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What kind of volunteer work should I do for anesthesiology?

I have worked with the Florida Department of Health in research, I have made blankets for the homeless and have helped develop a social media platform for pancreatic cancer awareness. I am going to school for my BS in pre med and ecology. I don't know if it is frowned upon to not get any hospital experience before my internship. But, I can't find anything that will let me get hands on experience unless I am a nurse of some sort. #internship #pre-med #anesthesia #hospital #volunteer #doctor #biology #medicine #hospital-and-health-care #anesthesiologist #college

biology internship pre-med volunteer hospital anesthesiologist anesthesia
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Yasemin’s Answer

Hi Brooke! First of all amazing job, all of that sounds truly great! Okay so with being a premed student besides the classes, volunteering is really important! All of the things you have done sound amazing; it is important to make sure to keep these activities going in college as well. I would choose some meaningful activities and keep with them. For internships- do you mean medical school- because that would be your application to medical school just like applying to college but instead to medical school with some differences of course. Now it may be hard maybe if you are in Idaho to work in Florida but in college as a premed you really want to show that you care about medicine and helping others. Usually medical school prefers both clinical volunteering and nonclinical; for clinical you can volunteer in a hospital. Right now with COVID all kinds of in person volunteering seem difficult; therefore you may want to wait if you can't find something. There are sites for nonclinical online volunteering but if you are early in your education then hopefully maybe by next year things may be get better where premed students can get involved again! Once things get better definitely go for some kind of clinical volunteering maybe in a nursing home or a hospital; I read that if you are near patients it is considered clinical volunteering but meaningful interactions also matter so keep that in mind! I also think hospitals, especially the emergency room is an excellent place to volunteer, you get to see a lot of different cases and have great interactions with patients; it really exposes you to medicine. Also, where did you make blankets for individuals facing financial difficulties? If you can keep that going and stay more affiliated in it and help maybe more like expand your volunteering that would be great for medical school! It's also nice that you made a social media platform for pancreatic cancer awareness, it shows initiative, empathy and leadership! Remember to keep up your grades in the premed route, visit your premed adviser in college and check out AAMC.org, it is the official site for medical school and beyond!

Let me know if you have more questions!

I hope this helps!
Best of luck!

Yasemin recommends the following next steps:

Check out AAMC.org
Thank you comment icon I really appreciate your answer. It seems that it is difficult to find clinical volunteering unless you have experience. I will ensure to check out that website that you mentioned. How many hours of clinical volunteering should I do, would you recommend? I have a 2.95 GPA as a sophomore but that is due to reasons that I have overcome. My avg GPA now is a 3.7. I hope I can get it up to a 3.4 at least. My science GPA is good. I keep my grades at As as much as possible. Does my science GPA matter more than my overall? I definitely experience anxiety from my mistakes when I first started college, so I apologize. I haven't had the chance to talk to someone who knows what they're talking about. If you have any advice, Id love to hear it. Thank you again. Brooke
Thank you comment icon Of course! I'd love to help! The premed route can be scary! I just want to clarify your overall GPA is a 3.7 ? Which GPA do you want to get up to 3.4- the sophomore year one? Honestly both GPAs do matter, you want a good GPA for medical school like 3.8+ and science GPA should be 3.6+ , the higher the better. Each school does have averages however and it's okay that you overcame things that's excellent! We learn each and everyday and that could be something you put in your essays that helped you mature! Yasemin G.
Thank you comment icon Your MCAT score also matters a 508+ is a good match for medical schools; usually they say higher GPA can compensate for a lower MCAT score and vice versa but it's always good to hit those targets. Medical schools you apply to also make a difference, medical schools in your state have an instate preference. Yasemin G.
Thank you comment icon Make sure to check out medical schools and their averages; these averages are for the students that got in but of course can vary. A 512 MCAT average does not mean that every med student had that MCAT score there was higher and lower. For clinical volunteering usually it is a 100 hours but over time helps more; so doing 4hrs/week for 2-3 years will stand out more than only 3 months. It's important to build those interactions and really make meaningful experiences out of it! Usually hospitals do like to take volunteers through their programs; try to search a couple hospitals in your area if you have not already and see if they offer any programs. Yasemin G.
Thank you comment icon Also shadowing a physician is important as well - it is really difficult currently but getting some physician time will help in getting to know the daily life of a doctor! In addition there are other other experiences as well such as scribing, being an EMT these can also help in clinical experience. I am attaching a website as well to give more information on experiences for medical school and volunteering. https://hpa.princeton.edu/faqs/activities-faq/clinical-experience I hope this gives more information- please always feel free to ask! I'll help as much as possible! Had to add comments a couple times due to character count -sorry! Yasemin G.
Thank you comment icon Lastly the premed route can be stressful make sure to find time to unwind and relax! Mental health is also important! :) Yasemin G.
Thank you comment icon You're the best!! I will definitely look into shadowing and ensure I get that clinical experience ASAP. But, all is good. Yeah, I take about 6-8 hours a day for homework. I could use a break. About 2 hours of it is procrastinating though and searching the web. BUT, my overall GPA is a 2.95. I am trying to get it at a 3.4 at the least by the time I graduate. Brooke
Thank you comment icon Aww it's great you are studying- keep it up! I know distractions can be hard, I usually put my phone away and listen to meditation music when studying! It's good you overcame things and got that GPA up! A 3.4 can be on the lower side for medical schools however a higher MCAT can compensate! You still have time though so just try to keep up the pace and do well in classes for now. At the end of graduation you will be able to see what you have! Yasemin G.
Thank you comment icon There is also a LizzyM score calculator on student doctor network -a forum for premed students- it tells you your chance at medical school admissions based ONLY on GPA and MCAT score so definitely take it with a grain of salt. Medical schools look at the applicant holistically but I do think it is helpful to have some type of idea in mind, this is however just one factor. You still have much time! Keep up the good work future doctor! :) Yasemin G.
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Eric’s Answer

Dear Brook, I greatly applaud your serving efforts in helping people. As in premed, it seemed to imply that you are planning on perusing anesthesia??
Then with your inquiring and highly innovative mind.
You may want to see if you can volunteer on COPD, or other respiratory tract including infections. Getting to know the anatomy physiology of circulatory tract. Build your chemistry skills also I feel you are compassionate for people who have cancer. You may want to volunteer at cancer centers. You will also have to take mental health classes. It’s difficult to be with someone who is dying slowly and how does that affect human emotions and the behaviors of humans.
First understanding the present world today. I encourage your educational goals. As I can remember a saying from Radio Player One. Reality is the only thing that is real. I say you have the power to create what you want. But do your research, make calls to The different agencies to see if you can become a certified care giver. You might be able to have a gainful employment while going to school is always an option as well.
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Simeon’s Answer

I have completed a chaplain residency program and would recommend volunteer work that involves sitting down with patients just to visit with and listen to them. In the medical field, it is incredibly common for personnel to become detached as a means of emotionally coping with their patients' pain. However, there are better ways to cope and it's helpful to see patients without being medically responsible for them. It helps open your eyes to their needs, worries, and perspective coming to the hospital, which will vastly improve your ability to offer quality care.
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