Volunteering.

<p>Hi, I am going to be a college sophomore and I am considering pursuing a career in medicine. As such, I decided to volunteer in the ER to help me decide if I should continue taking pre med courses and stay on the track to med school. Anyway, I have been volunteering for the past month and don't feel as if I am getting much out of it (I don't mean volunteering to help is not worth it, but I dont think this experience is helping me decide if medicine is right for me). The ER where I work is not a trauma ER, most patients are sick, are homeless, or are suspects have been hurt during an arrest. I mostly make stretchers, sometimes perform and ECG or take vitals, or bus patients to X ray or CT Scan. Also, people said they shadow doctors, but I mostly am just in contact with nurses or PCAs(btw, what does PCA stand for?). The doctors seem busy and are mostly working on computers in middle of the ER. Is this characteristic of all ERs or just the hospital in which I am working? Is there anyway in which I can improve my experience in the ER to get more out of it? Any advice/suggestions from someone who has worked there or is an MD would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance</p>

<p>Yeah, I had pretty much the same experience in the ER. I kind of just stood around as noone had anything for me to do, and when I tried to get involved I felt like I was bothering the busy staff. I did have one cool day where I met a 3rd year med student and made all of the rounds with her, but on most days I just felt like I was in the way. I know I'm going to need to do some volunteer work before I'm out of college though, so I'm considering volunteering for hospice. You would basically just be sitting with elderly people to give their families a break, but it's good patient contact experience.</p>

<p>I was a volunteer before med school. It didn't help me with any adcoms, but it certainly made me more sure I had a true passion for medicine.</p>

<p>Hey guys, I know BS/MDs like to see that you have some exposure to hospital/medical settings. However, I was not able to get a spot to volunteer at the hospital this summer. I am instead volunteering at a medical day center for the elderly (day care services for those w/ medical conditions such as dementia, depression and alzheimer along w/ less minor conditions). </p>

<p>Do you think this is just as good as hospital volunteering? I'm actually getting personal contact with people with medical conditions through this. Thanks.</p>

<p>i doubt they are goign to split hairs about where u get ur exposure.</p>

<p>i must say that if it is one of those nursing homes (which i dont think it is), that might be sketchy. most if not all ppl in the medical professions ridicule nursing homes and their supposedly "skilled nursing." at least, that's what happens where I work in the ER/Trauma.</p>

<p>u worry too much.</p>

<p>Yeah I do worry too much lol =].</p>

<p>cheezmediator, what kind of things do you do while working in ER/Trauma? All my volunteer work has been limited to boring work like organized oncology protocols. Your volunteering sounds pretty cool.</p>

<p>there's a hierarchy where u are the "female dog" of whoever is above u.</p>

<p>there's doctors >> nurses >> techs >> me and my peers</p>

<p>but i do get to do cool stuff like put on casts and splints, hold patients down for anesthesia, fetch suture stuff, make trays.</p>

<p>there's also the boring stuff like cleaning beds.</p>

<p>lol alright thanks.</p>

<p>when i volunteered at the hospital, i was reduced to doing dumb stuff that took no skill. After a while, there was a cool nurse there that saw how much i was dedicated, and she gave me a better job to examine the heart monitors and the ecgs, etc, it was fun ;0</p>

<p>u guys actually do work when you volunteer.....all i do at the hospital is sit at the front desk and hand out passes to visitors....mine is so much more boring</p>

<p>i have about 600 volunteer hrs and i know that it looks good on med school college apps. but i was just wondering how common it is for kids to have this many hours.....like i know a lot of people with about 200 hours but no one more than that......does having 600 hours make you like 1:500 people?...can anyone give me a better or more accurate stat? thanks</p>

<p>lol.. are you gonna be a senior next year and how long have you been volunteering?</p>

<p>lol ive done total about 320 or so
not including about 2 weeks-8hrs a day of shadowing a doctor- since i got paid 10bucks an hour</p>

<p>so try and get a better position.</p>

<p>bleh. 140 for me.</p>

<p>how do you know it did not help you with adcoms, if you don't mind me asking? i would assume adcoms look highly among volunteer service?</p>

<p>Can you volunteer for a First Aid Squad? You will see a lot on a squad. You also could possibly get some significant responsibility, depending on the squad and on your abilities and performance. </p>

<p>You can get an Emergency Medical Technician certificate, too, which is a form of real medical training and probably would get you additional responsibility on a rescue squad.</p>

<p>Squads vary in the amount of exposure and responsibility that they make available to high school age members. But getting that EMT certificate will help.</p>

<p>Dr Sedrish, was your volunteer experience different than mine has been thus far? I feel as if my experience is neither solidying my interest in medicine nor discouraging me from pursuing it. I would have hoped that volunteering would help me make a decision. Are there any suggestion you have that can help me improve my situation?</p>

<p>i started volunteering in like 8th grade</p>