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volunteer work for medicine

hello, i just wanted to ask about volunteer work for medicine. I am in year 12 i have already booked work experience at a pharmacy that i will complete soon as well as having completed many online courses and virtual events [will look for GP/Hospital opportunities in the future]. I am looking for volunteer work and have found work at a primary school. would this be considered a good volunteering opportunity for medicine or would a healthcare environment be more preferable?
Original post by med2023
hello, i just wanted to ask about volunteer work for medicine. I am in year 12 i have already booked work experience at a pharmacy that i will complete soon as well as having completed many online courses and virtual events [will look for GP/Hospital opportunities in the future]. I am looking for volunteer work and have found work at a primary school. would this be considered a good volunteering opportunity for medicine or would a healthcare environment be more preferable?

I mean the more experience the better, try get some experience in a care home/ hospital etc as it’ll give you a sense of how your work would be like as a doctor somewhat. Also make sure to apply for a summer school for medicine as some of these can lower your entry requirements by 1-2 grades :smile:
Reply 2
I agree with ashvinsingh. Furthermore, since you want to do a medical degree, working with children is quite relevant since for medicine, you tend to work with vulnerable people, children and elderly are both vulnerable so I would say it would be a good experience either way.
Original post by med2023
hello, i just wanted to ask about volunteer work for medicine. I am in year 12 i have already booked work experience at a pharmacy that i will complete soon as well as having completed many online courses and virtual events [will look for GP/Hospital opportunities in the future]. I am looking for volunteer work and have found work at a primary school. would this be considered a good volunteering opportunity for medicine or would a healthcare environment be more preferable?

Hi,

Having varied work experiences will look really good on your application! Of course it's easier to show your continued interest to a career in medicine if your volunteering has been in the healthcare environment. However, this does not mean that other experiences count less. As zhenli14 said, working at a primary school will expose you to children and you will learn how to interact and communicate with people of different age groups.

The main aim of work experiences is to expose you to the work of various healthcare professionals to improve your understanding of the positive and negatives of the job and to solidify your interest in the subject. However, you should also use your work experience as an opportunity to learn new skills which could be transferable to medicine. In medical interviews you'll be asked what you've learnt from your volunteering and having had opportunities outside of the healthcare sector will show your adaptability and flexibility in learning in different environments, making you a great candidate :smile:

I do recommend you try to look for other opportunities in the healthcare environment as well. You could ask your school for some help or if you have any connections to someone working in the sector you could try and arrange shadowing days in the hospital or at your local GP.
There are also some virtual work experiences available organised by medical schools you could look at or interactive video platforms where you learn about working as a GP or in other medical specialities. Alternatively, you could enrol in online courses on basic medical topics, which shows great independent learning skills and dedication. You can find more specific information here on our website, where we give ideas on opportunities available to prospect applicants on what work experiences are available for them.

Venessa
Y5 Nottingham Uni
Medic Mind
Reply 4
Original post by Medic Mind
Hi,

Having varied work experiences will look really good on your application! Of course it's easier to show your continued interest to a career in medicine if your volunteering has been in the healthcare environment. However, this does not mean that other experiences count less. As zhenli14 said, working at a primary school will expose you to children and you will learn how to interact and communicate with people of different age groups.

The main aim of work experiences is to expose you to the work of various healthcare professionals to improve your understanding of the positive and negatives of the job and to solidify your interest in the subject. However, you should also use your work experience as an opportunity to learn new skills which could be transferable to medicine. In medical interviews you'll be asked what you've learnt from your volunteering and having had opportunities outside of the healthcare sector will show your adaptability and flexibility in learning in different environments, making you a great candidate :smile:

I do recommend you try to look for other opportunities in the healthcare environment as well. You could ask your school for some help or if you have any connections to someone working in the sector you could try and arrange shadowing days in the hospital or at your local GP.
There are also some virtual work experiences available organised by medical schools you could look at or interactive video platforms where you learn about working as a GP or in other medical specialities. Alternatively, you could enrol in online courses on basic medical topics, which shows great independent learning skills and dedication. You can find more specific information here on our website, where we give ideas on opportunities available to prospect applicants on what work experiences are available for them.

Venessa
Y5 Nottingham Uni
Medic Mind

hello! thank you so much for the advice it has been very helpful <3
would you mind at all of i sent you my list of everything i have done so far for feedback?
if not i understand, thank you
Original post by med2023
hello, i just wanted to ask about volunteer work for medicine. I am in year 12 i have already booked work experience at a pharmacy that i will complete soon as well as having completed many online courses and virtual events [will look for GP/Hospital opportunities in the future]. I am looking for volunteer work and have found work at a primary school. would this be considered a good volunteering opportunity for medicine or would a healthcare environment be more preferable?
hello I am also a year 1 student I would like to ask how or where were you able to get the work experience at a pharmacy as I have been searching and its something I'm very interested in

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