Medical Volunteer Opportunities Atlanta

Clinical volunteer experiences involve volunteering in a healthcare setting, such as a clinic or hospital. As an Emory student, you have many options both on campus and in the Atlanta area. It’s important to remember that your volunteer work should be meaningful to you! Clinical community service should not be looked at simply as a way to “check the box.” Working with organizations and populations that are important to you will allow you to have more meaningful experiences and a desire to continue to give back.

Clinical Experience

Clinical experience can help you learn more about careers in the health professions, determine whether healthcare is the right fit for you, and demonstrate your commitment to pursing a particular profession. It is critical that you learn as possible about today’s health care delivery system through continuous exposure to the clinical setting.

Clinical experience can help you:

Learn how to interact with patients and their families
Gain insight into the business, social, and political aspects healthcare
Witness the the day-to-day life of a healthcare professional
Get experience being around sick and dying people

Make the most of your clinical experiences and the time you spend in this effort by reflecting on your experiences. Keep a journal. Make a note of your observations, your insights, the impact, etc. Asking yourself a few key questions following your experiences will also help you craft your application and interview answers. Be sure to keep track of your experiences using the experience log and journal.

Clinical Volunteer Opportunities on Campus and in the Atlanta Area:

A.G. Rhodes Health and Rehab
Atlanta VA Medical Center
Ben Massell Dental Clinic (students should contact the Emory Pre-Dental Society for information on becoming a volunteer at this location)
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) Egleston
Clarkston Community Health Clinic
Emory Autism Center
Emory Healthcare Locations (includes Emory University Hospital, Emory Clinic, Emory Midtown, Emory Rehabilitation Hospital, etc.)
Emory Volunteer Medical Interpretation Services
Good Samaritan Health Center
Grady Hospital
Mercy Care
Northside Hospital
Shepherd Center
Urban Health Initiative
Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center
Wesley Woods Center
Winship Cancer Institute

Clinical Volunteer Opportunities on on the West Coast:

Clinical Experiences Abroad:

Shadowing provides the opportunity to experience the day-to-day life of a healthcare professional. A variety of shadowing experiences is encouraged for exposure to different types of healthcare providers and settings. Most schools do not require a certain amount of shadowing hours, but be sure to check the school (s) you are interested in to verify if shadowing is a pre-requisite. Some hospitals, clinics, private practices, and offices have strict requirements for shadowing. Be sure to be professional in your dress and demeanor. It is always nice to follow up with a thank you note as well.

Shadowing Resources

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Rehabilitation Observation (for students interested in PT, Audiology, and OT): Rehabilitation Observation.
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Physician Shadowing (only available to students who have volunteered 60 hours at CHOA).
Students may also apply to shadow at Gwinnett Medical Center.
Search the Emory Alumni Career Network for providers in your area.
Ask the people you know! Your own healthcare provider, family, friends, etc.

Emory Healthcare Observerships

In order to participate in an Observership Experience at any branch of Emory Healthcare, Emory undergraduate students must first complete the prerequisite requirements established by Emory Healthcare. Click here to access the prerequisites. Click here to access immunization requirements. Any exceptions to the prerequisite requirements must be approved by Emory Healthcare. If you have questions about Observerships at Emory Healthcare, please email your pre-health advisor. Please note Pre-Health Advising does not match students with Observership opportunities.

Anyone interested in shadowing at a branch of Emory Healthcare who is NOT an Emory undergraduate student should contact the Emory Healthcare Office of Observership Credentialing ([email protected]) for further instructions. This includes Emory graduate students and employees, as well as individuals outside of Emory.

Informational Interviewing is another great way to learn more about healthcare professions. Some hospitals, clinics, private practices, and offices have strict requirements and do not permit shadowing, but the professional may be willing to sit down with you and talk with you about his/her career. You can find more information about informational interviewing on the Career Center website. Be sure to be professional in your dress and demeanor. It is always nice to follow up with a thank you note as well.

There are several options for students to participate in paid clinical experiences. Many paid opportunities require a significant time commitment and prior training, so students often choose to engage in these experiences during the summer or during a gap year.

Medical Scribe

A medical scribe specializes in charting provider-patient encounters in real time, such as during medical examinations. A medical scribe’s primary duties are to follow a healthcare professional through his or her work day and chart patient encounters in real-time using a medical office’s electronic health record (EHR) and existing templates. Some of the companies who hire and train scribes in the Atlanta area include:

Healthcare Consulting

Healthcare consultants examine the efficiency, profits, and structure of a healthcare organization and offer suggestions on methods of improvement. These positions can give applicants insight to the business and administrative side of healthcare. Healthcare Consulting jobs are full-time positions that require a bachelor’s degree. Triage Consulting, based in Atlanta and San Francisco, is one example of a popular healthcare consulting company. To learn more about these types of positions, please visit the Career Center website.

Allied Healthcare Providers

There are several allied health professions that require minimal training (less than 1 year), making them ideal for pre-health students looking to gain experience during school breaks or gap year(s). These professions allow individuals to gain hands-on experience in a healthcare setting. To explore additional healthcare jobs that require minimal training, visit the Explore Health Careers website.

Phlebotomists: Phlebotomists collect blood for donation or for testing so the blood can be analyzed in a clinical laboratory. Phlebotomists work in clinical laboratories, hospitals, community health centers, nursing homes, doctor’s offices, blood donation centers and other health care facilities. To become certified, you must complete 200 training hours and pass the national certification exam. More information: Phlebotomy Certification.
Medical Assistant: Medical assistants perform routine administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices and clinics of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors and optometrists running smoothly. Many employers prefer to hire Certified Medical Assistants, however some clinical practices hire assistants provide on-the-job training. To become certified, you must complete a formal training program and pass the CMA Certification Exam. To find training program, visit the AAMA website. You can search for certificate-granting programs, which are generally shorter in length. For more information, see the Explore Health Careers website and check out the Medical Assistant Student Resource Guide.
Nurses Assistant: Nursing assistants help patients perform basic daily tasks. They work under a licensed nurse’s supervision, and since they have extensive daily contact with each patient, they play a key role in the lives of their patients and in keeping the nurse up to date on vital information about the patients’ conditions. To become certified, nursing assistants must complete a state-approved education program. Find programs in the Atlanta area: local CNA programs.
Health Care Interpreters: Health care interpreters facilitate communication between patients with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and their physicians, nurses, lab technicians and other health care providers. Minimum requirements for the profession vary greatly from state to state. Most healthcare institutions prefer certified interpreters who have completed a training program. There are two national certifications for health care interpreters.
Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs): EMTs provide first-line medical or emergency care for sick and injured people at the scene, which may be in the person’s home, at an accident site, or other places, and while they are being transported to the hospital for care. All states require EMTs to be licensed. EMTs usually complete a course that takes between 120 and 150 hours to complete, while AEMTs usually complete 400 hours of training. To obtain certification, individuals must complete an accredited Emergency Medical Services-Paramedic education program and pass the national exam. Education programs typically take less than one year to complete.

Prepare

Volunteering at Children’s

volunteer reading to patient and mom at pediatric hospital

Whether you’re searching for a rewarding way to spend your time or looking for opportunities to give, the patients and families at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta need volunteers like you.

–> How Can I Volunteer at Children’s?

At Children’s, our mission is to make kids better today and healthier tomorrow. From assisting with patient care to customer service and administrative support, our dedicated team of hospital volunteers is at the heart of everything we do. Whether you’re helping at the gift shop, making a delivery to a patient’s room or interacting at the bedside, you will positively affect a family’s hospital experience.

Children’s offers many hospital volunteer and educational opportunities for a variety of ages and groups:

–> Support Children’s From Home

While in-person volunteer opportunities are currently more limited, there are still many ways you can help from the comfort of home. Your donations will help fuel, clothe and entertain patients and families during their visit or stay in one of our hospitals.

How you can help:

Decide which Children’s hospital you’d like to support: Egleston, Hughes Spalding or Scottish Rite
Decide how you want to help:
- Host a toy drive
- Assemble craft kits and create other activities for patients
- Provide meal kits or grocery items for the food pantry
- Donate pajama packs or family care kits
- Provide shout-outs for staff
Have your donation pre-approved to help make sure you are meeting our hospital’s most urgent needs. Contact the volunteer coordinator at the hospital you’d like to support for specific guidelines.

–> Join Our Family and Youth Advisory Councils

We know that the parents of our patients can bring unique insights to the care we provide. Children’s is tapping into this resource with its Family Advisory Council (FAC) and Youth Advisory Council (YAC), a collaborative venture with parents that gives them a formal opportunity to help us enhance our caregiving efforts.

Family Advisory Council

Thank you for your interest in the Family Advisory Council. We are not accepting applications for our Family Advisory Council at this time. Please check back for future opportunities.

Youth Advisory Council

Thank you for your interest in the Youth Advisory Council (YAC). We are not accepting applications for our Youth Advisory Council at this time. Please check back for future opportunities.

At Children’s, our mission is to make kids better today and healthier tomorrow.

Children’s is the largest healthcare provider for children in Georgia and one of the largest pediatric clinical care providers in the country. With generous philanthropic and volunteer support, we provide care for more than half a million children and teens every year.

What are Other Ways to Get Involved?

In-Kind and Wish List Gifts

Attend an Event

Donate to Children’s

Plan a Patient Activity

–> Contact Us

For more information about volunteer opportunities, donation guidelines or to reach out with questions, please contact us:

Egleston Hospital Lindy Carder
Scottish Rite Hospital Amanda Miller
Hughes Spalding Hospital Charice Holt

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Children’s License Agreement

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (“CHOA”) provides free access to certain materials and information, documentation, forms, questionnaires and diagrams relating to the study, prevention, and treatment of concussions via this website and its related pages, including without limitation, for your reference or download (collectively, the “Concussion Program Materials”) as described in this License agreement (“Agreement”). By accessing the Concussion Program Materials, you accept and agree to the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

1. Right to Access and Use. CHOA hereby provides you a fully-paid, nontransferable, nonexclusive, personal right and license to access, download, or otherwise use any Concussion Program Materials solely for the following purposes:

(i) if you are accessing the materials as a parent, you may use the Concussion Program Materials for your personal, non-commercial use to educate yourself and your family on concussion prevention and treatment for a child;

(ii) if you are accessing the materials as an athletics coach or on behalf of a school organization, you may use the Concussion Program Materials to promote concussion safety to your staff, students and athletes and to create appropriate concussion management procedures; and

(iii) if you are a healthcare provider, you may use the Concussion Program Materials for your personal, professional development to enhance your medical knowledge in the field of concussions. You acknowledge the Concussion Program Materials are not to be used as definitive diagnostic tools with any specific patient and your independent medical judgment will be used to treat any patient.

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