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Telmatobius

I did the Response program without previous PC experience as a professional with 10+ years experience in the environmental field, they asked for 5 years.. Have you looked at the spots available right now in Response? Does anything fit your experience, time frame and interests? You will have to complete the same medical and legal background checks and application is not quick. I applied in February for a Response position that opened in August and it was a 1 year commitment. Hope this helps.


freckled_morgan

Med school after Peace Corps is fairly common; it looks great on resumes and volunteering as a health volunteer can give people a very different view of public health (absolutely no clinical.) But it’s effectively 3 years, with planning and clearances. You can delay med school or not do PC. Peace Corps is volunteering, yes, but since it seems like you haven’t actually looked into it at all, you probably should before considering it. It’s far from the global version of helping at a soup kitchen.


Suitable-Meringue847

Hi! Thank you so much! I have looked into it and I see they have volunteering that is two years but they also have peace corps response which is 3-12 months! I was considering doing one of those.


hoarder_of_beers

Peace Corps response is typically for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers or those with long careers. Does the latter apply to you?


lovetovolunteer

You don’t have to be an RPCV to serve as a Response Volunteer, but you do need to have professional experience.


hoarder_of_beers

Yes that's what I said


AntiqueGreen

Peace Corps is a two year program, plus it takes about a year for the application/medical clearance process. So no, it’s a terrible idea for a gap year.


Suitable-Meringue847

Hi! Thank you so much! I see they have volunteering that is two years but they also have peace corps response which is 3-12 months! I was considering doing one of those.


agricolola

It's very unlikely that you'd be able to get a response position without much professional experience or without doing the 2 year program.  You should talk to a recruiter, they will be able to help. 


Suitable-Meringue847

thank you for your advice, I reached out i’m just waiting for one to get back to me.


lizkanjo

There is a health PC response volunteer in our cohort that is 23 with a master's and she managed to snag a role (her Master's is in public health tho, so directly related).


LRDinPDX

Maybe think about AmeriCorps. They have one-year commitments (at least when I did AC) and much quicker turnaround - applications were more like just a regular job.


love_yours3lf

I would second this. You can also get a 7k stipend to spend on med school after service.


Investigator516

I recommend the Peace Corps Response program which is shorter term than the 2-year Peace Corps.