Which volunteering activity is ideal at a hospital

[Fresh10]

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[SpoiledMilk]

In the ED only if you are able to interact with patients e.g. bring them blankets, water, transport them, help them out of wheelchairs into their bed, escort them to their rooms, observe various physicians interacting with patients, esp. ones that come in via ambulance who are having heart attacks, strokes, gunshot wounds, knife attacks, etc...

In NICU only if you are able to hold babies, etc...

In the Hospice ward where you are able to converse with patients, keep them company, etc...

Avoid jobs where you are doing office stuff e.g. copying, data entry, etc...

 

[Cyphix]

The more patient contact you can get the better. "Close enough to smell the patient" is fine when you're just listing it in AMCAS, but when you actually interview...it's very easy to tell who had real experience with patients and who didn't.

 

[ferrous_wheel_92]

Anything that requires actual interaction. There are a lot of positions where you're doing something corporate (ie cutting costs for the hospital) by working as a gift shop employee, front desk employee, or working at the valet or something. The best positions are ones in which you are actively meeting patients and taking some active role in their care, regardless of how seemingly minor. You want to be able to tell a convincing story of your commitment to medicine, and real experiences provide real stories.

Ultimately adcoms want to see that you are real. Anybody can hype up their lifelong commitment to medicine, but its altogether less common (and more convincing) to see somebody that has real experience in the medical field that maintains that commitment.

 

[Fresh10]

In the ED only if you are able to interact with patients e.g. bring them blankets, water, transport them, help them out of wheelchairs into their bed, escort them to their rooms, observe various physicians interacting with patients, esp. ones that come in via ambulance who are having heart attacks, strokes, gunshot wounds, knife attacks, etc...

In NICU only if you are able to hold babies, etc...

In the Hospice ward where you are able to converse with patients, keep them company, etc...

Avoid jobs where you are doing office stuff e.g. copying, data entry, etc...

Anything that requires actual interaction. There are a lot of positions where you're doing something corporate (ie cutting costs for the hospital) by working as a gift shop employee, front desk employee, or working at the valet or something. The best positions are ones in which you are actively meeting patients and taking some active role in their care, regardless of how seemingly minor. You want to be able to tell a convincing story of your commitment to medicine, and real experiences provide real stories.

Ultimately adcoms want to see that you are real. Anybody can hype up their lifelong commitment to medicine, but its altogether less common (and more convincing) to see somebody that has real experience in the medical field that maintains that commitment.

Ok thanks. What hospital volunteering position should I specifically ask for?

 

[mellie0]

Ok thanks. What hospital volunteering position should I specifically ask for?

They literally just told you! It'll be up to you to look at the volunteer postings and from the descriptions try to determine whether or not you think it'll involve significant patient interaction or if it's more administrative in nature.

 

[boogiecousins94]

Physical therapy! I helped ambulate patients it's very hands on

 

[SpoiledMilk]

You ask by department.

"Can I volunteer in the emergency department?"
"Can I volunteer in the hospice ward?"

 

[Deleted member 737595]

Hello SDN people, I am going to pursue clinical volunteering at a hospital nearby and was wondering what I should ask for?

I want clincial experience to be hands-on with patients, so the ADCOMs will consider it clinical volunteering. I know the rule on SDN is generally "if you are close enough to smell the patient, its clinical volunteering".

Which department, which position, what day, and how many hours should I try for each week. I have a more open schedule than usually because I finished my masters degree in a hard science and this is a gap year.

Any ideas or past experiences would be great! Thanks.

ED in the evenings. Crazy stuff

 

[Asherawh]

It's hard to get hands-on clinical experience at a hospital. They usually will not let you due to liability and training costs. If you want to get hands-on clinical experience you should try talking to your local doctor or urgent care clinic. I'm actually a co-founder of a healthcare training organization that trains and certifies students to conduct health screenings to the community. We are only at one university right now, but one day we will expand to ur school.

 

[3toedsloth]

The clinical volunteering that I enjoyed most:

- literacy planner at a pediatrician's office. My role was to encourage parents to read to their children in the waiting room and sort of plant the seed that parents SHOULD read to their kids, right before they go in to talk to the doctor who would directly speak to that issue. It was in a low income neighborhood where a lot of parents didn't have much education. I would also tell them about the local libraries and availability of books in multiple languages. Also, I got to do read alouds for patients and their siblings ... lol.

- patient companion in a long term acute care hospital. I learned a ton bc patients were complex and were also there for a long time, so I got to know them.

Honestly, anything is good as long as you work with patients directly. Don't do the gift shop or the welcome desk.

 

[ferrous_wheel_92]

Ok thanks. What hospital volunteering position should I specifically ask for?

Hospice and physical therapy are pretty good volunteer gigs.

 

[Deleted member 737595]

It's hard to get hands-on clinical experience at a hospital. They usually will not let you due to liability and training costs. If you want to get hands-on clinical experience you should try talking to your local doctor or urgent care clinic. I'm actually a co-founder of a healthcare training organization that trains and certifies students to conduct health screenings to the community. We are only at one university right now, but one day we will expand to ur school.

What do you mean by hands-on?

See, the point is not necessarily to get hands-on-patient contact. The point is to work in the environment of a hospital or clinic and get exposure to patients and interaction with them. I think there is a myth that if you have actual medical contact that it will be better. But medical schools don't want to see your clinical skills; those get developed in medical school. They want to see an inkling of bedside manner, a willingness to get hands dirty and an excitement about the health workplace.

At least that is what I understand. Now, that is not to say CNA or EMT jobs are too much. They are probably more exciting and 'hands-on,' but perhaps require too much of a commitment for someone who wants to go to medical school in a short time frame.

 

[Deleted member 737595]

In the ED only if you are able to interact with patients e.g. bring them blankets, water, transport them, help them out of wheelchairs into their bed, escort them to their rooms, observe various physicians interacting with patients, esp. ones that come in via ambulance who are having heart attacks, strokes, gunshot wounds, knife attacks, etc...

In NICU only if you are able to hold babies, etc...

In the Hospice ward where you are able to converse with patients, keep them company, etc...

Avoid jobs where you are doing office stuff e.g. copying, data entry, etc...

This is a perfect summary.

 

[Asherawh]

What do you mean by hands-on?

See, the point is not necessarily to get hands-on-patient contact. The point is to work in the environment of a hospital or clinic and get exposure to patients and interaction with them. I think there is a myth that if you have actual medical contact that it will be better. But medical schools don't want to see your clinical skills; those get developed in medical school. They want to see an inkling of bedside manner, a willingness to get hands dirty and an excitement about the health workplace.

At least that is what I understand. Now, that is not to say CNA or EMT jobs are too much. They are probably more exciting and 'hands-on,' but perhaps require too much of a commitment for someone who wants to go to medical school in a short time frame.

Obviously, medical schools do not want you to diagnosing and treating patients. What they really want is for you to tell a story of why you chose medicine and that can be done in part by speaking with patients, taking basic vitals, educating them on basic healthcare knowledge, etc. Ultimately, the story is yours to tell but it would be helpful if you have that hands-on clinical experience to help support your story better. Having clinical exposure is fine as well, but shadowing doctors or bring food to patients may not be as strong as a story about a patient that you screened and helped.

 

[Deleted member 737595]

Obviously, medical schools do not want you to diagnosing and treating patients. What they really want is for you to tell a story of why you chose medicine and that can be done in part by speaking with patients, taking basic vitals, educating them on basic healthcare knowledge, etc. Ultimately, the story is yours to tell but it would be helpful if you have that hands-on clinical experience to help support your story better. Having clinical exposure is fine as well, but shadowing doctors or bring food to patients may not be as strong as a story about a patient that you screened and helped.

Right. Its all about what you take away from it and how you convey it in the application and interview.

Cheers!