Shadowing, Internships, and Direct Patient Care Experience

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Many healthcare programs require things such as direct patient care experience or shadowing hours. Others strongly encourage the experience to better prepare students for what is to come in professional school. Utilize the resources below to expand your repertoire of healthcare experiences available, to gain better insight and hands-on experience in working in healthcare. To discuss what opportunities are best for you, schedule a meeting with the Pre-Health Professions Advisor.

Virtual Volunteering Opportunities

These volunteer opportunities can be completed right from your home. As applicants look for ways to help their communities during these uncertain times, virtual volunteering is becoming more and more popular. For many students who planned on shadowing and volunteering over the summer, these are ways to showcase their investment in their communities while keeping their communities safe. Many professional programs greatly value community involvement, even if it’s not directly related to healthcare.

Virtual Volunteering Opportunities

Read stories to isolated seniors with Storiitime
Scan or edit books for people with reading disabilities through Bookshare
Conduct research into global human rights violations through Amnesty International.
Help raise awareness and support for PPE, ventilators and senior support through Health4the World.
Subtitle and translate TED Talks to bring ideas to others.
Provide tutoring and/or advice to low-income high school students to help them succeed through UPchieve.
Send online messages or mail letters of encouragement to nursing home residents and staff through the Adopt a Nursing Home Program.
You can adopt a grandparent in London and have virtual video calls and keep their spirits high while in isolation through CHD Living.
Volunteer to be an Online Ambassador with Ark of Hope for Children.
Volunteer to Translate with Translators without Borders.
Give well-deserved Treats for Troops through Soldiers Angels Treats for Troops.
Be an online emotional support person at 7 Cups.
Lend your eyes to solve tasks for blind and low vision people. Visit Be My Eyes.
Identify New York Wildlife, map our galaxy or assist researchers in many other ways with Zooniverse.
Sew emotional support blankets for Binky Patrol.
Proofread ebooks for Project Gutenberg.
Track bird populations with eBird.
Answer texts from people in crisis using active listening and collaborative problem solving with Crisis Text Line.
Crochet or knit afghan squares that will help build blankets for both babies and adults. Send them to Warm Up America.
Record audiobooks for Librivox.
Transcribe historical documents for the Smithsonian.
Send a card, letter or note once a week to someone undergoing chemotherapy. Apply at Chemo Angels.
Share your voice and help drive innovation in voice technology through VocaliD.
Test, evaluate or develop elements of the National Park Service’s online presence.
Raise money in a virtual world with The American Cancer Society and Second Life.
Help Harvard researchers learn the best ways to break down stereotypes by taking tests with Project Implicit.
Help kids in need when you organize an online fundraiser for Operation Warm.

Community Volunteering for UTC Students

For UTC students looking to volunteer in person in the Chattanooga community check out our community volunteer board here. UTC has partnered with local employers, nonprofits and other organizations to offer students volunteer opportunities, internships and more! If you are an employer or local nonprofit looking for volunteers please reach out to [email protected] for more information.

Experiential Learning Programs

These opportunities are offered by colleges, non-profit institutions, and medical care organizations to undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students. They provide participants with experiences in patient care, simulation of the first year of professional school, and/or preparation for entering a professional program. While most programs are offered only in the summer, others have year round opportunities. To determine what programs may be best for you, reach out to the Pre-Health Professions Advisor.

Summer Academic Enrichment Program (SAEP)

Where: Virginia Commonwealth University

SAEP is a six-week summer residential program that simulates the first-year of dentistry, medicine, pharmacy or physical therapy professional school instruction. Participants take academically intensive instruction in each of their chosen tracks in addition to non-credit core-coursework in virtual anatomy (head and neck), pharmacology and physiology. SAEP participants attend learning skills and test-taking workshops, mock interviews, professionalism seminars, current health care topics, coaching and community service activities in an interprofessional framework. At the conclusion of the program, participants receive an assessment of their readiness to attend professional school.

Tennessee Institutes for Pre-Professionals (TIP)

TIP offers a seven-week, cohort-based summer programs designed to increase representation and active participation of underrepresented groups in the health professions. The programs provide a unique opportunity for Pre-Health students to become equipped for matriculation into one of the academic programs at UTHSC. There are two options for students based on their classification:

TIP Pre-Health Internship Program*

Students gain hands-on exposure in clinical settings and are provided an avenue for reflection, professional development and more.

Summer Internship
Weekly On-campus Seminar Sessions with Cohort
On-campus Clinical Simulation Experiences
Lunch and Lunch events
Access to UTHSC Academic Support Services
Cohort Dinner Experiences
Capstone Project

*Generally reserved for college Freshman and Sophomores

TIP Pre-Health Internship Program PLUS*

Students gain hands-on exposure in clinical settings and are provided an avenue for reflection, professional development PLUS GRE prep, and MCAT and DAT practice exams.

Summer Internship
Weekly On-campus Seminar Sessions with Cohort
On-campus Clinical Simulation Experiences
Lunch and Lunch events
Access to UTHSC Academic Support Services
Cohort Dinner Experiences
Capstone Project

*Generally reserved for college Sophomores and Juniors

Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps (RAM Clinics)

Remote Area Medical (RAM) is a major nonprofit provider of free mobile clinics. Their mission is to prevent pain and alleviate suffering by providing free, quality healthcare to those in need. They do this by delivering free dental, vision, and medical services to underserved and uninsured individuals. RAM’s Corps of more than 135,000 volunteers–licensed dental, vision, medical, and veterinary professionals–have treated more than 785,000 individuals and 68,000 animals, delivering $135 million worth of free care.

RAM Remote Area Medical Clinic

Over the past 34 years, Remote Area Medical has provided free medical, dental, and vision care to hundreds of thousands of people through the operation of mobile medical clinics. RAM operates its clinics in communities large and small, both in the United States and abroad. Students are able to volunteer with the medical clinic, helping people with limited access to care, the veterinary program, or with their disaster relief efforts.

RAM Veterinary Program

RAM’s Family Pet Health Project helps provide veterinary care to the canine and feline family members of patients we serve at our clinics.

Improving the health of our patients’ pets helps eliminate veterinary costs and enriches the quality of life for the whole family. A key component of the Family Pet Health Project is reducing the number of unplanned domestic animals and the unnecessary euthanasia of shelter animals through spay/neuter, vaccination, and microchipping of family pets. To accomplish this goal, RAM often collaborates with local, nonprofit veterinary clinics and animal welfare organizations.

Disaster Relief

Remote Area Medical’s Disaster Relief arm reaches around the world. Through partnerships with global organizations, and thanks to international volunteers, they are able to respond to disasters by land, sea, and air, delivering medical relief and other humanitarian aid when needed.

Dialysis Clinic, Inc. Medical Summer Internship Program

Dialysis Clinic, Inc. has sponsored a medical summer internship for pre-medical students in the clinical area of organ transplantation since 1998. Over the last 20 years, the medical summer internship program has expanded to 20 cities all across the United States, and as a result, has given over 200 students the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the medical field. The medical summer internship entails shadowing physicians on rounds in the hospital, observing and assisting in an outpatient/clinic facility and observing the coordination of a transplant. In addition, students will be able to visit the local Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) and HLA lab. Participants may also have the opportunity to do data collection for the transplant service or work on a clinical research project. In addition to the medical portion of the internship, all interns will also participate as a counselor for Camp Okawehna, a week-long camp for dialyzed and post-kidney transplant children.

UAB School of Medicine Clinical and Research Undergraduate Programs

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Heersink School of Medicine (SOM) specializes in clinical and research undergraduate summer programs that provide an enhanced scientific and professional preparation for students aspiring toward a career in medicine or biomedical sciences. The listed programs provide discipline-specific training and opportunities for smaller-scale connections within the overall community.
All Programs can be accessed through the following link here.

You can apply to many of these programs through the common application
• UAB Heersink SOM Common Undergraduate Summer Program Application

Vanderbilt Program for LGBTQ Health

The Vanderbilt Program for LGBTQ Health

The Vanderbilt Program for LGBTQ Health is hosting a limited number of students for a 10-week, full-time internship. Through this internship program, we hope to foster the personal and professional development of future leaders in LGBTQ health and research.

For competitive consideration, applicants must:

Be an undergraduate student (rising junior or senior) or a graduate student (especially medical or nursing school student)
Have a committed interested in LGBTQ health and research.
Demonstrated this interested through previous work, research, volunteer, or other experience.

For more information on the internship and how to apply, click here.

University of Colorado Immersive

University of Colorado Immersive Pre-Health Adventure Courses

Rocky Mountains

Want to get outside your generic pre-med classes? Interested in emergency medicine, humanitarian relief work, wilderness medicine, or global health? Wish you could learn hands-on medical skills from actual physicians? This is the class for you!

Come explore the Colorado Rocky Mountains, shadow a world-class ER, earn your WFR certification, and learn from physicians who work around the world during one of our two week pre-med/pre-health immersive courses.

Taught by faculty of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, these classes are an exciting, hands-on introduction to emergency and wilderness medicine, as well as a backstage pass to the medical school application process and a career in health care. Get outside the classroom and take part in emergency wilderness medicine scenarios, learn to clean and suture wounds, and more! Learn more about this exciting opportunity and to register for the program.

Costa Rica: Wilderness Medicine & Global Health

Want to escape your generic pre-med classes? Interested in emergency medicine, humanitarian relief work, wilderness medicine, or global health? Want to travel abroad and gain real-world medical experience? This class is for you!

Come explore the beautiful Pacific coast of Costa Rica and learn from physicians who work around the world. Adventure through jungles, earn your WFR and global health certifications, and take part in real-world medical training as you build your resume, network, and your travelogue.

Taught by faculty of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, nearly two week, hands-on introduction to emergency, wilderness, and global health medicine class. In addition to gaining hands-on experience, students will get to know successful medical school faculty and physicians, and get the inside scoop on the medical school application process and a career in healthcare. Learn more about this exciting opportunity and to register for the program.

Channel Islands: Pre-Med/Pre-Health Marine & Wilderness Medicine

Are you looking for a perfect island Spring Break experience? Are you interested in getting hands on pre-med experience? Want to learn more about about emergency and wilderness medicine? Then this is the course for you!

Come explore Santa Rosa Island, California in the Channel Islands National Park.

For undergraduate college students (and grads) the University of Colorado School of Medicine is offering an exciting new hands-on opportunity to explore the world of marine and wilderness medicine in one of the most coveted and rare jewels of our National Park System. Learn more about this exciting opportunity and to register for the program.

LMU Dental School Admissions Boot Camp

Lincoln Memorial University-College of Dental Medicine (LMU-CDM) has partnered with Promethean Dental Systems to present a series of pre-admission boot camps for college students interested in pursuing dentistry or dental hygiene.The comprehensive program is designed to evaluate, teach, elevate and assess hand skills utilizing the Simodont dental simulator. Additionally, participants will learn about dental anatomy, tooth numbering, dental materials, digital dentistry and tour the dental school environment. The bootcamp will also introduce participants to the dental school admissions process and exposes them to didactic lectures and keynote speakers. Learn more about the program and registration here.

Medical Shadowing

Shadowing a Doctor

Find out more on what the AAMC has to say about how to shadow a doctor as a premedical student here.
The Princeton Review offers insight on how and why a student should participate in medical shadowing here.
Learn how to avoid common shadowing mistakes here.

Tips on How to ask a Healthcare Professional to Shadow

How to Make Contact

Reach out via email or phone

An introduction, including your name, where you attend school, and how far along you are in your education
An outline of your career goals and interest in medicine
How you learned of that particular doctor
Why you think they would be a good person for you to shadow/what you hope to get out of the experience
A direct request to shadow the doctor, including scheduling information

Fill out online application

Some hospitals and clinics get a high volume of shadowing requests. If the location or physician you wish to shadow has an online form it is best to make initial contact via that form, not in an email or phone message

Composing a message to a healthcare professional you know

Dear Dr. Johnson,

I hope this email finds you well. Since we last saw each other [note last time you met with the individual], I started college at UTC, where I’ve been majoring in [include your major and any minors) and am pursuing a career in [include what field of healthcare you plan to pursue]. I am particularly interested in [list your area of interest in the medical field].

I am hoping to arrange some shadowing opportunities in order to learn more about the day-to-day of being a doctor, and I’m wondering if you’d be open to me spending some time in your office over [note specific time you wish to shadow, if planning to do so over a break (spring, fall, or summer, be sure to mention specific dates]. I’d be so grateful for your time. I would be happy to discuss what dates would be convenient for you via email or over the phone.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you soon,

Your Name

Email

Phone number

Composing a message to a healthcare professional you do not know

Dear Dr. Johnson,

I hope this email finds you well. I am a [note major and any minors] at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and am interested in pursuing a career in [specific health profession you are interested in].

I am hoping to arrange some shadowing opportunities in order to learn more about the day-to-day of being a [profession the individual you wish to shadow], and I’m wondering if you’d be open to me spending some time in your office. I’d be so grateful for your time. I would be happy to discuss what dates would be convenient for you via email or over the phone.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you soon,

Your Name

Email

Phone number

Asking to Shadow over the Phone

HAVE YOUR VOICEMAIL SET UP AND ABLE TO RECIVE VOICEMAIL!
Email is always an ideal first form of contact, especially if you do not know the individual personally
Be sure to write out a script to have in front of you as you call even if you know the individual personally, you may speak with a receptionist or other individual in the office first. You want to sound professional not flustered
Prepare talking points as well as a script for a voicemail
Speak CLEARLY and slowly, be sure you are in a quiet place when you make the call
Be sure to repeat your contact information 2 times, if you spell anything out such as an email be sure to clarify the letters
- My email address is [email protected] that is b as in boy, d as in dog, p as in Paul at Gmail dot com
Sample script for a healthcare professional you know:
- Hi Dr. Johnson! I hope all is well. This is [state relationship you have with the individual], [your name], calling from Chattanooga. I’m a [state your classification, major] at UTC, planning to pursue a career in healthcare these days, and I’m calling because I’m hoping to set up some shadowing opportunities and wondering if you’d be open to me spending some time in your office. Please give me a call back when you can at 123-456-7890. You can also reach me over email at zfh112 at mocs dot UTC dot edu, that is z as in zebra f as in frank h as in horse one, one, two at m-o-c-s at u-t-c dot e-d-u or by phone, again my number is 123-456-7890. Thank you for your time I look forward to hearing from you
Sample script for a healthcare professional you do not know
- Hi Dr. Johnson, My name is [your name]. I’m a [state your classification, major] at UTC in Chattanooga, TN, planning to pursue a career in healthcare these, and I’m calling because I’m hoping to set up some shadowing opportunities. I found your name/office [note where you found out about an opportunity to shadow with the individual]. I’d love to speak with you about potentially spending some time in your office next semester, beginning in [state when you would like to begin shadowing] please give me a call back at your convenience at 123-456-7890. You can also reach me over email at zfh112 at mocs dot UTC dot edu, that is z as in zebra f as in frank h as in horse one, one, two at m-o-c-s at u-t-c dot e-d-u or by phone, again my number is 123-456-7890. Thank you for your time I look forward to hearing from you

Where you can shadow

For students looking to shadow

Erlanger Health Systems

Erlanger Health Systems is a nationally acclaimed multi-hospital health system in the Chattanooga area. It is a leading academic medical center and is the tristate region’s only Level I Trauma Center. It is part of the Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network and the University Of Tennessee College Of Medicine Chattanooga Campus, serving as the region’s only academic teaching hospital. It is also home to Children’s Hospital at Erlanger, which houses the regions only Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care unit and Erlanger Southeast Regional Stroke Center, recognized for its world-class stroke and neurosciences program.

Erlanger Service Learning College Volunteer Program

Erlanger’s Service Learning College Volunteer Program gives college students experience in our real-life classrooms here at Erlanger Health System. With volunteer opportunities available in both clinical and non-clinical areas, students of many fields of study, including nursing, pre-med, allied health, business administration and accounting, will learn valuable skills and insights by learning about the many rewarding healthcare careers. Participants must commit to volunteering at least four hours once a week for at least two consecutive semesters.

CHI Memorial Hospital Volunteer

CHI Memorial is a not-for-profit, faith based healthcare system in the Chattanooga area. Founded in 1952 by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and strengthened as part of Catholic Health Initiatives, CHI Memorial offers a continuum of care including preventative, primary and acute hospital care, as well as cardiac, cancer, orthopedic, imaging, and multitude of other services. CHI Memorial is a regional referral center of choice with more than 400 volunteers, 4,000 associates and more than700 affiliated physicians providing health care throughout Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia.

Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation provides a wide spectrum of services in their inpatient, outpatient and fitness center programs. Charity care lies at the heart of Siskin Hospital, providing rehabilitation care to those who do not have insurance or adequate funding. They offer students the opportunity for career development by job shadowing our clinical staff. In this way, current or prospective students in the field of physical rehabilitation are able to ask questions and observe the profession in a real-world setting.

Direct Patient Care Experience (DPCE)

Direct Patient Care is often required by Physician Assistant programs for admission, it can be very beneficial for students pursuing other healthcare professions as well. While many experiential learning and scribing opportunities can be considered direct patient care, it is wise to have a wide variety of experiences to be considered competitive.

The Center for Professional Education at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga: The Center for Professional Education provides two opportunities for students to gain DPCE. Students can obtain these certifications at UTC, and can do so alongside a full time class schedule. These certifications are open to non-UTC students as well.
Clinical Medical Assistant (CMA): Clinical Medical Assistants work to administer medications, assist with minor procedures, obtain laboratory specimens, perform electrocardiograms, provide patient education, and much more. CMA’s work in clinics, physicians’ offices, hospitals, outpatient facilities, and specialists’ offices across the country.
Phlebotomy Technician: A phlebotomy technician is responsible for the collecting of blood specimens for the laboratory to help diagnose health conditions and illnesses. However, a phlebotomy technician is also responsible for prepping lab equipment, gauging a patient’s reaction to the blood draw and collect the fluids correctly. Some technicians will be responsible for properly disposing and shipping blood samples to laboratories outside of their place of employment, ensuring the right samples are received.
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA): A CNA or certified nursing assistant is an important position in any hospital setting. CNAs have many responsibilities that make them an integral part of the patient process in healthcare. While being a CNA is often considered an entry-level position, it is a great stepping stone to other healthcare professions.

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