As a premed, I know there is a never ending laundry list of things to do to help your medical school application and volunteering is definitely one of the top items. I personally started my volunteering a bit late in my premed career ( I did the bulk of mine during Junior and Senior year), but once I got started I discovered why so many medical schools emphasize volunteering.
My Experience
As I said above, I started my volunteer work a bit late, but miraculously, I think it worked out well. While furiously searching for a volunteer opportunity my junior year, I came upon a great organization ( A volunteer-run clinic that offers free healthcare for underserved populations.) that needed volunteer Spanish interpreters and thankfully I am bilingual, so it was the perfect fit for me. As a Spanish Interpreter, my job was to sit in during the patient visit translating between the doctor and the patient. In this way, I was able to get a very hands-on experience in healthcare as my job was being a direct link between the doctor and the patient. This included explaining medication and the doctor's directives for care. As a result of this experience, I became familiar with the clinical environment, and also the importance of working with underserved communities. The latter being something that I hope to do more of as a physician.
The summer before senior year, I added volunteering at one of our city's children's hospitals to my volunteer list. This opportunity was nowhere as hands on as the free clinic, but it was certainly valuable as well. I was a volunteer in the waiting area on two of the surgical floors. Most of what I did was keeping kids calm before being taken in for pre-op and escorting parents back to the post-op area, but there were days that I had to go keep kids company because they were alone and their surgeries had gotten pushed back. I was really thankful that I had this opportunity because I feel that it expanded my exposure to what would be like if I were to chose a hospital setting vs. choosing to stick to a clinical setting. I know that I will get plenty of exposure to both in medical school, but to have a taste of it early on was pretty helpful.
When I was applying for medical school at the end of my senior year, I had plenty to draw from for essays and also for motivation. Overall, I loved the work that I did and I am so happy that they were opportunities that allowed me to not only help out but also feel rewarded in the process.
Why You Should Do It
If you get the chance to volunteer in a medical setting like I did, It'll be great for your pre-med career. Apart from looking good on your application, it will give you a better sense of whether it is the right field for you. I was fortunate enough that my two volunteer experiences gave me a sense of two opposite spectrums in the medical field ( clinical vs. surgical), but I think that as a whole it convinced me that the medical field in general, was a good fit for me. There were days that I walked into the clinic discouraged because I had been having a crappy week at school and I would leave rejuvenated by what I had experienced because it reminded me of what I was working towards. Believe me, it will really make a difference to see why you want what you want.
If you don't have the opportunity to volunteer in a medical setting, I believe that just volunteering for service alone is a great experience. My good friend, Alissa (the med student), did most of her volunteer work volunteering at a home for pregnant women in need. As I've mentioned before, the medical field is deeply rooted in service and getting yourself familiar with that mindset will help you on your journey. Aside from seeing that you want to do more to help others, medical schools want to see that you have a sense of commitment. Dedicating your time at an organization is a great way to show this. Knowing that you are making a difference really has a wonderful feeling to it and it honestly keeps you going in hard times.
How to Get Involved
When I needed to find a volunteer opportunity, I had no clue to get started, but a great place would be to check your pre-med office. Our pre-health office had a huge list of places that previous pre-med students had volunteered at. Another thing to try would be to check with your local hospitals and see what programs they might offer. Otherwise, just find something you are passionate about. This doesn't have to have anything to do with medicine. If you find something that you love and you stick with it, come application time you will be able to write volumes about why you chose this particular organization and that in itself will help your application.
I hope you guys had a great weekend and I'll talk to you soon!
~Genesis<3
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