Medical Volunteer Opportunities Houston

Shadowing is highly recommended. In fact, some health professional programs (such as dental, PA, PT, OT, and veterinary medicine) require shadowing or observation hours. Whether recommended or required, the vast majority of health professional programs prefer applicants that have investigated the field they wish to pursue and have first-hand experience with the day-to-day responsibilities of the job. Shadowing can also lead to strong letters of evaluation as well.

Volunteer

The Volunteer Services Department at Texas Children’s Hospital is committed to maintaining an active program of support, compassion and quality service for the community of children and families we serve, as well as the staff of Texas Children’s Hospital, while providing meaningful and challenging opportunities for those who volunteer.

When joining the Volunteer Services team at Texas Children’s, you will become a part of a diverse group of an amazing team of volunteers who support patients, families and Hospital staff through a number of assignments throughout the Texas Children’s system. Although we do not offer opportunities for clinical exposure or shadowing medical staff, we do offer a number of exciting and rewarding volunteer assignments at each of our 4 locations: Texas Children’s Hospital and Pavilion for Women (Medical Center), Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus (Katy) and Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands (The Woodlands), and Texas Children’s Hospital North Austin (coming February 2024).

Volunteer Commitment

Our volunteer program requires a commitment of 2-3 hours a week for a minimum of 6 months. Volunteer assignments are available Monday – Friday between 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Evening and weekend assignments are not available at this time

Volunteer Opportunities

Please visit the links below for additional information about the various volunteer opportunities. We hope that you will find an opportunity to fit your interests and availability to help us support the mission of Texas Children’s Hospital.

• Medical Center – Located in the Texas Medical Center, volunteers assist in many ways, but usually support pediatric patients by playing games, interacting with families and assisting with administrative duties.
• West Campus– Located in Katy, West Campus offers expert pediatric outpatient services, inpatient care, surgical services and pediatric emergency center. Volunteer support patients, families and staff through various volunteer assignments.
• The Woodlands – Offers expert pediatric care closer than ever before. Inpatient, Outpatient and Emergency Services available. Volunteers support patient, families and staff through various volunteer assignments.
• North Austin – Texas Children’s Hospital North Austin will open its doors February 2024 to bring the best in pediatric and women’s healthcare to the capital city of Texas. Volunteers supports patients, families and staff through various patient assignments
• Groups, Community Organizations and One Time Opportunities– Onsite and Offsite volunteer opportunities and projects.

Become a Volunteer

Learn more about our volunteer program opportunities and submit a volunteer application

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Clinical and Community Volunteer Experience

Building a competitive application involves more than just strong academic performance and test grades. Admissions committees for the various health professional programs also ask that applicants have experience with the respective fields they hope to enter. Importantly, this experience can take many forms, including: volunteering, shadowing, or employment.

In addition to providing insight into your chosen healthcare career path, engaging in clinical and community opportunities also showcases your capacity for leadership, teamwork, and compassion.

You are encouraged to seek out opportunities in which you find the most personal and professional fulfillment. The quality of engagement (i.e., depth of involvement) is often more important than quantity (i.e., number of hours).

Clinical Opportunities

• University of Houston Academic Associates Program
• University of Houston College of Medicine Summer Shadowing Program
• CHI St. Luke’s Hospital
• HCA Houston Healthcare
• Houston Methodist
• Houston Healthcare
• MD Anderson
• Memorial Hermann
• Patient Discharge Initiative
• Shriner’s Hospitals for Children – Houston/Galveston
• St. Vincent’s Student Clinic – Galveston
• Texas Children’s Hospital
• Woman’s Hospital of Texas

Community Involvement

• Avenue 360 Health and Wellness
• BakerRipley Non-Profit Volunteer Services
• Bridged Health
• Community Family Centers
• Camp Kesem
• Camp Sweeney
• Casa de Esperanza
• Harris County Public Health
• Healthcare for the Homeless Houston
• Houston Food Bank
• Houston Hospice
• Medical Bridges
• Project C.U.R.E
• Ronald McDonald House – Houston
• San Jose Clinic – Houston
• VolunteerHouston

Employment Training and Certificate Programs

• Scribe America
• Medical Assistant (MA)
• Certified Nursing Aide (CNA)
• Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
• Health Science Certification Programs
• University of Houston Online Health Certifications

Shadowing

Shadowing is highly recommended. In fact, some health professional programs (such as dental, PA, PT, OT, and veterinary medicine) require shadowing or observation hours. Whether recommended or required, the vast majority of health professional programs prefer applicants that have investigated the field they wish to pursue and have first-hand experience with the day-to-day responsibilities of the job. Shadowing can also lead to strong letters of evaluation as well.

How can I find a health professional to shadow?

We recommend three avenues to finding opportunities to shadow health professionals. We also recommend that you ask each person you shadow if they have colleagues in other hospital or clinic departments who they think would be willing to meet with you to talk about shadowing as well. Remember that the goal of shadowing is breadth of exposure!

1) Start with people you know.

• Do you — or does anyone you know — know a health professional?
• Have you — or has anyone you know — ever, as a patient, visited a health professional?
• Would you feel comfortable reaching out to one (or all) of these people to ask about shadowing?

2) Begin volunteering in a health care setting and get to know the health professionals who work there.

• Volunteer positions might put you in the closest touch with health professionals who work in fields you do not plan to pursue (e.g., you may want to be a physical therapist, but you interact mostly with RNs).
• Get to know and learn from these people. Shadow them. And ask them to connect you with their colleagues in your field of interest.

3) Use clinic and hospital directories to find contact information for health professionals.

• Cold-emailing / cold-calling does work. It may be uncomfortable and it may take several attempts, but it is effective. Be sure to include brief details about yourself, your professional goals, your contact information, and availability.
• You may also consider first asking health professionals that you do not know if you can conduct an informational interview before you ask to shadow them.

Do clinics and hospitals have policies for shadowing?

Yes, most clinics and hospitals have policies on shadowing. Please review the websites of any clinics/hospitals to find the information you need regarding shadowing policies before trying to gain this experience.

How can I expand my shadowing network?

An important goal of shadowing is breadth of exposure. This means that ideally you do not shadow the same health professional in the same setting for 80-100 hours, as shadowing multiple health professionals across multiple settings is preferable. Our advice is to always ask any healthcare professional with whom you are currently shadowing if they can connect you with a colleague in another clinic or another department of the hospital who they think may be willing to meet with you.

In addition, it can be useful to shadow health professionals in fields you do not plan to pursue. This will help you learn about multiple professional roles on health care teams. It will also give you the opportunity to crystallize your reflections on why you will serve best in the role you are pursuing.

How should I ask health professionals if I can shadow them?

Health care professionals are often very happy to talk with students. You can help them respond to your request to meet by explaining clearly why you want to talk with them. For example, when you reach out to a health professional, you might do the following.

• Tell them why you are reaching out to them specifically. Maybe someone recommended them or they work in a health care field that interests you.
• Share a little about yourself — e.g., where you go to school, healthcare or research experience you have, your professional goals.
• And this goes without saying — always be courteous, respectful, show awareness of their busy schedule, and express appreciation for whatever they have time to do with/for you, even if this is limited to responding to your call/email.

If a health professional says “no,” do not take it personally. Health professionals are busy, and they may have to say no for reasons beyond their control. Do not be discouraged if you get a “no.” You will eventually get a “yes” if you stick with it. Shadowing Request Email Template

How long should I shadow?

After you find someone who is willing to let you shadow, ask how much time this person would like to plan on having you shadow. They may have had students shadow in the past and have a set way they like to offer this experience.

Shadowing can range from a single day to a few hours per week. Some health professionals may be willing to arrange several weeks or months of shadowing with you. We encourage you to spend as much time shadowing health professionals as you want and they are willing to offer. You may meet someone you want to learn more from than you can learn in 8 or 12 hours of shadowing. That is great. We also encourage you to remember that the goal of shadowing is breadth of experience. And as we say above, this means the ideal situation is not you shadowing the same health professional in the same setting for 80 hours. A much more ideal situation is you shadowing multiple health professionals in multiple settings.

What are some things to keep in mind while I shadow?

Each clinic and hospital has specific expectations for shadowing in their facility. Know their rules and expectations prior to shadowing.

• Dress professionally and comfortably.
• Feel free to ask questions and take notes in between patients but not in front of them. Prepare questions ahead of time.
• The health care professional is required to introduce you as a pre-health student to each patient. There may be patients who are uncomfortable having you in the room during an exam or appointment, so you may be asked to step out. Other patients might engage you in conversation. Regardless of your level of interaction with patients, you must keep all patient information confidential.

What should I do after I shadow?

Write thank you notes. If you had a great experience with a health professional, ask this person if you can keep in touch. Reflect in writing about what you saw and what you learned. Create a spreadsheet to keep track of dates, hours, and contact information for all your shadowing experiences. All of this will come in handy when you are applying to health professions programs! And remember to keep everything you observe when you shadow completely confidential.