Health professions programs look for applicants who demonstrate a sustained commitment to serving and helping others, both in healthcare settings and in your community.
Volunteering in hospitals, clinics, and other health care settings gives you a chance to work with patients and health care teams. Volunteering outside of health care settings gives you a chance to serve your community in other ways that are meaningful to you. For example, you might be interested in music, enjoy working with older people, or have an interest in policy issues. Get involved in what interests you — in clinical settings and otherwise — so your experiences tell a cohesive story about who you are!
To discuss specific service requirements for a health profession, meet with a Pre-Health Advisor at CPHA.
Clinical Volunteering in Madison
Spending time in clinical settings gives you a chance to gain patient care experience and explore your interests in health care.
Specialty Care
- Adapted Fitness
- Agrace Hospice Care
- Briarpatch Youth Services – Support for youth experiencing homelessness
- Canopy Center – Support for kids and families navigating the court system
- Caravel Autism Health
- Domestic Abuse Intervention Services
- Easterseals Wisconsin – Programs and services for people with disabilities
- GiGi’s Playhouse – Programs and support for people with Down syndrome and their families
- Gio’s Garden – Respite care for kids with disabilities
- New Friends – Pairs students with people living with mild cognitive impairment/Alzheimer’s
- Ski Patrol – start by registering at a nearby hill with a Ski Patrol!
- Rape Crisis Center
- Ronald McDonald House – Support for families and seriously ill children undergoing treatment
- The Red Cross
- UCP of Greater Dane County – Services for people with disabilities and their families
- Unidos – Resources for Latinx survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault
- Wilderness Medicine Courses
- NOLS Wilderness Medicine courses
- REI has a two-day course for $299
- US Fish and Wildlife Service has various courses between $300-$3000
Non-Clinical Volunteering in Madison
Everything you do outside of the classroom — your interests, your hobbies, your campus involvement, your jobs, and volunteering — is valuable for your health professions application. Spend time volunteering in your local community in ways that are meaningful to you.
Explore volunteer service hubs (right) or explore by your interests below. This list of examples is not exhaustive, but is meant to spark your thinking about how to focus your search to find opportunities that really excite you!