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<p>Like you I’m not premed but I’ve done > 400 hours volunteer work for the past ~1.5 years at a non-profit clinical facility. Before you get started, gather all your medical history, immunization and health insurance files. You’ll need all of that plus any other paperwork that’s requested from you such as filling out forms describing work experience(s), education and any other skill(s). You’ll have a formal, or several, interviews. Prepare for the it as you would for a job interview and be professional. The interviewer(s) will most likely ask you about personal background, why you want to volunteer, what you want to get out of it and what kind of committment you’re willing to make timewise. Long-term committment for non-profit organizations is a plus since they don’t want to train someone who’ll only be at the facility for 6 months or less. Be prepared to volunteer x hours per week for at least 1 year.</p>
<p>As for me, I began at the facility by doing an intensive 2 month, one on one training, with my current supervisor. After that, I started assisting with patients who were terminally ill. If you don’t have a thick skin, I would suggest you not do something like this 'cause I’ve seen others, as well as me, get too emotionally involved and leave since they couldn’t handle it. I had previous clinical exposure at a V.A. hospital near downtown Los Angeles, while in high school, two years before I joined the non-profit organization . I only lasted two and a half months because it was too depressing for me to see all these people with physical and/or mental health problems. I was just too young and didn’t have emotional maturity at the time.</p>
<p>If you’re going to be like bruiboy who thinks the process is “lame”, it’s better for you not to volunteer at all since it reflects a bad attitude. You’re the one asking for the opportunity to get involved in the community, not the other way around. There are enough “lame” students at UCLA Med Center who only volunteer in order to pad their resum</p>