omni Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 you apply to a volunteering position? say at a senior's home or hospital. I recently saw an volunteering opportunity online and sent an email telling them that i am interested. However i have gotten no reply after a few days and just called today to make sure that the person in charge received the email. The old lady on the phone asked me to tell me about my self/my availability.. etc, then she told me all these positions that would suit my scheduel. However in the end she suddenly said some **** like "these positions require good communication skill with seniors with alchimers and i dont think that this is a good place for you to start (volunteering) given you past lack of experience." The advertisement clearly said "no previous experience working with seniors required":mad: and i assured her that i should have no trouble and will learn very quickly, but she just kept telling me how i was suppose to be "selling my self to her" with this phone call and shes "not sold". i explained that i have sent an detailed email a few days ago and have gotten no reply so far and is calling just to see "what's up"( for a lack of better word at that time). I think she got pissed after that and told me she only works 3 days a week and cant get back emails fast enough and thats whats up. In the end i asked if there is a "beginner's" position avaiable for people with no experience in this area and she just told me off and hung up rather fast. what a $%#@ing B!t(h. Man i was just so shocked after that b/c i thought getting a volunteering postion would be easy. Now it seems any place would required screening/interview and hospital wont let you apply unless you are 19. I'm so suprised when i see people posting that they've been volunterring in hospitals since grade 9. You guys ever ran into problems like what i experienced today? or have some advise on how to prepare before applying to these positions? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenola Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Yeah, I know it can be frustrating applying for volunteer positions. I know when I was pre med, I thought that it would be a piece of cake getting one. But then I went to talk to the volunteer lady for what I thought was just a quick "do it cuz you have to" interview, which actually turned out to be quite a formal interview. Most of my other volunteer positions have been the same since then. I think you have to realize that: 1) even though you aren't getting paid, you still do have a huge impact on the quality of life of the people you interact with. Point: just cuz your not getting paid doesn't mean that its not an important position worthy of consideration for every applicant. 2)also, a lot of the volunteer coordinators are either volunteers themselves, or work severely reduced work weeks. Hence, maybe the delay in email. 3)I guess the flux of health care pre-students have created a flux of people wanting to work in volunteer positions. Not that they have a real overabundance, but, lets face it, every tom **** and harry that wants to get into med starts off by volunteering. This is great! But see point 1 above...I think volunteering is a priviledge, and I don't think that jumping a few hoops is a problem. In fact, I would like to have been turned down by a few volunteer orgs just to increase my confidence in their screening procedure. All in all, I'm sorry if you had a bad experince with this one volunteering position. DOn't take it to heart...DO treat it like a job interview and prepare to be unacceptable for a few jobs. Remember, its not medicine, but its still people's lives you are dealling with. Kenola Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploughboy Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Good on you for taking the initiative to find a volunteer position in a health-care setting, especially while you're still in highschool! You're miles ahead of many of your colleagues. ...The _old lady_ on the phone... [emphasis added] ...she suddenly said some **** like "these positions require good communication skill.... ... is calling just to see "what's up" ...I think she got pissed... ...what a $%#@ing B!t(h... I realize you're blowing off some steam here because you're upset that you didn't get the position, but if the above quotes are representative of how the phone conversation actually went then I kinda think that the...ahem...old lady had a point. You may want to reconsider your approach and incorporate a little more diplomacy into your next conversation. You guys ever ran into problems like what i experienced today? or have some advise on how to prepare before applying to these positions? thanks Rejection is a part of life, so I wouldn't get too worked up about one particular position at one particular institution. Do appreciate that there can be difficulties involved in getting volunteer positions with some organizations, and treat the application like you would an app for a paying job. Anything else I'd wanna say Kenola has said better already. Lots o' luck...pb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachy Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 In Ontario, I think that the relatively new requirement that all high school students have some volunteer hours before they graduate has probably created problems for organizations that accept volunteers. I wonder if they've had bad experiences with students who just want to get their volunteer hours logged, don't care about the experience itself, etc, and now they are needing to be extra careful about who they allow to work with their clients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satsuma Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Hi Omni, Do not give up hope, you will eventually find a position that fits. People with dementia are quite a special population. Even trained professionals can experience difficulty with communication and managing behaviours in this population (especially depending on the stage). I have worked on 2 dementia units and most volunteers were family members (who have dealt with the disease for some time) or university students in healthcare programs. If you do have a particular interest in Alzheimer's Disease, perhaps you could contact your local Alzheimer's Society and ask if you could volunteer with them. Best of luck Sats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muchdutch Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Like the others said, just keep trying. I'm sure there have been other areas in your life that you have been touched that you can volunteer like underpriveleged youth, an 'average' old-folks home, big brothers/big sisters, after-school tutoring at your old elementary, etc. There's a lot to choose from besides just volunteering with a hospital, you just need to get out there and look for it. Even if you think of something that you could do, you could set up a volunteer position for yourself (and perhaps others too!) which would show leadership as well as philanthropy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiel Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Btw, what grade are you in? If you explain that you are a university student and would love the opportunity to have some clinical, one on one experience with somebody there really shouldn't be a problem! I am currently a grade 12 student and have been volunteering at a general hospital for 2 years now. Maybe, call up several hospitals/clinics/retirement homes in the area and ask if they are recruiting volunteers. Hope you get volunteer work somewhere!! best of luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviathan Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 you apply to a volunteering position? say at a senior's home or hospital. I recently saw an volunteering opportunity online and sent an email telling them that i am interested. However i have gotten no reply after a few days and just called today to make sure that the person in charge received the email. The old lady on the phone asked me to tell me about my self/my availability.. etc, then she told me all these positions that would suit my scheduel. However in the end she suddenly said some **** like "these positions require good communication skill with seniors with alchimers and i dont think that this is a good place for you to start (volunteering) given you past lack of experience." The advertisement clearly said "no previous experience working with seniors required":mad: and i assured her that i should have no trouble and will learn very quickly, but she just kept telling me how i was suppose to be "selling my self to her" with this phone call and shes "not sold". i explained that i have sent an detailed email a few days ago and have gotten no reply so far and is calling just to see "what's up"( for a lack of better word at that time). I think she got pissed after that and told me she only works 3 days a week and cant get back emails fast enough and thats whats up. In the end i asked if there is a "beginner's" position avaiable for people with no experience in this area and she just told me off and hung up rather fast. what a $%#@ing B!t(h. Man i was just so shocked after that b/c i thought getting a volunteering postion would be easy. Now it seems any place would required screening/interview and hospital wont let you apply unless you are 19. I'm so suprised when i see people posting that they've been volunterring in hospitals since grade 9. You guys ever ran into problems like what i experienced today? or have some advise on how to prepare before applying to these positions? thanks As a person in charge of a volunteer organization, I have to express the same sentiments as this woman. We have an overwhelming number of people that want to volunteer with us, yet the majority of them end up being less than stellar with their commitment and competency. Don't take it personally; just realize that there will always be some cherry picking when you have a large pool to select from. I'm not saying you aren't qualified for the job, but maybe you need to learn how to sell yourself better. Alternatively,perhaps you just aren't suited for this type of volunteer position. At any rate, I don't think being rude or condescending to applicants is a good idea, so she was not right for doing that. If this was something you were really interested in, find your local Alzheimer's society to volunteer at, get some experience with communication skills, and then reapply. They will appreciate your persistence and take you on if that other experience helps with your ability to volunteer for them. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiel Posted September 14, 2006 Report Share Posted September 14, 2006 Question, Why can you not look for volunteer work elsewhere? Go to a hospital there are tons of things you can do there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurfette Posted September 14, 2006 Report Share Posted September 14, 2006 If you're having a problem getting the volunteer positions you want due to lack of experience, you might want to try other volunteer jobs that are easier to get. There are usually tonnes of opportunities in your high school (eg. peer tutoring or counselling, volunteering with special needs students, etc.). There are also a number of different youth organizations that you can join that do service. An organization is much more likely to be able to get "unqualified" students positions than you going out on your own. You might also try going to places where you (or your parents) know people. Examples: your elementary school, your church, your community centre, etc. Once you start to gain some experience, then it'll be easier to get the more competitive volunteer roles. Don't give up! And don't get too upset or angry when things don't go your way. Unfortunately, that's life. Just one more thing to add: the more positions you apply for, the more likely you're going to get something. So just apply to more. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omni Posted September 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2006 thanks for all the responses and positive feedbacks. i really appreciate them. they definitely cheered me up. I kind of posted this thread in desperation cuz i just felt like $&!t after what happened. I was angry and i guess scared at the same time b/c it felt like a premonition that i dont have what it takes to get into medical school given what had happened with this incident. Its sort of the first step i took in preparation for possibility of applying to med school in the future and i basically got kicked in the nuts. I will definitely keep on trying to improve myself and be persistant. thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bustylegs Posted September 14, 2006 Report Share Posted September 14, 2006 All the posters provided great feedback. I would just like to re-emphasize the importance of presenting oneself professionally in settings such as calling a potential workplace. Phrases such as "Just calling to see what's up" do not reflect well on you as a person... Since you're still in highschool, there's a lot of time for you to learn, but it's never too late to start! Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarface Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 that sucks man, based on what you have told us, I do agree that the old lady is a f***ing b***h for deceiving you, but hey that's life, you can't like everyone you deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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