BC - volunteering & more...

[Guest JSK]

Hi,

 

Has anybody in BC come across a good volunteering opportunity (ie - provides practical experience or get to work with doctors, etc)? What sort of jobs has everybody done? Any suggestions?

 

Also, I've seen a lot of talk about "research" especially when it comes to pre-med scholarships and whatnot. What type of research are they talking about and is it a necessity to have some research experience before med school? If so, I would have no clue where to begin...

 

One more thing, when I become a doctor I would like to work in a staff position as a Pediatric specialist or ER doc. However, I was looking at the job postings on some Vancouver/Lower Mainland hospital websites and they have vitually no demand for doctors in staff positions. Huh? I don't think I'd like to be the traditional type with my own practice and perhaps seeing patients in the hospital only for surgeries and whatever. How do these staff positions work? How can I go about pursuing a full-time career working in a hospital? (That reminds me, what if I'm a resident looking at these specialties, I would be working in a hospital right? What happens after that?)

[Guest Ian Wong]

Check into your local volunteering associations. Also check the hospitals.

 

Research is often done at the undergraduate level, and is often not medical in subject. For instance, a Chem major is unlikely, unless there are professors in that faculty interested in biological processes, to find biomedical research if all his/her professors specialize in other areas of chem. However, research of any type and subject demonstrates your ability to work independantly, write effectively, and read and understand the published literature. Those skills are important for med school, which is why they are valued.

 

Don't worry about jobs. The job postings you see on websites are a fraction of what is available out there. If you want a job in a certain specialty, there's a huge chance you'll get it, especially after the next decade when all the baby-boomer doctors have started retiring en masse.

 

Ian

UBC, Med 3

[Guest monkey]

There is so much you can do in terms of volunteering! If you are studying at UBC, there is an office called volunteer services that sets you with a position according to your interests. But if you are studying elsewhere, I'm sure there is also a comparable service.

 

If you are looking for direct interaction with patients, I think the hospital is the place to go. If you are interested in pediatrics, then perhaps try the children's hospital.

 

However, there are also many cool opportunities with non govermental organizations that offer interesting volunteering opportunities abroad. Last year I went on 2 and a half month project in a rural community in Guyana, South America with an organization called Youth Challenge International. We gathered together local nurses, doctors and high school students for discussions about local health issues (eg AIDS, teen pregnancy). I would highly recommend these kinds of volunteering opportunities as they give you insight into health care issues in different cultural and social contexts. But in addition (and in some sense more importantly for me), it really allows you gain perspective and explore personal growth. The best way to access these opportunities is through the Canadian International Development Agency Web Site <a href=http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/index.htm> www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/index.htm</a> .

 

By the way if you are out at UBC and would like to check out some experiences of others who have been through cool volunteering experiences, you should come to a forum called "Empowering Communities" in January. The exact date has not yet been released...but you might want to keep up with details on this website ....

 

<a href=http://www.howlingsheep.com> www.howlingsheep.com</a>

 

Hope this helps.... and good luck!