which hospital to volunteer at?

[scwater22]

Hi everyone,

First of all, I apologize if this post is in the wrong forum. This seemed like the best fit to me!

I'm currently finishing up my BA in a non-nursing field and I'm set to graduate in June. I'm going to start prereqs in the fall, and I've been looking into a variety of nursing programs, from ADN to MEPN.

I'm going to start volunteering at a hospital soon, which is what my question is about. I can either volunteer at my local large-town/small-city hospital, or at Stanford Hospital, which is about 45 minutes away from where I live. The Stanford volunteer program seems to be more competitive, and has a more in depth application as well as an interview component. My question is, do you think it's worth the commute to volunteer at one of the top hospitals in the country, or should I just volunteer at the local hospital? Do nursing school evaluators even care about where applicants volunteer?

Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks!

[Michaelxy]

Do nursing school evaluators even care about where applicants volunteer?

Hmm, what the evaluators use to judge applicants. Now that would be the Holy grail to all nurse candidates. For my school, the volunteer work required is clinical work in an acute care clinic, no admin jobs. Prestige of the hospital was never mentioned. With gas prices on the rise once again, I would really think about the 45 min commute.

[Anaphase]

I'm in a similar situation with my volunteer, or rather, pre-volunteer stuff. I have an interview at a big Boston hospital in a few weeks. It's a little less convenient than a hospice volunteer position for which I am also applying, although I am interested in Oncology & Palliative care nursing, so it might be a better fit.

FWIW, when I interview candidates at my current job, my first question is "Oh, I see you worked at [blah]. What did you DO there?" Sometimes candidates who have worked at smaller agencies have the best experience because they have a lot more responsibility.

I think you should definitely interview at Stanford, go through the whole application process, and see what kind of placement they will offer you compared to the smaller local hospital. You could be placed anywhere in either hospital, and I think it's the placement that will make the difference for you, not the hospital's standing. Finding the placement that gives you as much patient & nursing contacts as you can possibly have, or is related to the type of nursing you want to do will be most beneficial, IMHO. That way, at least your volunteer experience tells a story, AND it gives you insight into what kind of nurse you want to be.

Hope that helps.

[Saysfaa]

I agree with Michaelxy, what you are doing at the hospital is more important than where you are doing it.

Around here, some places start volunteers in the flower shop then move them to the front desk to give directions to visitors. At other places, volunteers are not only in the thick of things, but they are not just standing along the wall watching... they are holding/handing/etc. Something can't be done without a license, but many things can be.

The drive could be well worth it, or not.

[Justanotherday]

I was just thinking, would you like to eventually work at one of these hospitals? I would make what you would do the first criteria, and the one you would like to work in someday priority number 2. Who knows, you could make a good impression while volunteering which could help you in the future.

[scwater22]

Thanks everyone for the input! I'm leaning towards volunteering at my local hospital, but I definitely haven't counted out Stanford, and I'm probably going to do an interview there. Thanks again!!