Would Volunteering for Hospice care look good on my resume?

[XeReX]

Yeah i just wanted to know if Volunteering for hospice care( the one i applied to is VITAS Hospice care) will look good on my med school resume. I have applied to all the hospitals near my town and not one of them has sent me a reply yet. People say that you do not get volunteering service at a hospital unless you give them good references like doctors and stuff. SO if someone can tell me what would a good place to volunteer for med school excluding hospitals.

P.S. I am also going to the conference of American Red cross disaster relief volunteering services and would it be better to volunteer for American Red cross or hospice care. please help i am really confused i really want to get into a med school so i want my resume to be perfect. I am starting my First semester at University of Connecticut in fall.

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[LizzyM]

Yes. Hospice will look on your resume but that's not the reason to do it. Do it because you want to serve people at the end of their lives.

In addition to serving the dying, set up some time in the next two years to shadow some physicians. You may know some physicians through your neighborhood, classmates' parents, or your family members' physicians. Spending some days with them is a good way to get to know the territory. If you have to do HIPAA training (privacy & confidentiality of personal information) as part of hospice, you should let docs know that you have that training as it may make them more comfortable having you trailing them in the office, clinic, or hospital.

Go Huskies.

 

[NickNaylor]

Would saying I want to be a doctor help me get into medical school?

 

[Hoody]

Go Huskies.

wOOt.

Would saying I want to be a doctor help me get into medical school?

No. But saying lil wayne is a king should get you an automatic rejection. 😛

 

[XeReX]

Yes. Hospice will look on your resume but that's not the reason to do it. Do it because you want to serve people at the end of their lives.

In addition to serving the dying, set up some time in the next two years to shadow some physicians. You may know some physicians through your neighborhood, classmates' parents, or your family members' physicians. Spending some days with them is a good way to get to know the territory. If you have to do HIPAA training (privacy & confidentiality of personal information) as part of hospice, you should let docs know that you have that training as it may make them more comfortable having you trailing them in the office, clinic, or hospital.

Go Huskies.

Hey thanks for the advice i really appreciate it. Yeah my dad knows a couple of doctors and i will ask them if i can shadow them. does it matter what kind of specialty the doctor has?

👍 Go Huskies

 

[wanderer]

People say that you do not get volunteering service at a hospital unless you give them good references like doctors and stuff.

I don't know where you live, but where I am (major US city with no shortage of volunteers already out there) there are tons of volunteer gigs that either need no references or just a peer reference. You're probably getting crappy advice.

 

[Hoody]

does it matter what kind of specialty the doctor has?

no, all that matters is that its MD/DO.

 

[SweetRain]

Would you not do it if volunteering at Hospice doesn't help your application whatsoever? Then you probably shouldn't do it.

 

[NickNaylor]

wOOt.

No. But saying lil wayne is a king should get you an automatic rejection. 😛

Jeez, everyone hates on Lil' Wayne.

 

[Danlee07]

Don't really like young money honestly,but their producers are bangers...Lil Wayne's good...if he just stops trying to sing and stick to his style and flow of the carter II....and Drake just needs to stop "freestyling" off his Blackberry and old verses...

 

[nshalaby]

I say definitely do alot of shadowing with different kinds of Dr's...not only will get give you an idea of where your interests are. If you really want to do hospice i think that it does look good, but like everyone says do it for the right reasons...there are alot of other volunteering gigs out there that will look just as good....

P.S.
FREE WAYNE!!!!

 

[LizzyM]

Hospice and Red Cross disaster relief are two different things. Maybe one is more appealing than the other. Disaster relief often is not medical/clinical whereas hospice volunteering may put you one-on-one with a dying person. Find out what you'll be required to do and follow your heart as to which is better suited to your skills and temperment. However, do take some time to go outside of your comfort zone and give yourself opportunities to learn and practice new skills and grow as a person.

 

[TexasMDtobe]

I highly recommend volunteering at a hospice. I spent over a year working with my local hospice and it was the most emotionally stimulating environment I can imagine. The possibilities are endless, accompanying nurses and CNA's to the patients' home, shadowing the physicians to the patients' homes and nursing facilities, working with the bereavement support program, working on financial reports with the director, helping run fundraising events with the PR Coordinator, interacting with the patients and their families in the their own homes on my own as a volunteer sitter, and much more. Admittedly, the hospice I worked with was very small (census around 40), which may explain my incredible access to all areas of activity, but if I were you I would take full advantage of the opportunities available. The hospice director even wrote me a LOR. I can't think of a more efficient and profitable method to become more human than to work directly with the dying.

 

[XeReX]

I highly recommend volunteering at a hospice. I spent over a year working with my local hospice and it was the most emotionally stimulating environment I can imagine. The possibilities are endless, accompanying nurses and CNA's to the patients' home, shadowing the physicians to the patients' homes and nursing facilities, working with the bereavement support program, working on financial reports with the director, helping run fundraising events with the PR Coordinator, interacting with the patients and their families in the their own homes on my own as a volunteer sitter, and much more. Admittedly, the hospice I worked with was very small (census around 40), which may explain my incredible access to all areas of activity, but if I were you I would take full advantage of the opportunities available. The hospice director even wrote me a LOR. I can't think of a more efficient and profitable method to become more human than to work directly with the dying.

Thankx for the advice man i really appreciate that, yeah i was just confused you know coz all my friends said that you need to volunteer at a hospital, so i thought maybe hospice wont be good enough coz you know medicine is about curing people and not letting them die, making their lives better but hospice is like all about dying people. but now i have made up my mind and i am gonna go with hospice, maybe i will ask the director if i could shadow some of the doctors they have at the facility.🙂

 

[XeReX]

I say definitely do alot of shadowing with different kinds of Dr's...not only will get give you an idea of where your interests are. If you really want to do hospice i think that it does look good, but like everyone says do it for the right reasons...there are alot of other volunteering gigs out there that will look just as good....

P.S.
FREE WAYNE!!!!

but i don't know where else to apply for, i applied for hospice and they called me for an interview and asked me to come for training on Monday. So i don't want to lose this chance coz i want to start volunteering from day one. I was just confused whether i should do it or not and if it will look good on my resume. I have applied to Hartford hospital and Saint Joseph so many times but prolly they have no more volunteering jobs left for summer coz they never called me for an interview!

 

[FuturaDocta]

Like you, I once cared about what adcoms would think about everything I do. Now, I just do it and enjoy the ride. I can't tell you how much I enjoy my experience. I do volunteer at Hospice because it is one of those challenging experiences to share with someone, especially since he/she is in stage to die anytime soon. It really helps you understand the true value of comfort. Some of the people I run into don't have much family contact and don't have anyone to talk to. Being able to lighten up their day with even a small conversation can be very rewarding. I hope you learn a lot from the experience 🙂

 

[XeReX]

Dude two of my friends both are premed one is sophomore and one is junior at UCONN they both applied to hospitals several times and they got no reply. one of my friends recently got a volunteer job in the ER of our local hospital coz he knows this doc he is like the head of the Emergency medicine at this hospital, the Doc used to come at the Gas station my friend works at. So one day the Doc was wearing his lab coat and came to get some gas and my friedn asked him if he is a Doctor and if he cpould get him a volunteer job at the Hosptial and Doc said that sure i will talk to the volunteering department. the next day he came back and told my friend that he can come for orientation after two days. See that's what i am talking about, my friend got a volunteering job coz the doc talked to the director of volunteering services.

 

[XeReX]

I don't know where you live, but where I am (major US city with no shortage of volunteers already out there) there are tons of volunteer gigs that either need no references or just a peer reference. You're probably getting crappy advice.

Dude two of my friends both are premed one is sophomore and one is junior at UCONN they both applied to hospitals several times and they got no reply. one of my friends recently got a volunteer job in the ER of our local hospital coz he knows this doc he is like the head of the Emergency medicine at this hospital, the Doc used to come at the Gas station my friend works at. So one day the Doc was wearing his lab coat and came to get some gas and my friend asked him if he is a Doctor and if he could get him a volunteer job at the Hospital and Doc said that sure i will talk to the volunteering department. the next day he came back and told my friend that he can come for orientation after two days. See that's what i am talking about, my friend got a volunteering job coz the doc talked to the director of volunteering services.

 

[docelh]

How much time commitment per week does your hospice require?

Regarding your difficulty with hospitals, it's probably location dependent. Where I'm at, it's pretty easy to get any volunteering gig.

 

[XeReX]

Like you, I once cared about what adcoms would think about everything I do. Now, I just do it and enjoy the ride. I can't tell you how much I enjoy my experience. I do volunteer at Hospice because it is one of those challenging experiences to share with someone, especially since he/she is in stage to die anytime soon. It really helps you understand the true value of comfort. Some of the people I run into don't have much family contact and don't have anyone to talk to. Being able to lighten up their day with even a small conversation can be very rewarding. I hope you learn a lot from the experience
"A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself." -Maslow 🙂

Amazing Quote by the way, and yeah i feel ya you are right one should do what they enjoy and love the most and not care about for what the admission committee will think about that, but one should at least keep in mind for what kind of individual med schools look for.

 

[XeReX]

How much time commitment per week does your hospice require?

Regarding your difficulty with hospitals, it's probably location dependent. Where I'm at, it's pretty easy to get any volunteering gig.

i think the director said that you will have to be with the patient for at least 45 minutes and not more than 2 hours. So i will be working two days a week so that's prolly 4 or five hours a week, and she said that if you feel comfortable they can assign me more than two patients.

P.S. yeah its prolly because of location i live in a small town near Hartford, CT

 

[Doctor246853]

Yes. Hospice will look on your resume but that's not the reason to do it. Do it because you want to serve people at the end of their lives.

In addition to serving the dying, set up some time in the next two years to shadow some physicians. You may know some physicians through your neighborhood, classmates' parents, or your family members' physicians. Spending some days with them is a good way to get to know the territory. If you have to do HIPAA training (privacy & confidentiality of personal information) as part of hospice, you should let docs know that you have that training as it may make them more comfortable having you trailing them in the office, clinic, or hospital.

Go Huskies.

Give me a break... Do what you gota do to get in. That doesnt make you a bad doctor. I guess next thing your gona say is "You should go to school and get debt but if you want to make some money also you shouldnt be a doctor. You people are so funny.🙄

 

[CougarMD]

Yes. Hospice will look on your resume but that's not the reason to do it. Do it because you want to serve people at the end of their lives.

In addition to serving the dying, set up some time in the next two years to shadow some physicians. You may know some physicians through your neighborhood, classmates' parents, or your family members' physicians. Spending some days with them is a good way to get to know the territory. If you have to do HIPAA training (privacy & confidentiality of personal information) as part of hospice, you should let docs know that you have that training as it may make them more comfortable having you trailing them in the office, clinic, or hospital.

Go Huskies.

Give me a break... Do what you gota do to get in. That doesnt make you a bad doctor. I guess next thing your gona say is "You should go to school and get debt but if you want to make some money also you shouldnt be a doctor. You people are so funny.🙄

Wow...you are scary.

The reason that you only put yourself in that situation if you actually want to help is because you are useless otherwise. If you lack empathy, it is unlikely that you will survive that type of environment. Either those around you will sense it and you will get booted out, or you will leave yourself pretty quickly. It is self selecting; like working at Disneyland. If you don't love The Little Mermaid, smiling all the time, and singing stuffed animals, it will be your own personal hell and you will quit within a week.

Also....the whole "do whatever you have to do to get in" stuff is just sad. You do well in high school so that you get into a good college. You do well in college so that you get into a good med school. You do well in med school so that you get into a good residency program.....

Then what?

You better like what you're doing, dude....or you're screwed.

 

[Doctor246853]

Wow...you are scary.

The reason that you only put yourself in that situation if you actually want to help is because you are useless otherwise. If you lack empathy, it is unlikely that you will survive that type of environment. Either those around you will sense it and you will get booted out, or you will leave yourself pretty quickly. It is self selecting; like working at Disneyland. If you don't love The Little Mermaid, smiling all the time, and singing stuffed animals, it will be your own personal hell and you will quit within a week.

Also....the whole "do whatever you have to do to get in" stuff is just sad. You do well in high school so that you get into a good college. You do well in college so that you get into a good med school. You do well in med school so that you get into a good residency program.....

Then what?

You better like what you're doing, dude....or you're screwed.

Your an idoit. Im not saying to hate it and do it but sometimes you gotta suck it up and get your hands dirty to increase your chances. Ohh sure we all love studing for MCAT and Organic Chem..right... we do it to get in.Im not saying hate your job tho. You kinda strecthed what I was implying

 

[CougarMD]

Your an idoit. Im not saying to hate it and do it but sometimes you gotta suck it up and get your hands dirty to increase your chances. Ohh sure we all love studing for MCAT and Organic Chem..right... we do it to get in.Im not saying hate your job tho. You kinda strecthed what I was implying

My point was...there are a ton of other opportunities that you can put on your resume that DON'T involve being with people right before they die.

Also...if you want to lend yourself some credibility, learn the difference between "your" and "you're".

 

[Doctor246853]

My point was...there are a ton of other opportunities that you can put on your resume that DON'T involve being with people right before they die.

Also...if you want to lend yourself some credibility, learn the difference between "your" and "you're".[/QUOTE]
AAAHHHHHHHH😛 I hate it when you internet people do that!!! Im typing 75wpm who cares if I type your and not you're this isnt school... I need a drink

 

[XeReX]

My point was...there are a ton of other opportunities that you can put on your resume that DON'T involve being with people right before they die.

Also...if you want to lend yourself some credibility, learn the difference between "your" and "you're".

dude i know there are ton of other opportunities but i don't know what else to do, i don't live in southern California i live in a small town in Connecticut😳

 

[Longshanks]

tl;dr your post

Volunteer or seek employment because you want to, would enjoy it and get the most out of it. Not because you want to pad your resume/application with perfunctory experiences.

 

[Perrotfish]

My point was...there are a ton of other opportunities that you can put on your resume that DON'T involve being with people right before they die.

Also...if you want to lend yourself some credibility, learn the difference between "your" and "you're".

I agree with the other guy, just jump through the hoops and don't worry about it. To be clear, you're not going to help anyone or have anything significant to do with their end of life care. Hospices do that, college age volunteers at hospice don't. When I volunteered at a hopice my main job was to drive around to different sites and drop off sets of adult daipers and other medical supplies. I never once saw death or dying. They absolutely do NOT want you do be at the bedside of someone with terminal cancer and probably will make you sign a form where you promise not to do that. They are aware of the situation as much as you are. You want to get into college/get into medical school/work off your court ordered community service and they want to not hire a temp to do whatever low level scut you are qualified to do.

BTW I strongly recommend volunteering at one thing you actually care about to keep yourself from getting cynical and keep that one thing off your resume. This shouldn't be that hard since anything you're remotely qualified to do at this point probably has nothing to do with medicine. Doing things just to advance your career doesn't make you a selfish person, doing nothing but things that advance your career sorta does.

 

[CougarMD]

dude i know there are ton of other opportunities but i don't know what else to do, i don't live in southern California i live in a small town in Connecticut😳

I totally understand. I will say this though about applying to be a volunteer at a hospital: you may need to work for it. Like applying for a job, you can't just apply and then walk away. Follow up. Find out the hours that the volunteer services coordinator is at the hospital and show up. Call and leave a message. Then, in 4 days, if your call has not been returned, call again.

It does seem odd to me that you need experience to be a volunteer, but like you said, you're in Connecticut and I am not and maybe things are different there.

Please also know that I was in no way attacking your dedication to working in hospice; only that it is going to be difficult (though rewarding) in a lot of ways and you need to be prepared for it. Don't do it just because it is the path of least resistance.

 

[Longshanks]

Give me a break... Do what you gota do to get in. That doesnt make you a bad doctor. I guess next thing your gona say is "You should go to school and get debt but if you want to make some money also you shouldnt be a doctor. You people are so funny.🙄

Do what ever checklist you gotta do to get in, and adcom members just like the one you insulted will see that your experiences and commitment are superficial when you interview or write secondaries.

BTW I strongly recommend volunteering at one thing you actually care about to keep yourself from getting cynical. Doing things just to advance your career doesn't make you a selfish person, doing nothing but things that advance your career sorta does.

This is true though, but it doesn't seem people seem to get that point or understand the subtle difference.

 

[CougarMD]

Do what ever checklist you gotta do to get in, and adcom members just like the one you insulted will see that your experiences and commitment is superficial when you interview or write secondaries.

👍

 

[SweetRain]

Give me a break... Do what you gota do to get in. That doesnt make you a bad doctor. I guess next thing your gona say is "You should go to school and get debt but if you want to make some money also you shouldnt be a doctor. You people are so funny.🙄

wow sounds like you're even willing to kill someone if you can get in. But of course, that doesn't make you a bad doctor.

 

[Doctor246853]

wow sounds like you're even willing to kill someone if you can get in. But of course, that doesn't make you a bad doctor.

Who me kill someone??? nooooo... Hey SweetRain can you uhh P.M. me your address with a photo and times you will be homealone?? I am...dying to meet you.🙄 (If this will get me into medschool of course)

 

[oaklandguy]

It will look good on a resume and look horrible in interviews when they realize that you only did it for your resume.

 

[FuturaDocta]

It will look good on a resume and look horrible in interviews when they realize that you only did it for your resume.

I so want to make a youtube video like this.

"so, why do you want to be a doctor?"

"mo money mo money mo money, dah chicks, and a purrty nice and shiny masonry porsche, yeeeeehhh"

"interesting... I see you helped clean up wildlife during the oil spill, tell me about that"

"eh, psh, just thought it'd look good on my resume... eh, does it?"

"well, I thought you did it for the love of humanity and life in general, but I guess we can put that down as a legit reason."

 

[NickNaylor]

I so want to make a youtube video like this.

"so, why do you want to be a doctor?"

"mo money mo money mo money, dah chicks, and a purrty nice and shiny masonry porsche, yeeeeehhh"

"interesting... I see you helped clean up wildlife during the oil spill, tell me about that"

"eh, psh, just thought it'd look good on my resume... eh, does it?"

"well, I thought you did it for the love of humanity and life in general, but I guess we can put that down as a legit reason."

Why else would you go into medicine?

 

[FuturaDocta]

Why else would you go into medicine?

I just want enough money to buy a house for my 100s of precious wittle kitty cats

 

[Hifey]

I really think that there is a bit of both sides thats right. For example, part of my volunteering gig was changing adult diapers at first. Let me tell you, changing bloody explosive diarrhea diapers was not my idea of a good way to spend a friday afternoon. But I just did it. Not because I wanted to, but because it was part of the experience. As a volunteer you're there to provide HELP. If you refuse to provide this help, then your presence is unwanted and unneeded. And sometimes, you will have to do things you don't particularly want to do. I did manage never to go on another floor where I would have to change diapers 👍

At the same time though, it really has to be something you enjoy otherwise you will become MISERABLE. I was involved in the running of the above mentioned volunteer program and sometimes we'd get comments from the nurses about lazy volunteers or if they don't show up on time etc. When we talked to these people, they just said that they weren't into it and that they wanted to be doing more medical stuff than just feeding/changing patients, stocking etc. (although what they thought they could do with no medical training is beyond me 🙄). We ended up asking them to leave. Either way, you want to be interested in what you're doing or your environment because otherwise you're going to either be very bored, resentful, and/or a very bad volunteer which no one wants.

good luck OP!