Rene_90 Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 I am looking for a fun exciting place to volunteer this summer but i live in a decently small and boring city (Fredericton, NB). I was wondering if anyone has any help, advice or stories about there volunteering experience that could help me choose an area that would suite me. I am open to any kind of situation from answering calls in the middle of the night to children's summer camp. Any advise would be greatly appreciated as i need to find somewheres to start asap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamer Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 <Insert do what you love statement here> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osmosis Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 hey dude, in all seriousness i think you should volunteer somewhere that for you is fun and truly enjoyable. b/c you will gain alot more from that experience, and will be motivated to continue doing it. that being said, i think it is important to have some clinical or medical related volunteer experience to illustrate that you are genuinely interested in the profession, vs those who watch house or grey's anatomy and decide to go to med school based on the hollywood version. i have been volunteering at a hospital that is geared toward teaching med students for the past 6 years. the staff is great, and even though i do sometimes get tired of volunteering, i can honestly say that i do enjoy my time while i am there. so, i would advise first and foremost for you to pick something you will enjoy and feel a sense of reward from. secondly, if you can, find something that is related to a medical or clinical setting. you don't have to, but if you can, it'll be the icing on the cake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rene_90 Posted May 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 haha House is a good show tho.... My first choice would be to volunteer at a hospital. However i hear that they would most likely not give me many responsibility's. I mean from what I've seen most people my age (graduating high school) don't even get to bring trays to patients or even talk/cheer them up. What kind of Position did you fill when you just started out volunteering at the hospital? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osmosis Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 well, when i started, i worked on a unit. i mostly distributed meal trays, fed patients, and helped them move around. but then i moved to emerg where i had more responsibilities like getting labs, charts, taking patients to rooms, running blood and urine samples...etc. it depends on where in the hospital you volunteer. some peeps volunteer in a gift shop, selling flowers. i don't really get the point of that. but whatever. find a few units or departments you are intersted in, and just ask what your duties entail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rene_90 Posted May 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 How long did it take you to move up to the emergency room? Something like that would be interesting. I should probably start out there and hopefully I'll be allowed to have some exciting duties by the time i hit 2th year university. Oh and thanks for the help and sorry for bombarding you with questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osmosis Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 well, it wasn't really a matter of "moving up". it was more a matter of turning 18, b/c that is the minimum required age for volunteering in emerg. also, emerg is a very popular choice amongst pre-health profession volunteers, so i had to wait until a suitable shift opened up, and then jumped on it. if i were you, i wouls start volunteering this summer to get your foot in the door. get into a department and unit that you like, and then just remain consistent. that way, when you are ready to apply to med you will already have been volunteering for a couple of years and will have accumulated 200+ hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rene_90 Posted May 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 thanks that sounds like a good plan. I just emailed my local hospitals volunteer coordinator so hopefully she will let me know what is availlable and how the applying process works. Im excited to hear back and to start. (haha im sure that will wear off after them telling me that i have to sit there and fill stuff for thousands of hours) Again thanks for all the help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osmosis Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 no problem. all the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviathan Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 If you want some introductory experience to health care, then volunteering at a hospital is a decent way to do that. You won't get experience with your own patient care, but you'll at least see a bit of how the hospital system works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Espere Une Minute Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 Hi Rene_90 - I actually volunteer at the Fredericton Hospital right now. I started helping out at the Veterans' Health Unit last year and I'm doing a second shift in Pediatrics this summer. I'm not sure how the student program works (I worked full-time when I started so I was only eligible for the evening programs) but I can tell you that I do get to interact with patients/residents Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osmosis Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 I love flowers hahahahaha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostgirl123 Posted May 23, 2008 Report Share Posted May 23, 2008 To op: If you like kids, Camp Trillium would be a great place to volunteer. I don't know if you have heard of it, but it's a camp for kids and their families that have dealt with childhood cancer. For the upcoming summer season, they have overnight camps where you basically become a camp counsellor. They have volunteer opportunities throughout the year as well. I just became a volunteer(you have to be 18), so I haven't actually being to a camp yet, but I'm really excited about it. go to camptrillium.com and look for volunteering Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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