Volunteering Opportunities
Volunteering to serve your community is an integral part of the journey to medical school; after all, health professions are dedicated to studying and treating the well-being of others. Take a look at the list of opportunities we've compiled for gaining volunteering experience!
General Volunteering
These general volunteering roles (most likely) do not count as clinical experience, yet allow you to explore service to others regardless of the setting.
The Red Cross is always a great option when choosing a large organization to volunteer for. Training is provided for certain volunteer options. Online volunteering available.
VolunteerMatch is a great place to look for opportunities to help your community. It has a large variety of positions and local volunteering opportunities.
Joining a non-profit
You could join a non-profit organization to aid in its efforts. If this non-profit has a chapter at your school or any other institutions you're a part of, it's a great way to work with others in an environment you're familiar with to create change!
As part of Crisis Text Line, you'll communicate with people in crises to help calm them down. It's a great way to test the waters while still having an impact.
Feed My Starving Children is a very well-known, large organization. If you're new to service or volunteering, this is one of the easiest organizations to start at.
Other Ideas
Some other places/roles you might consider volunteering for could include:
-Soup kitchen volunteer
-Homeless shelter volunteer
-Camp counselor
-Tutor
-Local library volunteer
-Senior living home volunteer
Clinical Volunteering
These clinical volunteering roles (most likely) do count as clinical experience. This is a vital aspect of medical school applications, demonstrating your interest in service to others through health. What we've done here is provide information on roles you might be interested in, since we can't list out opportunities that are specific to your location.
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Important note: many of these opportunities may require training or a license (such as a CNA or PCT), which can be earned at centers near you in roughly 4-8 weeks.
As an emergency medical volunteer, you'll gain clinical experience working with patients in emergency situations. Click on the link above to learn more.
Local Hospital Volunteer
Find local hospitals or clinical centers in your area and apply to volunteer from their website (use the internet to your advantage). This is one of the best ways to gain volunteering hours in a general setting.
Clinical Research
Some research may be considered clinical if it runs clinical trials. Ask counselors, professors, and any other sources of information. Clinical research experience isn't easy for undergraduates to get, so make the most of your resources to pursue such opportunities!
In hospice settings, work is done to ease people into the ends of their lives. It's a meaningful line of work. Find out more through the link above.
Blood/Vaccinations Volunteer
Chances are, your school or any other institution you're a part of holds blood drives or vaccination clinics. Volunteering to administer vaccines or draw blood can benefit your experience.
Other Ideas
Some other places/roles you might consider could include:
-Testing center scientist (Covid, Flu, etc.)
-Rehab facility volunteer
-Social service agency volunteer (Alzheimer's Association, the suicide hotline, etc.)
-Crisis center volunteer
-Any specific clinical programs offered by your college or university