Volunteer! Opportunities for Students While Attending School

Volunteering is the act of freely offering to do something. It looks good to potential employers when they see volunteering on a resume. This act shows selflessness and a commitment to doing good in the world. That dedication to service resonates well with the medical field as well, as the medical field offers services which better mankind.  While in medical school, it would not hurt to fluff up the resume with some volunteering experience. Here are some places both on Anguilla and St. Vincent that would be beneficial to the student body.   Anguilla   Anguilla Animal Rescue Foundation (AARF):   Animal rescues are a great place to get volunteer hours. These organizations are constantly looking for people to feed and take care of the animals. This organization also offers a pet adoption agency with pictures of adoptable pets on their website. AARF has a thrift store volunteers can work and volunteers can serve as foster parents! The point of this is to get them around people and develop social skills, it doesn’t have to be for a long time either, AARF says a weekend or over a holiday works wonders. For volunteers wanting to focus on the more administrative side of things, committee and subcommittee work is offered in one of their five committees: Education, Adoption, Communications, volunteer, Policies and Procedures.   Anguilla Red Cross:   Medical organizations like the Red Cross are fantastic places to help people and put the medical education you are earning through SJSM into practice.    The Red Cross is constantly looking for volunteers and the Anguilla chapter has openings to fill. These openings are: First Aid Volunteers and First Responders, Disaster Risk Management, Shop Assistance (working in the thrift shop and sorting donations), The Youth Program, Water Safety Instructor (lifeguard and swim instructor) and Community Service Representative. Full descriptions of these positions can be found on their website. The Red Cross also offers positions as a First Aid Trainer and a Fundraiser Organizer.   Arijah Foundation:   This non-profit is named after Arijah, a 14 year old girl with a genetic condition which affects her mental and physical growth. The Arijah Foundation works with children whose life story is similar to hers, offering help to a section of society where assistance is limited and difficult to come by.    They only offer two positions for volunteers, Children Volunteers who interact and play with the children, and Volunteer Therapists who work with the kids to discover their full potential. Volunteers in this position should be prepared for therapy in the Occupational, Physical and Speech fields.   Saint Vincent:   American Medical Student Association:   A student group on campus, the 35 member Saint Vincent Chapter hosts clinics that are open to anyone who wants to attend. They offer community health fair clinics to the community and host workshops which cover topics such as vital sign skills, Ophthalmology and Phlebotomy. These workshops are offered throughout the semester and open to all students who with to attend. The club members are required to attend two clinics a semester and the community health fair.   Bundle of His Mentor Program:   A mentorship program and group that welcomes MD1 students on campus, Bundle of His is a student group which seeks to help incoming students acclimate to campus. They give direct contact to new and current students, have information about the island, school and faculty, they will soon be offering webinars. The mentors are required to be available to the new students at all times. They are 10-12 students strong at the moment, though their numbers vary by how many MD1 students are coming to campus for the semester.   Phi Chi- Alpha Tau chapter:   The world’s largest and oldest medical fraternity, Phi Chi is active on campus, helping with health fairs and other medical events. They host Wellness Week, a week long event which brings attention to health issues that affect both Saint Vincent and the world over. Membership includes scholarships. Membership varies and their chapter meetings are held during lunch.   There are many different opportunities for students to volunteer. It allows for new experiences and chances for growth, allows students the window to put the knowledge they have learned to use and lets them start making an impact on the world they live in.