AMCAS Most Meaningful Experiences Sample #13

AMCAS Most Meaningful Experience Sample #13

Experience Type: Community Service/Volunteer – Medical Clinical

Experience Name: Inpatient Volunteer at Trenchant Hospital

Contact Name & Title: Dr. Thatcher Balko

Contact Email: [email protected]

Contact Phone: 3240004369

Organization Name: Trenchant Hospital

City/State/Country: Jupiter / Florida / United States

Most Meaningful Experience: Yes

Dates: 04/20XX-06/20XX

Total Hours: 500

Experience Description: As a volunteer at an oncology clinic at Trenchant Hospital, my main function was to help cancer patients access treatment as a volunteer driver. I would pick up patients at an established location, bring them to their appointments, and then drive them back home. I would deliver prescriptions, answer queries about treatment, and volunteer in inpatient services, relieving families of their duties and helping nurses feed or converse with patients. (449 characters, with spaces)

Most Meaningful Experiences Remarks: I credit this experience with my desire to become a medical oncology resident after I graduate from medical school. The setting in which I volunteered was professionally and emotionally challenging. Patients were at different stages of treatment, some more hopeful than others in terms of recovery prospects. I got to know some patients quite well. Steve was one of them. I drove him back and forth from his home for his chemotherapy appointments. He was glum and haggard, not at all talkative. I always attempted conversation with him, and eventually, he opened up and told me about his past. He was a plane mechanic for the military. When I told him that I was an aerospace engineer major, we spoke endlessly about the math and science of aircraft, and some of the new developments in the field. Not to overstate my role in his recovery, but I think it was kind of therapeutic for Steve. His cancer went into remission, and he made a full recovery, despite the poor odds. Communicating and finding ways to connect with people plays an important and underappreciated role in convalescence. Being a driver for Steve was a rewarding experience in which I learned that valuable lesson. Though I was happy that he had recovered, I was a little sad that he and I could no longer have our engineering talks. (1,302 characters, with spaces)

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