Volunteering, Shadowing, and Leadership Opportunities
- Volunteering, Shadowing, and Leadership Opportunities
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Volunteering, shadowing, student research, internships, enrichment programs, study abroad and other experiential learning opportunities are important aspects of your pre-professional preparation. Furthermore, graduate health professions programs expect competitive applicants to have demonstrated leadership experience, both on-campus and off-campus. Below are some links and suggestions to help you get started.
For more information on shadowing, volunteering, and internships please contact the Career Center's (located in SAC 192) College of Science and Health representative at 773-325-7431 to schedule an appointment. Additional opportunities will be promoted via Handshake - the Career Center’s full service online recruiting system to search for and apply for industry positions and internship opportunities.
Hospital and Clinic Volunteering Opportunities
Local Chicago Hospitals:
Downtown
· Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
· Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Northside
· Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center
Southside
· University of Chicago Medicine
West Side
· Rush University Medical Center
· AMITA Saints Mary and Elizabeth
· Shriners Hospital for Children - Chicago
· University of Illinois Hospital
· John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County
Suburban Hospitals
North Suburbs
· Evanston Hospital – 847.570.2711
· Glenbrook Hospital – 847-657-5621
· Skokie Hospital – 847-933-6544
· Highland Park Hospital – 847-933-6544
· Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center
· OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center
South Suburbs
· OSF Little Company of Mary Medical Center
· UChicago – Ingalls Memorial Hopsital
West Suburbs
· Loyola University Medical Center Hospice Volunteer
· Loyola University Medical Center
· Edward Hines, Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital
Local Community Clinics:
· Old Irving Park Community Clinic
· Denny Community Health Center
· Chicago Women’s Health Center
· Lawndale Christian Health Center
· Puerto Rican Cultural Center
· Access
Internships
The Career Center has the tools and resources to help students prepare for and find the right opportunities for internships.
Student Research
As a pre-health student, it is important to gain experience in research. Being in the Chicago area, DePaul students have access to a variety of research opportunities both on and off campus. If you are interested in learning more about research opportunities please see our Undergraduate Research Webpage.
Community-based Volunteering
Domestic Violence Support
· WINGS
· Connections for Abused Women and their Children (CAWC)
· National Domestic Violence Hotline
HIV/AIDS Outreach
· Chicago Women’s Aids Project
Anti-Poverty/Public Health
· Albany Park Community Center
· Cook County Medical Reserve Corps
LGBTQ
Release Programs (formerly incarcerated)
Homelessness
· Lincoln Park Community Shelter
· Cornerstone Community Outreach
· The Boulevard – has a medical component
· North Side Housing and Supportive Services
· The Night Ministry – has healthcare component
Food Insecurity
· Greater Chicago Food Depository
· New Hope Community Food Pantry
Healthcare
- See hospital and clinics section
Youth and Family
· Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
· Youth and Opportunity United
· I-mentor
· Big Brother Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago
Vision Support
Cancer Support
· Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care
Elderly Support
· Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly
· Chicago Methodist Senior Services
Immigrant Services
Cultural/Community Volunteer Opportunities
· Dank House – German American Cultural Center
· Korean Cultural Center of Chicago
· Arab American Action Network
· Cambodian Association of Illinois
· Vietnamese Association of Illinois
Mental Health
· RAINN
· ImAlive
Museum Volunteering
· Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
· Museum of Science and Industry
· International Museum of Surgical Sciences
Environmental Volunteering
· Alliance for the Great Lakes
· The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center
Research
· Children’s Research Triangle
· Integrative Neuromodulation MRI Research
· Mount Sinai Research Volunteer Program
· Chicago Botanic Garden Research Volunteer Opportunities
· University of Chicago Hospitalist Project
· Cultivating Health & Aging Research by Integrating Science, Medicine and Aging
Zoo/Animal
Virtual Volunteering
Virtual Shadowing Opportunities:
Medical School Virtual Shadowing
· https://www.clinicalshadowing.com
· https://virtualshadowing.com/
· https://www.prehealthshadowing.com/medical-shadowing/
· https://medicalschoolhq.net/eshadowing/
· https://webshadowers.wixsite.com/website
· https://www.coloradowm.org/courses/pre-med/virtual-shadowing-nano-course-emergency-medicine/
· Podcast: Black Men in White Coats: https://www.blackmeninwhitecoats.org/
Occupational Therapy Virtual Shadowing
· https://rise.articulate.com/share/oqbmWqPTs5TB36aI5R7DUMblwykJiY_Y#/
Password: LucasQU
Physician Assistant Virtual Shadowing
· https://www.empoweredpas.com/webinars/
Dental Virtual Shadowing
· Instragram: @dentalshadowers or https://linktr.ee/dentalshadowers
Multiple Healthcare Fields (Physical Therapy, Nursing, Dental, PA, Vet, etc.)
· https://www.prehealthshadowing.com/lp-courses/
Virtual Volunteering Opportunites:
· Upchieve
· OpenMRS
· Tarjimly
· VocaliD
· Smithsonian Digital Volunteer Program
· ImAlive – Crisis Intervention Hotline
· DOROT
Enrichment Programs
Includes a combination of mentoring, research, lectures, test preparation, etc.- Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine Summer Enrichment Program
- Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (freshmen and sophomores)
- Tomorrow's Doctors Enrichment Programs Database
- Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan-Kettering Gateways to The Laboratory Summer Program (for students interested in combined PhD/MD programs)
- UCLA Prep Program
- Tri-Institutional MD-PHD Program
- Child Family Health International
- Focus on Your Future
- Carle College of Medicine Reach Program
Healthcare Study Abroad Opportunities
- Global Brigades
- DePaul Study Abroad Office
- The University of Kansas: Health Care and Social Policies in Sweden
- Northwestern University: Public Health in China
- Northwestern University: Public Health and Development in South Africa
- Danish Institute for Study Abroad: Biomedicine, Medical Practice and Policy, Neuroscience, Psychology, Public Health
Campus Involvement
Student Clubs and Organizations
DePaul organizations related to pre-health/wellness that are active:
DePaul organizations related to the sciences that are active:
Shadowing
DePaul at this time does not have any shadowing opportunities. Please see below for opportunities outside of DePaul.
Shadowing - Where to Begin:
1. Start by asking your personal doctors if they would be willing to be shadowed or could recommend another practitioner.
2. Ask your friends, classmates, parent's friends, or professors if they have a connection that might be willing to shadow.
3. Utilize the DePaul network and check to see if there are alumni on ASK (Alumni Sharing Knowledge) that you could potentially shadow. This network of alumni and friends serve as career mentors, working with students one-on-one. The mentors provide services such as informational interviews, shadowing, practice interviews, and more.
4. Reach out to local medical clinics to see if they would be open to you shadowing a practitioner.
Speech Language Pathology Shadowing: Students who wish to pursue SLP can take a 4 credit SLP 101 course at DePaul and gain 5 hours of shadowing experience.
Chiropractic Shadowing: If you are interested in shadowing a chiropractor, contact an admissions representative at your local chiropractic school. The admissions representative may be able to set up a shadowing opportunity with local alumni.
Pathologist's Assistant: Student's can contact RFUMS graduate school admissions (grad.admissions@rosalindfranklin.edu) for help locating shadowing experiences.
Nurse Shadowing: Clinical Nurse Leader Association: Request a mentor or job shadow opportunity
Optometry Shadowing: If you are interested in shadowing an optometrist, contact the admissions office of the Illinois College of Optometry. The admissions representative may be able to schedule a shadowing opportunity with local alumni.
Podiatry Shadowing: American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine - Contact a Mentor
Virtual Shadowing Opportunities:
Medical School Virtual Shadowing
· https://www.clinicalshadowing.com
· https://virtualshadowing.com/
· https://www.prehealthshadowing.com/medical-shadowing/
· https://medicalschoolhq.net/eshadowing/
· https://webshadowers.wixsite.com/website
· https://www.coloradowm.org/courses/pre-med/virtual-shadowing-nano-course-emergency-medicine/
· Podcast: Black Men in White Coats: https://www.blackmeninwhitecoats.org/
Occupational Therapy Virtual Shadowing
· https://rise.articulate.com/share/oqbmWqPTs5TB36aI5R7DUMblwykJiY_Y#/
Password: LucasQU
Physician Assistant Virtual Shadowing
· https://www.empoweredpas.com/webinars/
Dental Virtual Shadowing
· Instragram: @dentalshadowers or https://linktr.ee/dentalshadowers
Multiple Healthcare Fields (Physical Therapy, Nursing, Dental, PA, Vet, etc.)
· https://www.prehealthshadowing.com/lp-courses/
For students with LinkedIn Account: Go to DePaul University - Alumni and search profession: ex: physician.
For students who have trouble finding opportunities to shadow in a clinical setting, the AAMC website includes five alternatives to consider.