Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Pre-health Opportunities during Spring 2020

On the lookout for opportunities this semester? See below for ideas from the NAAHP!

Focus Locally 

  • Be an active, helpful member of your home community. Volunteer to cover childcare needs for neighbors or to check in (by phone/from a distance) on the elderly. If you’re part of a religious community, see if there are ways that you can provide support through them. Check with organizations where you have volunteered in the past to see if you can step back into previous roles. 
  • Use idealist.org or volunteermatch.org to seek other local options, but be ready for slow responses. 
  • Idealist article: Nine ways to help others during the coronavirus pandemic (https://www.idealist.org/en/careers/help-others-coronavirus)
  • Look into the volunteer National Medical Reserves Corps branch near you
  • Donate blood and volunteer to help the Red Cross address blood delivery and donation support needs in your community. (Remote volunteering options exist for those at high risk.)
  • Check to see if Meals on Wheels needs more volunteers in your community. Inquire whether other local organizations focused on supporting the elderly need volunteers; for example, Caring Connections is asking for volunteers willing to deliver groceries in NJ/PA counties to step forward. 
Volunteer Virtually
  • Operation Warm has a list of 25 ways to volunteer virtually
  • Paper-airplanes.org invites volunteers to provide online tutoring to “bridge gaps in language, higher education, and professional skills training for conflict-affected individuals”
  • Dosomething.org’s nine places to volunteer online and make a real impact
Network with Local Health Professionals
  • Once the current situation has stabilized: Contact alum physicians near your home by searching by location in your school’s Alum Directory and on LinkedIn. It will be interesting to talk with them about their experiences as physicians, especially during this time. Of course, they may be far too busy to connect with you for quite a while. Consider seeking out retired physicians who are watching this unfold, or medical students who are currently not allowed on the wards. Shadowing is unlikely to be possible in the near future.  
Research Professional Schools

 Engage in free online learning opportunities

Do some pre-health reflection and journaling

Read & Listen & Watch


Participate in Virtual Seminars, Fairs, and Info Sessions
Work on Life/“Adulting” Skills
  • Do you know how to cook? Offer to cook and deliver a meal to neighbors trying to manage childcare and work obligations at home.
  • Develop an at-home exercise routine (this is also good self-care!)
  • Take up or revisit a craft or hobby -- origami, bike repair, gardening, the instrument or art supplies you put down at the end of high school…
  • If you’ve never tracked your budget and expenses before, analyze your spending from the last year and develop a budget moving forward (see Nerdwallet tips)
Engage in Self-Care 

News Stories Highlighting Prehealth/Professional School Student Efforts

This list was created cooperatively by members of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions.
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