ER might be a good choice. ICU would be cool too, although it might involve a lot of running down to the lab on "blood runs" to pick up plasma, etc. I've always kinda liked that though! And of course any nursing floor is good.

 

[nolookpass]

Have a volunteering interview soon. Any tips/advice?

 

[deleted357625]

When i went to mine, she didn't ask me a single question. They just went over what i will be doing and gave me different times that would be available. Other than that, they didn't ask me anything and just were excited i wanted to volunteer.

If anything they'll prob ask why you want to volunteer, and that's easy. Just tell them you plan on going to med school and you want some exposure to the health-care world and have a more hands-on experience.

Simple. Oh and dress nice, a lot of people don't dress up because they just think "oh volunteer interview" but do it, because i got a really good LOR from my volunteer coordinator for a summer program and she actually lied about a few things and made the LOR so good. Also, provided a copy. Always want to leave a good impression.

Also, volunteer where there is patient contact, volunteer in the ER. It gets boring but it's better than anything else you could do in the hospital.

 

[nolookpass]

Thanks Torshi

 

[mishaS]

This isn't a medical school interview or a job interview. Don't get me wrong, I dressed up in business-casual clothes, but it isn't as if you're competing for a coveted position. The only thing I learned was that the hospital had access to my expunged records, so my saying that I had never been convicted of a misdemeanor was brought up. I explained what happened and that I hadn't known that I was supposed to divulge something that I was told by my PO that only she, the judge, and I would be able to legally see. Basically, she just told me that they only needed to make sure I wasn't going to be a danger to the kids I would be volunteering with, and that I clearly wasn't.

If this is your first time volunteering, again, remember that it isn't a job. I you have a lot of obligations, like homework, studying, or whatever, I wouldn't be terrified to call off. I'm only saying that so you won't treat it like work, and so you'll enjoy the experience. The more you love it, the better and more passionate volunteer you'll make.

 

[deleted357625]

This isn't a medical school interview or a job interview. Don't get me wrong, I dressed up in business-casual clothes, but it isn't as if you're competing for a coveted position. The only thing I learned was that the hospital had access to my expunged records, so my saying that I had never been convicted of a misdemeanor was brought up. I explained what happened and that I hadn't known that I was supposed to divulge something that I was told by my PO that only she, the judge, and I would be able to legally see. Basically, she just told me that they only needed to make sure I wasn't going to be a danger to the kids I would be volunteering with, and that I clearly wasn't.

If this is your first time volunteering, again, remember that it isn't a job. I you have a lot of obligations, like homework, studying, or whatever, I wouldn't be terrified to call off. I'm only saying that so you won't treat it like work, and so you'll enjoy the experience. The more you love it, the better and more passionate volunteer you'll make.

Agreed.
Yea, your basically doing them a favor, giving up time of your own to help them. It's not required.

 

[serendipity007]

Awesome! Thanks a lot guys. I have a volunteer interview too and this info has helped me a lot. 🙂

 

[Long Way to Go]

This isn't a medical school interview or a job interview. Don't get me wrong, I dressed up in business-casual clothes, but it isn't as if you're competing for a coveted position. The only thing I learned was that the hospital had access to my expunged records, so my saying that I had never been convicted of a misdemeanor was brought up. I explained what happened and that I hadn't known that I was supposed to divulge something that I was told by my PO that only she, the judge, and I would be able to legally see. Basically, she just told me that they only needed to make sure I wasn't going to be a danger to the kids I would be volunteering with, and that I clearly wasn't.

If this is your first time volunteering, again, remember that it isn't a job. I you have a lot of obligations, like homework, studying, or whatever, I wouldn't be terrified to call off. I'm only saying that so you won't treat it like work, and so you'll enjoy the experience. The more you love it, the better and more passionate volunteer you'll make.

How exactly did they get access to those?

 

[CardiacIntensivist]

• Activity Therapy
• Ambulatory Surgery
• Cardiac Care Unit
• Emergency Room
• Flower Delivery
• Food & Nutrition Services
• Intensive Care Unit
• Labor & Delivery
• Sports Medicine & Athletic Trauma
• Pastoral Care
• Patient Care Units
• Patient Transport
• Patients' Library
• Physical Therapy
• Physician Assistant
• Progressive Cardiac Care Unit
• Radiology Escort
• Recovery Room

uh...there are definitely some on the list that should've been automatically excluded in your head. Not that they aren't important but they are probably better for a high school volunteer. Also, the patient contact is likely to be (extremely) limited.

I can't believe they'd allow a volunteer of L&D. That might be a fun one to pursue. However, you should clarify the EXACT role of a volunteer on that service. Even medical students are not allowed in the birthing rooms if the patient is super private.

One to give thought to is the pastoral service. I am not a religious person at all but after observing them on my Pall care rotation, they certainly spend the most time with patients. A lot of it is non-medical chatter but observing effective communication and comforting skills has its own merit.

I'd avoid the transport service if possible. Sure there is patient contact but it does get boring very quickly.

Recovery room - patients are likely sleeping and since they are out of whatever procedure, you are not likely to observe anything spectacular except the bum rush to get them home or on the floors.

ER is a great place for a volunteer. It's easy to be ignored since it is so busy but there is a whole smorgasbord of patient ailments. You will also see the social services aspect of medicine as well as acute medicine.

 

[mishaS]

How exactly did they get access to those?

I don't know specifics but it's understandable that a children's hospital should have access to that sort of thing. Medical schools also see these things, so unless they specifically tell you that you don't have to mentioned sealed records, you can probably assume you need to be truthful.

 

[CoolWhipp]

Anytime I go to a "volunteer" interview, I take a good look at myself in the mirror. I say to myself, you are going to rock this bro, ROCK THIS. You have a degree from a top university. You have fantastic communication skills, not to mention your suave and charming. Yea, check out that sexy fass looking good, you've been working out buddy. Yes, you have.

That being said, I got rejected to 3/5 volunteer positions.

 

[serendipity007]

Anytime I go to a "volunteer" interview, I take a good look at myself in the mirror. I say to myself, you are going to rock this bro, ROCK THIS. You have a degree from a top university. You have fantastic communication skills, not to mention your suave and charming. Yea, check out that sexy fass looking good, you've been working out buddy. Yes, you have.

That being said, I got rejected to 3/5 volunteer positions.

But seriously, how did you get rejected from those positions? If they had enough volunteers then why did they interview you?

 

[unhappytnt]

To be honest, my volunteering interview wasn't much of an interview. It consisted of me turning in my paperwork, getting my blood drawn for tests and watching a couple of instructional videos about what to do. Then again, I applied pretty early so there were many positions open. I heard from friends who applied later that they were actually asked questions & some of them were consequently turned down.

 

[TheGrand]

ok, so I planned to volunteer in a hospital and they told me I need to give an interview. I am kind of baffled now that what would they ask in interview.

I don't think I should worry because I will be working for free and they should thank me 😉. Interview for a Volunteer doesn't make sense.

I called them to make sure that interview is just a formality for paperwork, but they said that its a formal interview and I need to bring my resume too

Really!!!

Does a hospital volunteer place require this stuff ?

Please, shed some light 😀

Some of the questions they asked me.
Was there ever a time when you did more than what was asked of you?
What would you did in times of crisis?

My first thought when they said they were going to do an interview was that it was informal. I came in with jeans and jacket. I just wish I had worn something more formal, but still I got in thankfully.

Now volunteering in a neurologist's office who graduated from Vanderbilt for 1 week now. About 4 hrs each week.

 

[apumic]

ok, so I planned to volunteer in a hospital and they told me I need to give an interview. I am kind of baffled now that what would they ask in interview.

I don't think I should worry because I will be working for free and they should thank me 😉. Interview for a Volunteer doesn't make sense.

I called them to make sure that interview is just a formality for paperwork, but they said that its a formal interview and I need to bring my resume too

Really!!!

Does a hospital volunteer place require this stuff ?

Please, shed some light 😀

Yes, many hospitals interview their volunteers, although competitiveness varies. The truth is that most hospitals have FAR more volunteer candidates than they could ever actually utilize. Further, you're potentially working w/ vulnerable people and they need to protect them. Finally, you may have the opportunity to abuse your position as a volunteer (e.g., in terms of confidentiality) and they need to cover their bases in reducing the likelihood of hiring a volunteering who might do something like that.

Thanks pieces. The second thing is that I have to chose a department before hand and they made it clear that I cannot switch departments later. To get most out of the hospital in terms of Clinical perspective, which of the following top three areas should I choose:

• Activity Therapy
• Ambulatory Surgery
• Cardiac Care Unit
• Emergency Room
• Flower Delivery
• Food & Nutrition Services
• Intensive Care Unit
• Labor & Dbelivery
• Sports Medicine & Athletic Trauma
• Pastoral Care
• Patient Care Units
• Patient Transport
• Patients' Library
• Physical Therapy
• Physician Assistant
• Progressive Cardiac Care Unit
• Radiology Escort
• Recovery Room

I bolded the ones that probably have the best chance of providing you w/ actual pt care experience. My suggestion, though, would be to avoid volunteering in the hospital entirely. Volunteer for a free clinic & you'll get more out of it. WORK in a hospital; don't volunteer there!



When I select clinical volunteers for the free clinic I work at, I pull them from non-clinical volunteer areas. They get screened mostly be email/application, then learn their job and get grabbed by me or another preceptor because we hear they want to go into medicine (or something similar) and seem like a "good fit" for our clinical team. At least where I volunteer, it's more about networking than anything else. Because I've worked clinical there for quite awhile, I can generally get people "in" without anyone asking any questions. If you find connections, they will be able to get you into much better volunteer opportunities than you could have ever gotten on your own.

 

[nolookpass]

Why not a hospital? Patient interaction low? Planning on volunteering at NYU

 

[apumic]

Why not a hospital? Patient interaction low? Planning on volunteering at NYU

Lack of pt care responsibilities. Your opportunities would be much better elsewhere. Also, get off the beaten path. Every premed has volunteered in a hospital. Ever premed has been in the ED. Go somewhere they actually need you. Free clinics provide that. Hospitals don't.

 

[CoolWhipp]

But seriously, how did you get rejected from those positions? If they had enough volunteers then why did they interview you?

Some of the volunteer programs around my university were run by students. Needless to say, there was bias.

 

[nolookpass]

Lack of pt care responsibilities. Your opportunities would be much better elsewhere. Also, get off the beaten path. Every premed has volunteered in a hospital. Ever premed has been in the ED. Go somewhere they actually need you. Free clinics provide that. Hospitals don't.

Does it look better or worse to volunteer at a clinic compared to a hospital. I ask this because I have already received a job at a hospital so should I just stick with that this semester or should I experience a clinic?

 

[addo]

I remember my hospital volunteer interview. I was caught off guard- i wasnt expecting a serious interview, and even though i stumbled on the all time classic "what are you weaknesses/strengths?" question I managed to pull through.

Seeing how this thread is months old, OP is probably laughing about being worried for this interview in retrospect.

 

[apumic]

Does it look better or worse to volunteer at a clinic compared to a hospital. I ask this because I have already received a job at a hospital so should I just stick with that this semester or should I experience a clinic?

I don't think this can be answered persay because it depends. Also, what it "looks like" is not what matters and would, to me, be sufficient reason to reject you as an applicant for a volunteer position. It shows poor reasons for being there.

 

[V5RED]

I don't think this can be answered persay because it depends. Also, what it "looks like" is not what matters and would, to me, be sufficient reason to reject you as an applicant for a volunteer position. It shows poor reasons for being there.

Do you really think most of the pre-meds would bother volunteering if it was not basically required to get into medical school? I mean someone can easily convince themselves they did it because they are such an awesome person, but that seems unlikely for the majority.

 

[apumic]

Do you really think most of the pre-meds would bother volunteering if it was not basically required to get into medical school? I mean someone can easily convince themselves they did it because they are such an awesome person, but that seems unlikely for the majority.

No, but to be completely stuck on "how it looks" isn't particularly attractive. If I'm going to be working with you as a volunteer, I want someone who really wants to be there, not someone who is simply doing this for an application. At the clinic where I volunteer, we could easily staff ourselves several times over with the number of premeds that want to come help (and that doesn't even take into account the RNs, LPNs, MAs, professional paramedics & EMTs, etc. who are generally volunteering there because they simply enjoy giving back). As a result, we have the freedom to take only the people who really seem to want to be there. I think you'd be surprised at the number of applicants who volunteer because they find it enjoyable. They're not nearly as rare as your post might lead one to believe.

 

[addo]

No, but to be completely stuck on "how it looks" isn't particularly attractive. If I'm going to be working with you as a volunteer, I want someone who really wants to be there, not someone who is simply doing this for an application. At the clinic where I volunteer, we could easily staff ourselves several times over with the number of premeds that want to come help (and that doesn't even take into account the RNs, LPNs, MAs, professional paramedics & EMTs, etc. who are generally volunteering there because they simply enjoy giving back). As a result, we have the freedom to take only the people who really seem to want to be there. I think you'd be surprised at the number of applicants who volunteer because they find it enjoyable. They're not nearly as rare as your post might lead one to believe.

Had I chosen to be an engineer, for example, I dont think I would have found my way into a hospital and signed up for volunteering. Once there I did find it enjoyable for the most part, did want to be there, and was eager to help out. Most of us dont do it out of the goodness of our hearts, but simply because its just one more thing you need to do to get into med school.

 

[BiopsychStudent]

I've got a clinical volunteering interview coming up soon myself. I had planned to approach it mostly like a job interview, although I'd expected for it to mostly be to screen out volunteers who might be unreliable or inappropriate.

But now I'm a little nervous: On what grounds would you be rejected from a volunteer position during an interview? Is saying you want health-care exposure a deal breaker?

 

[apumic]

I've got a clinical volunteering interview coming up soon myself. I had planned to approach it mostly like a job interview, although I'd expected for it to mostly be to screen out volunteers who might be unreliable or inappropriate.

But now I'm a little nervous: On what grounds would you be rejected from a volunteer position during an interview? Is saying you want health-care exposure a deal breaker?

Nope, health care exposure is fine. For me, it has more to do w/ "fit" than what you say (i.e., did you "feel" like the kind of person I want working with my patients/working with me and my coworkers). At the clinic where I volunteer and train people, I generally invite people to work in the clinic when I see an interest and potential. If I don't invite someone, it probably has to do with any number of things: not easy to work with; doesn't seem reliable; doesn't seem interested; has given me reason to wonder about their ability to work with diverse populations; etc. Sometimes, it may also be simply a matter of scheduling or number of volunteers. As I mentioned, at least at my clinic, we could easily overstaff ourselves several times over in the clinic with volunteers. The bottleneck has always been having enough physicians, not having enough RNs and techs (which is the most pt-care centered role a prehealth student could fill).

 

[surferdud]

Wow I thought I was the only one that went through a rigorous volunteer interview/got rejected or no response from volunteer opportunities. Crazy how competitive things have become these days...

My volunteer interview(s) were very conversational. After the interview, one of the program heads told me he was looking to see how well I could hold a conversation, and did I seem like the type of person that was willing to go into people's rooms in the hospital and speak to them and their families appropriately. So that's what my interviewer was looking for at least.

 

[ahmed17]

Regardless of what the true reason is for you to be volunteering....make sure you say all the cheesy **** like....I want to give back to the community and I want to help people.....I want to comfort people....I want to bring a smile on the faces of the patients.....etc......

Nothing is a bigger waste of time than volunteering.....but you have to make it sound like the other way around....

God knows (if there is a God), that NOBODY (except for the seniors who walk at 2 mm/sec) would volunteer at hospitals UNLESS it was a pre-health requirement.....

Just make sure you take this interview seriously....

 

[ahmed17]

DO NOT mention EVEN IF THEY ASK YOU......that you are doing this for medical school.......
I made this mistake.....and was rejected for this sole purpose....

Lucky for me I didnt give up and kept calling/bugging/harassing them until they gave me a volunteering position......

 

[apumic]

Regardless of what the true reason is for you to be volunteering....make sure you say all the cheesy **** like....I want to give back to the community and I want to help people.....I want to comfort people....I want to bring a smile on the faces of the patients.....etc......

Nothing is a bigger waste of time than volunteering.....but you have to make it sound like the other way around....

God knows (if there is a God), that NOBODY (except for the seniors who walk at 2 mm/sec) would volunteer at hospitals UNLESS it was a pre-health requirement.....

Just make sure you take this interview seriously....

I'd be careful about this. While I would not indicate that my only reason for volunteering is to get into med school, you do not want to mislead them and, honestly, they're probably going to see right through it anyway. I get premeds into our program all the time and our admin has no problem with being "used" in that way (so far, they've only gotten good students, as neither I nor any other trainer would ever refer someone we weren't confident in).

DO NOT mention EVEN IF THEY ASK YOU......that you are doing this for medical school.......
I made this mistake.....and was rejected for this sole purpose....

Lucky for me I didnt give up and kept calling/bugging/harassing them until they gave me a volunteering position......

This may have to do w/ either what you said or their prior experiences w/ premeds. Unfortunately, premeds tend to have a bad rep to work past. If you do a good job, however, you may have the opportunity to pave the road for your future colleagues. I would hope you take that opportunity. It may or may not benefit you directly but it's the selfless thing to do. Also, it may result in some good LORs and possible leads for jobs and whatnot in the future should you need them and you never know when you might need connections!

 

[MedIsInMyBlood]

When i went to mine, she didn't ask me a single question. They just went over what i will be doing and gave me different times that would be available. Other than that, they didn't ask me anything and just were excited i wanted to volunteer.

This is what happened at my volunteer "interview" too. The volunteer director just talked to me for a few minutes and made sure that I knew what my role was. I also was given my hospital ID badge then and my volunteer shirt.

 

[Cinclus]

I had to do an application, interview, background check, and orientation before being able to volunteer at a local hospital. In the interview, they basically just wanted to know what my motivations were for volunteering, and they wanted to know what type of volunteering I wanted to do (greeter, gift shop cashier, emergency room, shuttle van, etc.). They also asked me what days and times worked best for me, to make sure my available times didn't conflict with another volunteer; they have so many volunteers that they need to make sure there aren't too many doing the same thing at the same time.

 

[AsianPersuasion]

Im currently volunteering in Telemetry/ICU. When I went for the interview all she asked me was

- Why do you wanna volunteer at our hospital?

- Whats your future goal?

and that was it, the rest of the time we just talked about random things from her kids to my buddha necklace lol 🙂

Than she asked where I would like to work, I told her I wanted Patients contacts and knew that if im in the ER all im gonna do is take names so I didnt bother.
Than she brought the idea of ICU up so I took that.

I'm sure you'll do fine. good luck

 

[n3xa]

No, but to be completely stuck on "how it looks" isn't particularly attractive. If I'm going to be working with you as a volunteer, I want someone who really wants to be there, not someone who is simply doing this for an application. At the clinic where I volunteer, we could easily staff ourselves several times over with the number of premeds that want to come help (and that doesn't even take into account the RNs, LPNs, MAs, professional paramedics & EMTs, etc. who are generally volunteering there because they simply enjoy giving back). As a result, we have the freedom to take only the people who really seem to want to be there. I think you'd be surprised at the number of applicants who volunteer because they find it enjoyable. They're not nearly as rare as your post might lead one to believe.

Well that's good, cause every time I read these threads I feel like the weirdo who actually likes being there and has a good time with the Friday night staff. Sometimes you learn cool things and other days you're doing craptastic paperwork. Whatever it may be, I get the job done and I do it right.

And for the record I liked volunteering loooooong before the hottie dorky NP started working in the ED. 😳 😍