Medical Careers
Pre-Med Volunteering: The 7 Best Resources to Get You Started
About Alexia
Alexia Katsaros is a Purdue graduate (’21) and a pre-medical student enjoying a gap year on the Atlantis admissions team. As an undergraduate, she majored in psychology and minored in biology and sociology. In the summer of 2019, she shadowed doctors at KAT hospital when she journeyed to Athens, Greece through the Atlantis shadow abroad program.
Whether you’re trying to round out your AMCAS application or looking to gain more experiences to work on your communication, interpersonal, or leadership skills, pre-med volunteering can be as impactful as it is personally rewarding. With all the possibilities out there, it can feel daunting to find the right fit for your interests and availability. This article will outline the seven major steps you can take to identify volunteer opportunities that are personalized for your own needs.
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Self-Assess
Before you dive right into a program, you should identify your application strengths and weaknesses. Do you need to boost your non-clinical volunteer work? How are your leadership skills? The idea behind this exercise is to find something that’s relevant to you and your potential for growth, while also making sure to fill in potential gaps in your application. The AAMC has great tips on how to approach pre-med volunteering.
Also, consider the differences between volunteering and shadowing and their demands. Volunteering involves hands-on work and may require some level of training or educational attainment. It is a must for any well-rounded medical school application.
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Look Locally
You’d be surprised by how many opportunities are available around your town or even in your neighborhood. Don’t limit yourself to long commutes or detached volunteerism; try to find something close and meaningful to you. Check out your local food pantries, homeless shelters, and clinics— these are great places to start.
If opportunities are limited, you can even try to establish something yourself. At the height of the pandemic, I was able to create a food donation pick up system with members of my neighborhood, raising over 400 lbs of nonperishable goods! Always take advantage of an original idea.
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Explore region-specific programs.
On a slightly larger scale, you might have access to unique volunteer opportunities that vary based on your state. Volunteering with these institutions can give you a competitive edge when submitting your primary application and conducting secondary interviews. Check out Princeton’s List of Hospital Volunteer Websites Across the US or stop by your university’s pre-health advising office for more information.
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Online Volunteering
Because of the pandemic, many in-person volunteering opportunities have limited availability. This can be extremely stressful for a pre-med student looking to get some hours in.
During the height of the first wave of the pandemic, around May 2020, I found myself at a total loss. Hospitals and clinics were understaffed and had strict regulations against visitors. In my time of desperation, I turned to the Internet. I was able to find two fantastic online volunteering organizations that helped keep me busy for months: The Red Cross and Crisis Text Line.
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Look at your time frame and be realistic
It’s important to balance your time wisely as a pre-med. If you’re juggling extracurriculars, a job, and a heavy course load, you might want to take a step back and think about what you can realistically accomplish within a 24-hour day. Look at your volunteering time as an opportunity to step away from your hectic world for a few hours. It’s also important to consider whether this volunteer opportunity requires a time commitment. You may have to adjust your schedule accordingly.
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Consider a Gap Year
Gap years are common for pre-medical students looking to gain more worldly experience before they commit to many more years of schooling. If your application is especially lacking in volunteer experience, this could be a great chance for you to bulk up on your pre-med core competencies. If there is a certain volunteer opportunity you would like to pursue that has a time commitment, like the Peace Corps, it would be a good idea to plan around that. Atlantis programs are another great way to spend your gap year now that borders are starting to open again. I personally participated in an Atlantis program during my sophomore year and was able to really hone in on the reasons why I wanted to become a physician.
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Go with what makes you happy
The most rewarding experiences arise when your heart is in the game. When you have a passion for the volunteer work you set out to accomplish, you are no longer doing it solely for a strong application. Your professional aspirations clearly show that you care about people; let your empathy translate into the work you do. Volunteer work will surely surprise and humble you, as it did me.
Finding the right volunteering position is no easy feat. With endless options and resources, it can feel impossible to know where to start. By following these seven tips, you will undoubtedly find a volunteer experience that is both beneficial to you and your application.
Our Alumni Enter Great Medical Schools
John Daines
- Atlantis '17
- Brigham Young University '19
- Washington U. in St. Louis MD '23
Zoey Petitt
- Atlantis '17
- U. of Arizona '18
- Duke MD '23
Zoey Petitt
Hungary ’17 || University of Arizona (undergraduate) ’18
Completed Atlantis Program Location and Date:
Hungary, Summer 2017
Do you believe your Atlantis experience helped you get into your graduate program?
I believe it was very helpful.
Generally, why do you think Atlantis helped you get into your graduate program?
For me, my Atlantis experience played a key role in confirming my decision to go into medicine. This was important for me to discuss during the admissions process.
Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews?
Yes
Yong-hun Kim
- Atlantis '17
- Stanford '19
- Mayo Clinic MD '24
Yong-Hun Kim
Budapest, Hungary ’17 || Stanford University
Program:
Budapest, Hungary – Winter 2017
Undergraduate:
Stanford University class of 2019
Major:
Computer Science
Honors:
Bio-X Grant (award for research)
Undergraduate Activities:
President and Founder of Stanford Undergraduate Hospice and Palliative Care, Volunteer for Pacific Free Clinic, Research Assistant in Wernig Pathology Lab, President of Hong Kong Student Association, violin performance
Describe Atlantis in three words:
Eye-opening. Spontaneous. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I chose the Atlantis program because it combines opportunities to shadow physicians and travel abroad, both of which I had little prior exposure to.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
My favorite experience as an Atlantis participant came in the stories exchanged over meals or excursions and the breadth of conversation that reflected the diversity of backgrounds within our cohort and site managers.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I appreciated the chance to speak with physicians in Budapest and hear their personal motivations for pursuing medicine because it really helped better contextualize and validate my own interest in medicine. The physicians were also just really welcoming, relatable, and down-to-earth people.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
The Atlantis program has equipped me with a better understanding of what a career in medicine looks like, which I think is an invaluable gift considering the long road ahead of those who aspire to be a physician.
How has Atlantis equipped you for active leadership in the medical field?
The ability to interact and empathize with patients of diverse backgrounds and communities is a necessity to be a leader in the medical field. I think the Atlantis program, through my interactions with mentors and their patients, has helped me take my first steps toward attaining the cultural vocabulary and literacy required of a physician.
Megan Branson
- Atlantis '18
- U. of Montana '19
- U. of Washington MD '24
Sarah Emerick
- Atlantis '19
- Eckerd College '20
- Indiana U. MD '25
Snow Nwankwo
- Atlantis '19
- Catholic U. of America '21
- Georgetown U. MD '26
Tiffany Hu
- Atlantis '16
- U. of Maryland '17
- U. of Michigan MD '22
Tiffany Hu
Tereul, Spain ’16 || U Michigan Medical School
Program:
Teruel, Spain – Summer 2016
Undergraduate:
University of Maryland class of 2017
Admitted medical student at:
University of Michigan Medical School
Major:
Neurobiology
Honors:
Honors Integrated Life Sciences Program, Banneker/Key Scholarship
Extracurricular Activities:
American Medical Student Association Co-President & Advocacy Day Liaison, Alternative Breaks Experience Leader, Health Professions Advising Office Student Advisory Board, Biology Teach Assistant, Health Leads, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, NIH Research Intern, Physicians for Social Responsibility Environment & Health Intern
Describe Atlantis in Three Words:
Educational. Eye-opening. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I wanted to expand my horizons and understand a culture of health different from the ones I am accustomed to. I had shadowed doctors in the United States and Taiwan prior to my Atlantis program experience, and being able to see first-hand the healthcare system in Spain allowed me to draw comparisons between the different complex healthcare systems.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
Bonding with the other participants and celebrating our time together along with the doctors we shadowed. We would discuss our interests, passions, and motivation for medicine, and it was an incredible experience to learn from and alongside them.
What was your experience with the doctors you were shadowing?
Because of the pre-established relationships with the hospitals in which we shadowed, all the doctors were very welcoming and accommodating. They were willing to translate for us and explain in detail all of their medical decisions. My doctors and I had wonderful conversations about the differences between life in Spain vs. the United States.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I was excited to scrub in on surgeries and watch as the doctor explained what he was doing throughout the operation. Before and after surgeries, as well as in my other rotations, I observed how the doctors reassured and communicated with their patients. I was able to glean insight into differences between the experience of health in Spain versus the United States through observation as well as conversations with the doctors.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
Besides the wealth of medical knowledge I gained from shadowing the doctors, I challenged myself to step outside of my cultural comfort zone and explore more than I thought I was capable of. Atlantis allowed me to make connections with people from all around the United States and abroad, and the friendships I gained helped me learn so much more than I would have on my own.
Lauren Cox
- Atlantis '18
- Louisiana Tech '20
- U. of Arkansas MD '24
Lauren Cox
Libson, Portugal ’18 || Louisiana Tech
Completed Atlantis Program Location(s):
Lisbon, Portugal
Year of most recent program:
Fall ’17 – Summer ’18
Season of most recent program:
Summer
Do you believe your Atlantis experience helped you get into your graduate program?
Extremely helpful
Generally, why do you think Atlantis helped you get into your graduate program?
It exposed me to shadowing that was hard to come by in the states. It also gave me a chance to see other systems of healthcare.
Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews? If so, how much relative to other topics?
Yes – they wanted to know about my experience, and specifically how the healthcare I saw in another country compared to what I had seen in the USA.
Kayla Riegler
- Atlantis '18
- U. of Kentucky '20
- U. of Kentucky MD '24
About Atlantis
Atlantis is the leader in pre-health shadowing and clinical experience, offering short-term programs (1-10 weeks) over academic breaks for U.S. pre-health undergraduates. Medical schools want 3 things: (1)healthcare exposure, (2)GPA/MCAT, and (3)certain competencies. Atlantis gives you a great version of (1), frees you to focus on (2), and cultivates/shows (3) to medical school admissions committees.
Watch Video: The Atlantis Shadowing Experience and How it Helps In Your Med/PA Admissions Future
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