Optometry schools strongly encourage pre-optometry students to gain experience in clinical settings and to demonstrate their commitment to helping others through shadowing, volunteering, and participating in student organizations.
Shadowing
Whether you are still exploring different healthcare careers, or have already decided what profession you would like to pursue, shadowing can be a great way to learn more about whether a given health profession is the right fit for you.
The following links to area clinics will help you get started volunteering in a medical setting:
Madison Area Hospitals/Clinics
- UW Hospitals & Clinics
- American Family Children’s Hospital
- Meriter Hospital
- William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital
- St. Mary’s Hospital & Medical Center
- Our Lady of Hope Clinic
- Agrace Hospice Care
These links will help you think about ways to get involved in the community. These can be ways to personalize your service and make connections between other interests you have and the ways you enjoy serving others:
Community Service Resources
- Morgridge Center for Public Service at UW-Madison
- Volunteeryourtime.org (Dane County)
- VolunteerMatch.org (National)
Campus organizations provide opportunities to network with other pre-health students, gain organizational and leadership experience, and learn about healthcare careers:
Student Pre-Health Organizations
- AHANA (African, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American) Pre-Health Society
- Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED Pre-medical Honor Society)
- American Medical Student Association (AMSA)
- Cardiac on Campus
- GlobeMed
- Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA)
- Health Professions Society
- MEDLIFE
- Pre-Optometry Club
- Promoting Recognition of Identity, Dignity, and Equality (PRIDE) in Healthcare – Undergraduates
- Professional Association of Latinos for Medical School Access (PALMA)
- Student Emergency Medical Services (SEMS)
- Wisconsin Medical Society, Pre-Medical Chapter
In addition to the pre-health organizations above, you can find over 900 other student groups at the Wisconsin Involvement Network.