Volunteering

When it comes to volunteering, something I learned during the medical school application process is that there is a distinction that is drawn between "clinical" volunteering experiences and "other" volunteering experiences. From searching online as a prospective applicant, I found that a minimum of 100 hours of clinical volunteering experiences, whether this is done at a hospital, nursing home, clinic, any other healthcare setting, or non-profit organization with direct patient contact and interaction, is a good benchmark to aim for when applying to medical school. You want to be able to show that you have had ample experience directly speaking with patients, their families, healthcare teams, and being present in an environment that allows you to directly experience the various interactions that you may come across as a medical student and professional in your future.

As volunteers, you have more time than the medical teams you may be working with and this allows you the freedom to speak with patients, provide them comfort, and learn more about their experience and treatment. You may also have the opportunity to observe medical procedures and even make connections with physicians and professionals you may want to shadow or do research with in the future. Start becoming familiar with the institutions around you through which you may want to get involved as early as your freshman year of undergrad or even before matriculating to school. Sometimes the application process depending on the location at which you choose to volunteer may even take some time, so planning to get involved as early as you can when your schedule is a bit lighter than your later years of undergrad is always a good idea.

Apart from clinical volunteering experiences, there are so many ways you can also get involved in your school or greater community through existing initiatives or by starting your own. Tutoring, volunteering at a local soup kitchen, becoming involved with initiatives making urban neighborhoods more family friendly, and environmental projects are only the beginning of this extended list of ways you can be an active volunteer. Talk to advisers at your school, friends, and upperclassmen, because they too can give you a great place to start on your search for ways to get involved.