Long-term volunteering can be taken on in many forms in the community, clinical, and through involvement in a local non-profit, the list goes on and on. Long-term volunteering is highly regarded by medical schools due to the initiative and persistence commitment, especially long-term commitment is associated with. 

 

This being said when getting involved with long-term volunteer work there are some questions to consider before you make the commitment and it is recommended you take into account:

 

• Can I commit to at least a year to one position?

• Do I want to participate in clinical or within my community?

•  Is the hospital I am considering volunteering at a best for the specialty I wish to enter into?

• Is this going to give me experiences I will be able to recount to my benefit for my medical school application or interview?

 

Q/A:

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 I am not sure to volunteer within my community or clinical, but if I am doing this for medical school wouldn't clinical be better? 

The answer is no. A well-rounded applicant should aim to have some involvement in both. 

 

What should I do if I do not have time to volunteer for more then one?

It is ok! A suggested way of making sure you can get both clinical and experience within your community as well is breaking up your four years of undergrad. This would look like: Freshmen- Sophomore = Clinical, and then Sophomore- Senior = Communal 

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How do I know if the hospital I wish to volunteer at is ideal for the area I wish to enter into, or even offers it at all?

This is a highly important aspect of the clinical volunteer experience many individuals pick a random department at a random hospital and expect that to be enough and realistically it is not. You should be trying to get as close to your desired specialty as you possibly can. For example, if you wish to be a trauma surgeon it would be of no benefit to you to volunteer at a hospital with no trauma center. However, it would be to your benefit to volunteer in the emergency department of a hospital that does have a trauma center. If you have questions about any hospital and which would be best for you on your journey please contact our volunteer coordinator Christina Buksa at volunteer.pmghgc@gmail.com to be matched with the ideal hospital for your situation.