Getting Experience

Prepare

Consider How the Experiences will Benefit You

Get familiar with core competencies.
Identify which competencies the experiences can help you develop.
Identify which of your current competencies you can use to support the person/team you are looking to join.

Create a Strong Introduction

You may consider the following information for your introduction.

Your name, school, and year.
Reasons why you are interested in volunteering with the specific clinic/doctor/PA/research lab.
Your healthcare career goals, including the profession you are working towards.
Ways you can support the clinic/doctor/PA/research lab.
Your availability. When considering your availability, make sure the volunteering time doesn't negatively impact your academics.

UCSC Student Health Services

Volunteer to be a peer educator, ambassador, or student advisor on campus.

Santa Cruz-Area Clinics

Here are some local clinics you may consider contacting. We don't have a partnership with these clinics.

Dominican Hospital prioritizes volunteering opportunities for UCSC students in the Human Biology internship.

Learn about shadowing a doctor.
Learn about other opportunities to gain clinical experience.
In order to gain hands-on clinical experience, you will need to get trained and licensed in the respective profession you are looking to gain experience in. The Allied Health Professions page has various examples to explore.

UCSC Paid-Research Opportunities