Hello My name is Sandra and I am new to OldPreMeds. I’ve decided to begin taking baby steps towards my career change into the medical world by volunteering at a nearby hospital. There are three hospitals in my area, and right now I don’t know which hospital to choose to volunteer at. What should I look for in a hospital to help me determine where I should volunteer at?
Sandra
Hi and welcome to OPM 
I would suggest to anyone to get started volunteering ASAP and staying somewhere over a long period of time and being a regular there. It shows that you are dedicated.
I would suggest you see which hospital will let you have the most direct patient contact and go there. You may have to start somewhere you don’t like and get to know people and then ask to be moved. Build up a reputation of being helpful and caring and you can possibliy pick where you will want to work.
Another great place to volunteer is a free health clinic. The kind that is dependant on volunteers. I volunteered at one for 3 years and it was great. I learned so much and by the time I was done I knew how to draw blood, check in patients, give shots, do lab tests, counsel pregnant patients, etc. They don’t have any nurses so they relied on volunteers who could be trained to do alot of things. They did hate it when people showed up in Feb and then left in May. That frequently happened and it made it hard to train people to do things. So that is why places like when you are a regular who stays somewhere for a longer period of time.
Nursing homes can also be a place to get great patient contact.
Again welcome to OPM.
Hi Sandra. Welcome to OPM. I’d also like to add that you should try to volunteer in an area that you can envision doing in the future. I know it’s impossible to tell and that these things always change as you progress in your studies and have exposure to different areas of medicine. But I think it’s helpful to be involved or witness your end goal…I think it helps to keep the eye on the prize when you are knee-deep in your science studies. Although science is very pertinent to medicine, when you’re feeling smothered by organic chemistry and physics, you can easily begin to feel that all these abstract concepts are not what you want to do for the rest of your life…and volunteering in a setting that you’d ultimately like to work in helps to remind you why you’re there in Org. Chem. and Physics.
Thank you very much for your warm welcomes and your helpful suggestions. I forgot to mention that I am interested in working in the ER. Currently, during the day I am at home with my son - so I am looking for non-daytime hours, preferably 8pm til about 11pm, 2 - 3 days per week. I do know where I want to be (ER) but I do not know if I should volunteer at a hospital with a larger volume of incoming patients so I am “exposed” to more or at a hospital with a smaller volume, where I could potentially interact more with the staff and patients. Does anyone have any experience with volunteering in a “large” and “small” setting and what have they observed in terms of pros and cons of each?
Once again thank you Amy for your suggestions and advice. I found a link, which is a directory for free clinics in the U.S. - hope this is of help to anyone looking to volunteer at any free clinics
http://www.freeclinic.net
Sandra
Cool link – thanks!
Quote:
Once again thank you Amy for your suggestions and advice. I found a link, which is a directory for free clinics in the U.S. - hope this is of help to anyone looking to volunteer at any free clinics
http://www.freeclinic.net
Sandra
That is the link. Thanks again for finding it!!!