Volunteering

[Guest qt ubc]

How/where can I gain more clinical experience? (I currently volunteer in a hospital setting)

[Guest monkey]

Hi there,

 

This was my first real application to UBC. I just had my interviews last month in fact. From my interviews, encounters with medical students (friends of mine) and from residents (my sister and her friends), my impression is that it is not so important that you have clinical experience per se as general people skills.

 

I know that since you are interested in medicine, that is one aspect of where you are gravitated towards. In terms of work, you can also try to see if there is postings for Health Policy and Research Center...They sometimes have clinically related experiences.

 

However, in terms of interpersonal skills...this is one of the most important things I learned...people are people (just like the depeche mode song) and people you meet in the hospital are the same people you see on the street, in house next door etc etc. So the key is to look for experiences where you will come in contact with all different sorts of people...not just the kind you meet at school.

 

I think many of the skills that I have used in the hospital, where I both work and volunteer are the same ones that I garnered as a busboy in chinese restaurants and working as a barista at Starbuck's.

 

Of course, when I was in Guyana working on a AIDS education project, I got to see a great example of how culture has an impact on how we provide care. However, there are also other ways that are equally contributive locally and allows you to see the 'social' side of medicine. If you are at UBC, the Learning Exchange offers a good chance for interacting with residents of the Downtown Eastside. If I was still in undergrad, I would definately start there.

 

Other things that they also asked me about in my interview with regard to my interactions with people was my involvement with a local organization called PLEA that deals with youth at risk. I got into this program because a lot of my friends caused a lot of mischief as youth so I related well with the kids. I think the interviewer was interested by this experience because it was not as typical but more so because she could see that I had a genuine interest in this area. That is why I think that so many of these moderators stress on doing things that you are interested in...because following paths that you are gravitated towards with no specific career goal in mind is how you discover the most about what 'you are about' And in the end that is what the adcoms want to know.

 

The real key I think is to know yourself and stay true to yourself.

 

Good luck

[Guest not rex morgan]

Great advice Monkey. I totally agree with you. If you are fishing for interesting ideas, why not talk to Volunteer Vancouver, if they are still in existance. You can go in and meet with them, tell them what fields you're interested, and they can print off a list of organisations. They probably have a website now that I think of it. You say you volunteer in a hospital. If you want more clinical experience, you have to keep in mind that they are not going to let you practice your clinical skills. It's not depth you're looking for. If you want to see more things, why don't you try another type of care facility. If you are in an acute care unit now, why not try and extended care unit. I did that. I ran a card playing program and helped out with their miscellaneous fun night. Lots of great stories to be had. You can take on different roles as they have different programs to make the residents feel like it is their home. I know some of these places have beauty parlours. You could hang out with some people with interesting stories, and paint nails. You could take people on walks, or just talk. You could try a rehab facility like GF Strong, or Peterson. Like Monkey said, the adcoms are looking for diverse people experience, but you'll be alot more fullfilled if you gravitate to things you find interesting and important.