A Volunteering Guide for Healthcare Students: The Benefits of Giving Back
Volunteerism intends to make the world a better place. But the benefits of volunteering often go far beyond philanthropy.
Perhaps most importantly to students, engaging in volunteerism is associated with higher chances of gaining employment—particularly in rural areas. Volunteers frequently enjoy an expanded network of professional contacts and potential job references, exposure to additional career opportunities, job skill development, additional work experience, and a competitive edge in the job market.
As a student, you may feel too busy and stressed to add volunteerism to your workload. Before ruling it out, though, remember volunteerism has been shown to lower stress and improve mental health. It can also increase your confidence in your abilities—and confidence is often a key player in success in both work and school.
In this piece, we discuss what should factor into your volunteerism choices, how to help ensure your volunteerism will benefit both yourself and others, and provide a list of volunteer opportunities.