When applying to medical school do you need to have worked in a hospital?

Admission committees do not expect anybody in a volunteer capacity to have any hands-on patient experience. The intent behind the whole volunteer/paid experience in a health care environment is the hope that this exposure dispels any false perspectives about health care. So, yes, even work as a janitor in a hospital is valuable experience. But the setting need not be a hospital. It can be a clinic, office, nursing home, hospice–any patient care environment.

You don’t have to work in a hospital to get into medical school, but you should know what is involved to become a doctor. Children of medical doctors are given a preference, because they actually know what the life of a doctor is really like.

So, you need to be able to show that you understand that doctors are working 24/7. You may not be physically working, but you still mull over patients in the back of your mind. You are looking up answers to questions you may have about a patient’s disease. You are trying to keep up with the latest medical studies. There are so many of them, that it is impossible to keep up with everything, but you try your best. So volunteer or work at a hospital. You can transport patients or visit patients. If you are near a University hospital, they are always eager to get free labor for research. Plus if you put in the time and publish a paper, you will not only get a good recommendation ,but a publication that will make you stand out above your competition.

It would definitely be a wise thing to do, either working or volunteering until you get hired in. You’ll learn a lot and hopefully get a couple references. They need orderlies, nurses aids, maintenance etc..

Not always. Check with the school you are applying to to see what their requirements are.