Pre-Health Activities

Participating in experiential learning opportunities such as virtual volunteering and online workshops can be very helpful for students seeking admission to healthcare professional schools. This type of involvement helps to develop personal and professional competencies in preparation for lifelong service to others. For additional information about pre-health or shadowing opportunities, contact Bobbi Knickerbocker at rknicker@advising.ufl.edu

Advice about prehealth journaling from Princeton Health Professions Advising; Missouri State University

This document has been created cooperatively by members of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions. It may be distributed to students and others for educational purposes. It should not be reproduced for commercial use.

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. Shadowing is unlikely to be possible for a while.

Shadowing:

Ambassadors function in several roles for the PHS program. They are representatives of the PHS program at events, TAs for Beyond120 pre-health courses, assist with planning and implementing PHS events, assist with outreach and promotional information via social media and may serve as a PHS Service Group Leader.

Students participating in the Pre-Health Scholars Program (PHS) will be given priority for these opportunities. Click HERE to learn more about the PHS program.

PHS Internships provide students pursuing application to healthcare professional schools, an opportunity to engage in experiential learning. This provides prehealth students an opportunity to gain experiences to gain insights into healthcare related issues, immersion with diverse populations, and continued personal and professional growth in the pre-health competencies.

Contact: Bobbi Knickerbocker rknicker@advising.ufl.edu

Getting credit: Students must register for IDS4940. You may complete the internship for 0 - 1 credit. To earn 1 credit, students will complete a minimum of 50 internship hours. The internship will include a brief research paper (3-5 pages) on a topic related to the internship, an internship reflection journal, and bi-monthly meetings with the instructor for IDS4940.

Application: (link) Please clearly indicate in the application which internship you are applying for. Submit your application to <i>Beyond120</i> at Beyond120@advising.ufl.edu

Community Hospice Internship:

WHY: Community Hospice provides programs and services to meet diverse needs to improve quality of life and provide compassionate care for patients and their families at the end-of-life. This internship provides an opportunity to be immersed in the holistic (medical, psycho-social, and spiritual) contexts patient care. Those who have an opportunity to engaged in this internship will find it transformative in their journey and understanding towards pursuing a healthcare profession.

WHAT: One semester internship (5 hours/week) includes 6-8 weeks of shadowing multiple healthcare professionals and the 6-8 weeks of volunteering for Community Hospice.
A semester is defined as: Fall/Spring = 15 weeks; Summer = 12 weeks
Times of internship will be worked out with Community Hospice

WHO: Two University of Florida undergraduates will be selected each semester to participate in the Community Hospice Internship.

Eligible applicants are those who are:

  • Junior and/or senior level per semesters completed
  • Meet competitive standards for the healthcare profession being pursued (BCPM/BCP, previous experience in volunteering, employment, and shadowing, etc.).
  • HIPAA Certified
  • Students who participate in PHS Internships will purchase and maintain personal liability insurance during the entire internship. This is purchased at the intern’s expense.

CDS Family & Behavioral Health Services

WHY: CDS Family & Behavioral Health Services, Inc. is a private 501(c)(3) non-profit social services agency. CDS’s many individual programs serve a wide variety of community needs. They all fall under the umbrella of the organization’s mission statement, “Strengthening Communities by Building Strong Families.” We target familial strength through prevention, counseling, and youth shelters. An internship at CDS will provide the interns an opportunity to become immerse in some of the social determinants that impact children and families. Engaging in the internship will heighten your awareness of the social contexts of future patients and provide you with the skills necessary to interact with diverse populations as you prepare to apply for a healthcare professional school.

Contact: Bobbi Knickerbocker rknicker@advising.ufl.edu

WHAT: One to two semester(s) internship (3-5 hours/week). A semester is defined as: Fall/Spring = 15 weeks; Summer = 12 weeks. Times of internship will be worked out with your CDS Supervisor.

Four positions:

Interns will be selected for positions randomly.

WHO: Four University of Florida undergraduates will be selected to participate in the CDS Family & Behavioral Health Services, Inc.

  • You must be a Beyond 120 Pre-Health Scholar
  • Junior and/or senior level per the number of semesters completed at UF
  • Meet competitive standards for the healthcare profession being pursued (BCPM/BCP, previous experience in volunteering, employment, and shadowing, etc.)
  • CDS requirements:
    • Background package - Student needs to complete this and provide $31 for the fingerprints. The process usually takes 2 weeks to complete.
    • Site Orientation: This takes 4 hours for the 2 of those hours will be in person/over Zoom.
    • Orientation for interns at Interface Youth Shelter. The student will go to the site, meet the staff, their direct supervisor and we will go over procedures and expectations. 2 Hours depending on the intern.
    • Student will start the internship based on the schedule discussed by the student/supervisor and the skills/goals designed for the internship.

Getting credit: Students must register for IDS4940. You may complete the internship for 0 - 1 credit. To earn 1 credit, students will complete a minimum of 50 internship hours. The internship will include a brief research paper (3-5 pages) on a topic related to the internship, an internship reflection journal, and bi-monthly meetings with the instructor for IDS4940.

Complete the application below.

PHS Service Group Leaders provide leadership to PHS Service Groups through group communication, leading the group through the process of identifying and implementing a service project, creating group project proposals and budget requests, providing a description and picture of the experience.

Pre-Health Scholars form small groups to assess needs on campus and in the Gainesville community and offer diverse methods of service to the community.  PHS Service Group Leaders provide leadership to assist groups in identifying needs, individual and group interests to create and implement service projects.

School Directories Centralized Application Services Professional Organizations Entrance Exams

Why Volunteer? Check this out: https://www.dosomething.org/us/articles/9-places-to-volunteer-online-and-make-a-real-impact

Focus Locally

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”
  • org’s nine places to volunteer online and make a real impact

Application for Pre-Health Scholars Internship

Eligible applicants require a:

  • A College of Liberal Arts & Science major.
  • Submitted application for Pre-Health Scholars program.
  • Junior/Senior standing at UF based on number of semesters at UF.
  • Competitive science/math GPA for profession being pursued by student.

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