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How much voluntary work?

How much voluntary work did you do? Ive been doing about 3ish months now. Is this enough or do i need more experience? The only problem is that i live far away from any hospices, homes etc.

Also, where did u guys do yours? Just interested.

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I did none and i got there
Reply 2
Avatar for Dekota
Dekota
Well I did 2 hours a week at M&S as per a job.

At the hospital I did 18 hours a week.
2 weeks in walk in centre, 3 times on a ward and about 4 times at daycare
Reply 4
Avatar for randdom
randdom
20
I did some voluntary work looking after children but not a huge amount
Reply 5
Avatar for Lecter
Lecter
12
Thats not fair, i did and am doing loads and getting a job at the residential home a volunteer at (as i am reapplying, but no offers...............i am so sad :frown: :frown: i jsut feel like giving up........... :frown: )!

4 months a GP surgery and 2 shelter homes (during end of as exams and start of year 13)
1 year 7 months residential home
Queens Burton hospital for a week shadowing and 1 week at a BUPA, private hospital
since mid-july 2005 Good Hope Hospital as volunteer, was on outpatients now on ward 18/eau so shadow docs, bloods etc (and couple hours watching angiograms?)
and since mid-july 2005 with St Johns Ambulance
started on august 2004 at halfords but quit other day to get job at residential home
Reply 6
Avatar for Saf!
Saf!
3 days shadowing, and currently working voluntarily in a hospice
it really depends where you apply. Some places (esp. Manchester) seem to practically demand some long term caring experience (3-6 months plus from the people at interview on the same day as me) but a girl from my school got a birmingham offer with none, just doctor stalking.

I have been volunteering at my local hospital for virtually a year now in 2 wards with old people and dialysis patients. I say do as much as you can without damaging school work because it's really good fun and destressing.
Reply 8
Avatar for Lecter
Lecter
12
michaela_banana
it really depends where you apply. Some places (esp. Manchester) seem to practically demand some long term caring experience (3-6 months plus from the people at interview on the same day as me) but a girl from my school got a birmingham offer with none, just doctor stalking.

I have been volunteering at my local hospital for virtually a year now in 2 wards with old people and dialysis patients. I say do as much as you can without damaging school work because it's really good fun and destressing.


I agree with that. But if you can get a voluntary placement 1-2 hours a week, thats all really. I did alot more during holidays as during school term time i had my parttime work and sports stuff. I suppose the quality over quantity plays a part.
Reply 9
Avatar for *Emily*
*Emily*
1
sayed_samed
I suppose the quality over quantity plays a part.

i hope so! :wink: i've only done med-related w/e at an MS centre, but i found it really good coz it was quite hands-on really, i also have my job, and we have plenty of awkward ppl to deal with when they're late for the train (or just really p*ssed) :rolleyes:
Reply 10
Avatar for Scipio
Scipio
13
- 3 months in an Eldery people's home
- 1 week at a summer playscheme for autistic children
- 1 week shadowing various doctors/technicians at the cardiology department at a hospital, including watching 2 surgical procedures
- Red Cross (starting proper training soon)
- Volunteering at a charity shop
Reply 11
Avatar for Anathema
Anathema
1
I did a year in a nursing home once a week. But that was for my gold Dof E as well so I got more out of it. Dont do volunteering for the sake of volunteering and getting into med school... do it cos you want to and do as much as you can... you'l be helping people who need your help.
when i did my voluntary work at the hospital i found that they didnt really want me there. they never had anything to do and they just told me to go home after about an hour thats why i didnt stay very long has anybody else found this and did it put them off
Reply 13
Avatar for *Liana*
*Liana*
1
I did about 3 hours a week for my Lower Sixth year... it was good sometimes, except there wasn't really a proper role for me there. Oh, but I also help with the Brownies every week and do St. John Ambulance, because I enjoy these activites, so it's not really volunteer 'work' as such.

I really think it depends where you apply, and on the other aspects of your application. And how you perform at interview.
Reply 14
Avatar for Madprof
Madprof
12
2 hours helping at residential care home (six months)
2 hours a week at local hospital (nine months, since April)
4 hours a week working at Oxfam Bookshop (four months, since September)
Lunchtime singing/signing club with children with severe LDs (twoish years)
Running a Youth Council in my village (threeish years)
... plus the obligatory doctor-stalking at a couple of hospitals :smile:

michellehall
when i did my voluntary work at the hospital i found that they didnt really want me there. they never had anything to do and they just told me to go home after about an hour thats why i didnt stay very long has anybody else found this and did it put them off
Yes, I have this problem too! It put me off a bit - I've been doing two hours a week since April (my birthday, actually!) and it is very much up to me to find something to do. Talking to patients is great, but when I go, it's visiting time and there is rarely anyone to talk to. I ended up having to count incontinence pads last time! Oh well, at least it shows staying power. There have been good times too - some of the patients, particularly on my old ward, were lovely to talk to.
it really depends for me. I do a proper ward and the dialysis unit. On the ward i often feel more like a hindrance so it's easier if i can find something to do for an hour (talking to a patient, making up nurses packs) and not bother them, because i can't do patient lifting or toilet trips etc. which means i can't really shadow HCAs and nurses. However on the other ward i feel really appreciated and they give me a lot to do. But if i'm deep in conversation with a patient about the football i still don't feel pressured to get on with something constructive. (ie. they are lovely and amazing and great)

Quality over quantity? I don't know... quantity, even if the work gets dull occaisionally, shows long term commitment to something through thick and thin. 1 or 2 week placements don't really demonstrate that you'd be able to commit to 5/6 years at medical school and proper tough junior doctoring.


ps. yes i am aware doctoring is not a verb.
Feels like I've been volunteering for bloody ages!
I did a little over a year in a local hospital trolley-pushing, then stopped doing that to work in a hospice, which I've done every other Saturday for over a year now.
Then theres volunteering at a playscheme for children with special needs, being a prefect/trained student listener at school, and raising money for a charity for orphans in Romania (3 weeks til I go!). If I'd been paid for the number of hours of voluntary work I've done I'd be a rich rich lady :biggrin:
You did start early! I wish i'd been coming on this website when i was in year 10/11. I'd have done so much more.
Bit hard finding w/e in Dubai but...

2 hours a week in a special needs school done two months will go on till June
2 hours a week in a walk in clinic, same as above...

not sure if its enough :s-smilie:
should be, did you tell the unis you'd be doing it until june?

not that i'm an admissions tutor.....

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