Medical schools are always seeking candidates that give back to their community to demonstrate a commitment.
When you willingly donate your time and effort to community service, you are volunteering. So, you cannot consider anything to be voluntary labor if you are being paid for it.
Although it is not officially required for medical school applicants to volunteer, Yet, prior to applying to medical school, all medical schools strongly advise gaining experience in a medically relevant field.
Down below I listed volunteer options for not only premed students but for students in general that are both clinical and non-clinical, as well as online.
Your volunteer work is of a much higher caliber than it is in quantity. Consider volunteering as a way to develop and learn about your personal uniqueness. Not just a requirement for medical school.
Categories of volunteering:
Clinical work
Voluntary non-clinical work
Clinical settings like a hospital, nursing homes, blood banks, COVID testing facilities, etc. are where clinical volunteering takes place.
Anything not related to medicine is non-clinical volunteering. Taking part in volunteer work at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter, for instance.
Although the required number of volunteer hours for medical school is unknown, the typical candidate has 100 or so.
If you don't have any clinical experience, you might wish to look for other volunteer positions in the field.
Where Do I Find Volunteer Opportunities?
Well, I am here to help! always start with a quick google search. See what comes up and what volunteer opportunities are in your area. You can also ask your peers or join your university’s premed club!
You can also find volunteer opportunities on these websites:
Clinical Volunteer Opportunities for Premeds
On the websites of your neighborhood hospital, free clinic, hospice, COVID testing facility, etc., you can find numerous possibilities for clinical volunteers.
Due to the few opportunities available and rather drawn-out onboarding procedure, clinical volunteer experience might be more challenging to get than non-clinical volunteer experience.
The premed clubs at your university will also have volunteer opportunities to participate in throughout the semester. So be sure to look out for some of those.
The University of Alabama Students ONLY**
Bama Pulse -- is an app that allows you to record your volunteer service hours and impacts. You can search for local nonprofits and on-campus service organizations.
Volunteerbama -- Main source to find all volunteer opportunities
Al’s Pals ✏ UA students an opportunity to serve as mentors and tutors for elementary children in Tuscaloosa City and County schools providing academic
BABH -- Beat Auburn Beat Hunger
EAT -- The Food Bank of East Alabama
Habitat for Humanity -- work outside of Tuscaloosa by hosting awareness events, undertaking fundraising initiatives, and collaborating with groups like Beyond Bama.
Serving Bama -- weekly volunteer opportunities with neighborhood nonprofits working on issues like conservation and the outdoors
UADM -- University of Alabama Dance Marathon exists to raise funds for the children being treated at Children's of Alabama by raising awareness about pediatric illness.
Some of these volunteer opportunities may be clinical.
Clinical volunteering ideas:
patient transporter🚐
emergency department volunteer🚨
hospice volunteer👩🏾⚕️
local clinic volunteer (planned parenthood, cancer, underserved communities)👩🏾🍼
EMT volunteer🚑
covid testing volunteer💉
rehab facility volunteer🏨
volunteer at a camp for children with disabilities👧🏽
blood donor ambassador🩸
Non-Clinical Volunteer Opportunities for Premeds
Non-clinical volunteering is done outside of a hospital or medical facility. Almost anything might be it!
Do you enjoy performing on an instrument? Give back by teaching music to kids in impoverished areas.
Check into volunteer opportunities for organizations or hobbies you're enthusiastic about.
Non-clinical volunteering ideas:
AmeriCorps
soup kitchen
homeless shelter
tutoring
camp counselor
local library
animal shelter
coach a youth’s sports team
local church
dog walker
foster animals
organized blood drive
join a nonprofit
Be inventive; as long as it's unpaid employment, you may donate your time for just about anything and it will count toward your hours for medical school!
Online Volunteer Opportunities for Premeds
Crisis Text Line – answer texts from people in crisis, bringing them from a hot moment to a cool calm through active listening, collaborative problem-solving, and safety planning.
UPchieve – works directly with students who can’t afford private tutoring or admissions consulting and often don’t have anyone else they can turn to for help.
Missing Maps – aid in mapping the locations where aid organizations are working to satisfy the needs of those in need.
Virtual Shadowing – is a great way to get exposure to specialties that you think you may be interested in early in your medical training.
7 Cups – provides online therapy and free support to people experiencing emotional distress.
Be My Eyes – a free app that connects people needing sighted support with volunteers and companies through live video around the world.
The American Red Cross – provides several virtual volunteer positions to help you remain active in your community while practicing social distancing.
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