College of Science and Health > Student Resources > Office of Advising & Student Services > Pre-Health Advising > Volunteering, Shadowing, and Leadership Opportunities

Volunteering, Shadowing, and Leadership Opportunities

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

Due to Covid-19 many hopsitals and clinics have paused, suspended, or are allowing limited volunteer opportunites. Review the links below for more information from each hospital.

Local Chicago Hospitals:

Downtown

· Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago

· Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Northside

· Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center

· Weiss Memorial Hospital

· Swedish Hospital

· AMITA Saint Joseph Chicago

· Thorek Memorial Hospital

Southside

· Advocate Trinity Hospital

· University of Chicago Medicine

· Shirley Ryan Ability Lab

· Sinai Chicago Wentworth

West Side

· Rush University Medical Center

· AMITA Saints Mary and Elizabeth

· Shriners Hospital for Children - Chicago

· Humboldt Park Health

· University of Illinois Hospital

· John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County

Suburban Hospitals

North Suburbs

· NorthShore Hospice Care

· 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

· Franciscan Health - Hammond

· Rush Oak Park Hospital

West Suburbs

· Rush Copley Medical Center

· Rush Oak Park Hospital

· Loyola University Medical Center Hospice Volunteer

· Loyola University Medical Center

· Edward Hines, Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital

Local Community Clinics:

· Old Irving Park Community Clinic

· Community Health

· Bridgeport Free Clinic

· Denny Community Health Center

· Howard Brown Health

· Chicago Women’s Health Center

· Lawndale Christian Health Center

· Port Ministries

· Asian Human Services

· Puerto Rican Cultural Center

· The Boulevard

· Ronald McDonald House

· Lurie Cancer 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

· A Safe Haven

· Sarah’s Circle

· Deborah’s Place

· WINGS

· Connections for Abused Women and their Children (CAWC)

· National Domestic Violence Hotline

HIV/AIDS Outreach

· AIDS Foundation Chicago

· Chicago Women’s Aids Project

Anti-Poverty/Public Health

· Project C.U.R.E

· Albany Park Community Center

· Erie Neighborhood House

· Cook County Medical Reserve Corps

· Chicago Care

LGBTQ

Center on Halsted

The Trevor Project

Affinity

Release Programs (formerly incarcerated)

· Safer Foundation

· Rescue, Release, Restore

Homelessness

· Habitat for Humanity

· Lincoln Park Community Shelter

· Franciscan Outreach

· Cornerstone Community Outreach

· The Boulevard – has a medical component

· North Side Housing and Supportive Services

· Pacific Garden Mission

· The Night Ministry – has healthcare component

Food Insecurity

· Greater Chicago Food Depository

· Lakeview Pantry

· Common Pantry

· New Hope Community Food Pantry

Healthcare

- See hospital and clinics section

Youth and Family

· Minds Matter Chicago

· Tutoring Chicago

· Literacy Chicago

· Connecting Chicago

· Chicago Public Schools

· Illinois Department of Children and Family Services

· Children’s Home & Aid

· Youth Outreach Services

· Youth and Opportunity United

· I-mentor

· Big Brother Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago

Vision Support

· The Chicago Lighthouse

· Be my Eyes

· Blind Service Association

Cancer Support

· Gilda’s Club Chicago

· Imerman Angels

· Sister’s Chicago Chapter

· Be the Match

· Camp Kesem

· Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care

· Ronald McDonald House

Elderly Support

· Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly

· Meals on Wheels

· Chicago Methodist Senior Services

· Sunrise Senior Living

· The Selfhelp Home

Immigrant Services

· World Relief Chicagoland

· Heartland Alliance

· Refugee One

· Girl Forward

· Centro Romero

Cultural/Community Volunteer Opportunities

· Chicago Cultural Alliance

· Dank House – German American Cultural Center

· Rohingya Culture Center

· Korean Cultural Center of Chicago

· CAIR Chicago

· Hana Center

· Trikone Chicago

· Arab American Action Network

· Cambodian Association of Illinois

· Chinese Mutual Aid

· Indo-American Center

· Syrian Community Network

· United African Organization

· Vietnamese Association of Illinois

Mental Health

· National Crisis Support

· Suicide Prevention Lifeline

· RAINN

· National Runaway Safeline

· Military Helpline

· YouthLine

· Crisis Text Line

· ImAlive

Museum Volunteering

· Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

· Field Museum

· Museum of Science and Industry

· International Museum of Surgical Sciences

· Art Institute of Chicago

· Chicago History Museum

· Adler Planetarium

Environmental Volunteering

· Alliance for the Great Lakes

· Lincoln Park Conservatory

· The Morton Arboretum

· 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

· Field Museum

· University of Chicago Hospitalist Project

· Cultivating Health & Aging Research by Integrating Science, Medicine and Aging

Zoo/Animal

PAWS Chicago

Lincoln Park Zoo

Shedd Aquarium

Brookfield Zoo

Tree House Humane Society

Chicago Animal Care and Control

Alive Rescue

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

· https://padlet.com/kirsten_davin/sbswt3wowat9n6r7?fbclid=IwAR1wKpsFm-5c1A0L4pl7l5gtNyITHMF14sQAQYx0dsgyLvZKo1_uJJch0DA

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:

· Chicago Scholars Mentors

· American Red Cross

· ElderHelpers.Org

· Minds Matter Chicago

· Bookshare

· Learning Ally

· Translators without Borders

· Upchieve

· Soldier’s Angels

· Amnesty Decoders

· OpenMRS

· Tarjimly

· VocaliD

· Smithsonian Digital Volunteer Program

· Zooniverse

· ImAlive – Crisis Intervention Hotline

· National Runaway Safeline

· Crisis Text Line

· Suicide Prevention Lifeline

· Covid Tutor

· Be My Eyes

· DOROT

Enrichment Programs

Includes a combination of mentoring, research, lectures, test preparation, etc.

Healthcare Study Abroad Opportunities

Global Brigades

DePaul Study Abroad Office

James Madison University: Health Perspectives: Costa Rica

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:

Organization Name	Social Media Site
DePaul MedLife	Facebook Page
DePaul Habitat for Humanity Vincentians	Facebook Page
Colleges Against Cancer/Relay for Life	Facebook Page
Pre-Dental Club	Facebook Page
DePaul Red Cross Club	Facebook Page
DemonThon (Dance Marathon)	Facebook Page
Global Brigades	Facebook Page
DePaul Pre-Veterinary Club	Facebook Page
DePaul Pre-Physician Assistant Club
Camp Kesem	Facebook Page

DePaul organizations related to the sciences that are active:

Organization Name	Social Media Site
DePaul Neuroscience Club	Facebook Page
Society of Physics Students	Facebook Page
DePaul University SACNAS Chapter (DePaul Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science)	Facebook Page

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 or healthcare provder if he or she would be willing to be shadowed. If not, ask if they can recommend another practitioner.

2. Call the local professional school programs to see if they have alumni who would be interested in being shadowed.

3. Call around to local clinics.

4. Ask your friends, classmates, parent's friends, or professors if their dentist might be willing to shadow.

Students are also able to access the Alumni Sharing Knowledge Network (ASK). 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.

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