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Hi all, currently going through a bit of a dilemma, because I really don't know what I should be doing in terms of my volunteer commitments.
A bit of stats background, I have a 522 on the MCAT with close to a 3.95 cGPA and attend a top 10 school. I'm a rising senior. Research and non-service/clinical ECs are up to par, from what I've been told on SDN.
In terms of real clinical experience, I served as a medical scribe for 300 hours in a rural setting one years ago during the summer. I've additionally shadowed a ton of rural doctors, with a total of about 150 hours there total.
In terms of altruistic volunteering, I volunteer at my school's gardens, where we donate produce to local families. I love this position beyond anything else I do, but obviously it's not the most "altruistic" at first glance. Nonetheless, I plan to continue doing it during my senior year with more hours.
During my gap year, I plan to pursue an AmeriCorps position, hopefully in a clinical setting. I'm also applying to a health-related Peace Corps position that requires two years.
So my key question is how I should devote my next year in terms of volunteering, as I have really two options. The first is volunteering at our university hospital. Now from what I understand, this position is very unfulfilling. There's very little patient contact, and the website for the position says that it shouldn't even be classified as clinical experience.
Alternatively, I could volunteer at a crisis hotline, which also wouldn't necessarily be clinical volunteering (can't smell patients), but might be more meaningful as an experience, especially if I continue it during my gap year.
That said, if I went with the crisis hotline volunteer gig, it would pretty much mean that I would go two years between having direct clinical contact. I believe that the AmeriCorps position would likely be very meaningful as well, but I'm concerned that medical schools might see my behavior as being non-committal or something by waiting so long between positions, which certainly isn't true.
In the ideal world, I'd serve as the crisis hotline volunteer for two years (from now until I end the application cycle) and forego the hospital volunteering, since I think this would provide the most enriching experience. Does anyone think I should do the hospital volunteering for one year to show commitment or something of the like?
A bit of stats background, I have a 522 on the MCAT with close to a 3.95 cGPA and attend a top 10 school. I'm a rising senior. Research and non-service/clinical ECs are up to par, from what I've been told on SDN.
In terms of real clinical experience, I served as a medical scribe for 300 hours in a rural setting one years ago during the summer. I've additionally shadowed a ton of rural doctors, with a total of about 150 hours there total.
In terms of altruistic volunteering, I volunteer at my school's gardens, where we donate produce to local families. I love this position beyond anything else I do, but obviously it's not the most "altruistic" at first glance. Nonetheless, I plan to continue doing it during my senior year with more hours.
During my gap year, I plan to pursue an AmeriCorps position, hopefully in a clinical setting. I'm also applying to a health-related Peace Corps position that requires two years.
So my key question is how I should devote my next year in terms of volunteering, as I have really two options. The first is volunteering at our university hospital. Now from what I understand, this position is very unfulfilling. There's very little patient contact, and the website for the position says that it shouldn't even be classified as clinical experience.
Alternatively, I could volunteer at a crisis hotline, which also wouldn't necessarily be clinical volunteering (can't smell patients), but might be more meaningful as an experience, especially if I continue it during my gap year.
That said, if I went with the crisis hotline volunteer gig, it would pretty much mean that I would go two years between having direct clinical contact. I believe that the AmeriCorps position would likely be very meaningful as well, but I'm concerned that medical schools might see my behavior as being non-committal or something by waiting so long between positions, which certainly isn't true.
In the ideal world, I'd serve as the crisis hotline volunteer for two years (from now until I end the application cycle) and forego the hospital volunteering, since I think this would provide the most enriching experience. Does anyone think I should do the hospital volunteering for one year to show commitment or something of the like?
