It’s one thing to say you want to become a doctor in order to help people, but it’s
another thing to actually do it. Dr. Jubbal, MedSchoolInsiders.com
While the pay is good eventually, being a doctor is an inherently altruistic
vocation. Volunteering your time and energy to a worthy cause shows admissions committees you’re
serious about improving the lives of others, which is why extracurricular volunteering
is an essential piece of your application. This video is part of our Extracurriculars
Explained series, where we take a deep dive into extracurriculars to help you decide
which ones are right for you. Let us know what you’d like us to cover next in the comments.
First, let’s discuss how to find volunteer work and what to look for.
Since there are so many volunteering opportunities to choose from,
the difficult part isn’t finding a position—it’s finding the ones that are truly meaningful to you.
Unlike research experience and clinical exposure, where you’re limited to what
your school has available, you’ll have more than enough volunteering
opportunities to choose from. The main avenues for finding
volunteer opportunities are: 1. Asking fellow classmates and upper
year students about their volunteer experiences. 2. Asking your program advisors and premed
clubs for recommendations. 3. Going to local clinics
and hospitals to ask if they need help. Experiment with a few, but once you figure
out what you like, commit to a couple and discard the rest. You only have
so much time for unpaid experiences, so choose meaningful opportunities that will augment your
clinical exposure and application narrative. Limit the trial and error by speaking with
your advisors as well as senior students. Ask about the student experience, the environment,
and the people you’ll be working with. But know that even with this guidance, it can take time to
find an opportunity you feel passionate about. Once you find an opportunity you like,
work to grow and expand in your role. For example, stocking the shelves at a hospital
every week may feel unfulfilling; however, it could open the door to being a care coordinator
at a free clinic, helping care for people who don’t have health insurance. This will immerse
you in the clinical environment, allowing you to work alongside residents, nurses, and doctors.
Keep in mind that some medical schools will ask how you specifically plan to help
underserved populations in your career. Volunteering with an organization that
serves traditionally underserved populations can help prove your commitment to doing just that.
While it’s true that students often gain clinical exposure when completing their volunteer work,
volunteering is not limited to the clinic. Take a close look at your previous experiences
to determine what application gaps can be addressed through volunteer work.
Next, let’s discuss the benefits of volunteering. You may not be paid in a monetary sense,
but the experience you gain is invaluable. First, and most importantly, volunteering
can help you establish the overall narrative of your application. What’s the story you
want to convey to admissions committees? For example, let’s say you want to show
admissions committees you care deeply about helping the less fortunate. You are currently
working as an EMT and often work with the homeless. Regularly volunteering at a soup
kitchen is an excellent complement to working as an EMT, as it supports your narrative that you
want to help the less fortunate and shows your commitment to the population you want to serve.
What’s currently missing from your story? Use your volunteering experiences to augment your
other activities and overall narrative. Second, volunteering opens the doors to
meeting people who share your values as well as experiences
you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else. If you’re volunteering in a hospital or clinic,
you’ll get to work with medical students, residents, nurses, pharmacists, and doctors.
You’ll get to see how a hospital operates and pick the brains of people a few years further
than you in their own medical journey—people who could one day be your colleagues.
When I was volunteering at my university hospital, I was able to hit three birds with
one stone. I was volunteering, doing clinical research, and interacting with patients. By
combining these different experiences into one, my volunteering time became that much more valuable.
It was through this experience that I got exposed to neurology and neurosurgery,
which helped solidify my interest in neuroscience. I got to explore that curiosity and see what it
was actually like to work as a practicing physician. I wasn’t just shadowing doctors,
I was enrolling patients in a clinical study alongside them. I was even able to observe some
procedures. This type of real world experience is much harder to find outside of volunteering.
Third, volunteering gives you the opportunity to stand out.
It’s easy to separate yourself from the competition through volunteering since many
people don’t take it as seriously. Without the paycheck, it’s common for students to slack off,
show up late, or put other commitments first. They do it to check a box, not because they’re
passionate for and invested in the work. The more you put into volunteering,
the more you get out. Impress your supervisors enough, and they’ll remember you down the road.
By putting in the work, you can get noticed and secure a strong letter of recommendation.
Volunteering allows the people you’re working with to get to know you,
your enthusiasm, and your work ethic. Next, unlike more competitive extracurriculars,
like research, there’s no shortage of volunteer opportunities. You’ll find a wide variety of
options, and since you’re donating your time, there usually aren’t many hoops to jump through
to gain a position. Many opportunities are entry level, and if you find something you
enjoy, you can work your way up from there, potentially even securing a leadership role.
That said, the huge number of opportunities is both a blessing and a curse. So many options make
it difficult to pick just one or two, and you may feel some FOMO for all of the opportunities
you don’t have time for. Speaking of negatives,
let’s discuss the drawbacks of volunteering. First off, volunteering is not a paid position.
You are donating your time and energy to a worthy cause. As a premed, you have very
little time or money to donate. Not only are you not getting paid for your time, but you’re also
missing out on other opportunities that do pay. Not making money for the hours upon hours you’ll
spend volunteering is a definite drawback. But the beauty of volunteer work is that you’re
often getting a better experience where you have more opportunities to excel. This is the tradeoff
and the balancing act premeds must manage. When evaluating volunteer opportunities,
don’t only consider the lack of pay—think of what you’ll gain in return.
Another downside is that you may not feel as appreciated as you would in other paid
positions. You’re often doing the grunt work as a volunteer. You might go many days without hearing
words of appreciation or affirmation from the people or community you’re working with.
This can sink your self-esteem and enthusiasm. It can be frustrating when you’re working hard,
taking other people’s flak, and often doing a job that others don’t want to do,
all while not getting paid. This can wear you down and weigh on you.
You also may not see the impact of your work, as certain volunteering experiences
won’t feel as rewarding as others. If you cannot see how your commitment is helping,
your interest and motivation may wane. Despite the disadvantages, volunteering is a
huge opportunity for premeds. It is critical that you don’t look at volunteering as a box to check
off but rather as a chance to network, expand your skills, and build upon your application narrative.
Let’s go over 4 tips for getting the most out of volunteering.
First, don’t overcommit. Although there are countless opportunities to volunteer,
you can't do everything. Picking one or two opportunities and committing to
them fully both gives you a richer experience and
looks much better on your application. Examine your schedule closely to figure
out how much time you realistically have to give. When you are helping those in need,
it can be tough to say no because you want to help. But taking on more than you can
handle hinders your schooling, application, mental and physical wellness, and ability to
give your all to your volunteer work. Remember every “yes” you commit to is
saying “no” to something else. You only have so many hours a day. You must intentionally
choose how you spend your time while keeping up with your regular coursework.
Overcommitting and overextending yourself will lead to burnout. And if you’re burnt out,
you’re not going to be able to help anyone. Second, treat volunteering experiences like a job.
Not being paid for your volunteering position doesn’t make it any less important than your
other commitments. You must take volunteering seriously, as people are depending on you. Plus,
it’s your own integrity and possible letters of recommendation on the line.
We’re not saying this will be easy. Volunteering work often lacks the structure and organization of
a job or coursework since it’s usually being managed by other volunteers.
But you can use this to your advantage. Volunteering organizations are often
understaffed. If you notice gaps in how things are run, see if there's an opportunity for you to take
on more ownership and responsibility. Do they need a person to coordinate clinic availability
and scheduling? Do they need someone to restock supplies? Are they in need of a leader? How can
you help solve the problems the organization is facing without stepping on anyone’s toes?
Admissions committees love to see students take on leadership roles. It shows initiative
and demonstrates the kind of skills it takes to become a successful doctor.
Third, show up with passion and enthusiasm. Be someone other people want to be around. Medicine
is a team sport, and volunteering is a great opportunity to hone your
social skills and work with the public. You never know what each day will bring.
For example, if you work in a free clinic, you could learn how to take blood pressure. This is
a skill you can actually apply to patient care, which can inspire you to push yourself further
and deepen your medical knowledge early on. The more energy, enthusiasm, proactiveness,
and professionalism you bring to volunteering, the more you will be noticed by your supervisors.
They will likely aim to return the favor by offering to teach you a new skill or
writing you a strong letter of recommendation. Lastly, treat everyone with empathy, and remember
your job is to help, not judge. The population you’re serving may not be particularly grateful
for you, and the people you work with may be stressed or overextended. Be patient, and be kind.
All connections and relationships are important. You never know who you will meet,
and you never know who will see you on a bad day and remember it. Lead with
empathy when dealing with each person you interact with. It won’t always be easy,
and people will try your patience, but dealing with difficult people in a calm and empathetic
way is an invaluable experience to take with you into medical school and beyond.
If you want to be a doctor, you very likely want to help people and make a
difference in the world. Volunteering your time, energy, and empathy is doing just
that. You’ll be able to go home at night knowing you helped someone in a meaningful way. For a
soon-to-be doctor, that’s what it’s all about. Ultimately, what matters most is choosing
volunteer opportunities you’re passionate about. This way, you can dive in with
authentic enthusiasm and dedication. Many applicants think the Work and
Activities section is no big deal, but this could not be further from
the truth. Admissions committees look at this section first to get a sense of
who you are and whether or not you’ll make a meaningful contribution to their student body.
It’s from serving on medical school admissions committees ourselves that we understand the
importance of the application and how each piece fits together. We’ve helped over 7,000 students
get into medical school and residency, and we can do the same for you at MedSchoolInsiders.com.
For more information about volunteering as a premed, check out our Volunteering Guide,
which includes additional strategies and resources we couldn't fit into this video.
Or go watch our other extracurricular videos on research or being an EMT.