Volunteering & Volunteer Students

I have done quite a bit of research on what to expect when the time comes for my medical applications. Yes, they're a couple years away, but when that time is really put into perspective, it is a fairly short period. I know that volunteering, or research, or any number of things to do with the field of medicine are a large plus and almost required to expect entrance into medical school in this day and age, not to mention the fact that they will help the candidate to understand what it is they are getting themselves into first hand.

 Knowing this, I would like to start early on obtaining experience. I have bits and pieces of the medical world in my background; I was a caretaker for an elderly woman with advances Alzheimers for a year until she passed on, I have worked for a year in Medical insurance claims processing. What I am looking for is hands on, feet wet, experience. I am not interested in volunteering to work in a hospital only to spend my time filing papers and doing data entry while learning nothing about medicine. I have read about people who volunteered in their local ER's and spent a lot of time on Ambulance ride-alongs, but I am having trouble finding out exactly how to do that in my area.  I realize that I won't be doing anything at all to do with medicine, but what I want is to be able to shadow or at least be somewhat involved in the processes and have a feel for what is going on.  I have also read that a lot of people leave the country to make this a possibility, and I may in fact do that during a summer break in the future. But before I dive into some clinic in a foreign country, I would like to get some idea of what to expect.

If anyone reading this can give me tips on where to look, or what would be helpful in terms of volunteer work, I would greatly appreciate it.