My name is Kareem Mohamed; I am a Program Coordinator, and alumnus, of Volunteer and Outreach Programs at NYU Robert I. Grossman’s School of Medicine in the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine. I am writing to share our upcoming summer Outreach and Volunteer Programs. Our application portal for our summer Volunteering and Outreach opportunities is now open. We kindly ask you share this email and information with your students. Our programs accept undergraduates, recent graduates (within one to two years of graduation date and program start date), post-baccalaureates, and master’s students who are interested in a career in Emergency Medicine or other area of Medicine. In this email, please find information about our Emergency Department and 4 summer programs.
Emergency Medicine
NYU Langone Health is the #1 Hospital in New York State. All of our Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine Outreach and Volunteer Programs take place in our designated Emergency Department Level 1 Trauma Centers. In total, NYU Langone Health has 7 Emergency Departments across New York City, with 600 health care locations total. Our Emergency Departments see over 500k+ annual patient visits and have 400+ Emergency Department Providers. Our hospitals are teaching hospitals and our mission is to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our patients, our students, trainees and volunteers, and the broader community through excellence in patient care, education, and research. To this end, our volunteers truly have a robust, immersive and diverse experience.
Programs
Project Healthcare
Our most popular program, Project Healthcare, is offered in both Manhattan (NYC Health+Hospitals/Bellevue) and Brooklyn (NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn). As a member of Project Healthcare, volunteers are given the unique opportunity to play an active role in patient care in one of NYU’s active Emergency Departments. Founded in 1981, by one of the fathers of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Lewis Goldfrank, our program has seen 92.1% of its alumni achieve careers in medicine, with many past participants gaining acceptance into some of the most prestigious medical institutions in the nation (including our own, #2 in the nation), citing their experiences in Project Healthcare as pivotal to fostering the motivation and dedication that helped them to achieve success. For our volunteers, often the individual patient interactions are most impactful. Our volunteers appreciate the stories, the experiences and the trust that patients share with them.
Through hands on experience, our volunteers are able to explore a diverse array of interests and are exposed to the reality of a career in medicine. The volunteers learn to function as patient advocates and are exposed to numerous aspects of patient care while working closely with the clinical staff. This directly translates to providing food and water to patients, providing blankets and clothing and, above all, emotional comfort by way of conversation and interaction. Volunteer participants also engage in concrete tasks such as making up stretchers, providing patient support during procedures, assisting with interpreting (either with certification or translation equipment), assisting with undressing patients, and the stocking and preparation of equipment. They are also afforded the opportunity to observe procedures, assist with custodial care, and interact with patients of varied cultural, social and economic backgrounds, while intermingling with all levels of clinical staff. They may also engage in active networking with RNs, residents, attending physicians, social workers, PCTs and ancillary personnel. Our program offers each participant an opportunity to further develop the skills of flexibility, compassion, and creativity, while addressing the demands of spontaneous situations.
In addition to the Emergency Department, which includes Adult and Pediatric Emergency Departments, depending on location, participants can expect to rotate through: Triage, Trauma, Fast Track, Social Work, Operating Room, Catheterization Laboratory, Safety Net Clinic, Psychiatry, Emergency Medical Services, Central Sterile, Nursing and Anesthesiology. Our volunteer participate in mandatory community engagement events, a topical and appropriate NYU medical curriculum coupled with lectures and a climate medicine course and a scholarly presentation. Our program aims to bridge clinical experiences with classroom learning.
Our 9-week or 10-week Project Healthcare program is one of the most competitive and attractive programs in the nation offered to a collegiate population.
HCOP
Founded by Howard A. Rusk, MD, a father of Rehabilitation Medicine, and sponsored by the Wallace Foundation, the Health Career Opportunity Program has graduated approximately 5,700 volunteers throughout its 50-year history. Offered in partnership with Rusk Rehabilitation, our program is unique because it offers volunteers the opportunity to explore the field of Emergency Medicine, Emergency Medicine-related rotations and finely curated program activities.
The Emergency Medicine Program provides volunteers with a hands-on observational clinical experience and exposure to the diversity and variety of health professions within Emergency Medicine, around the larger New York City area. The Health Career Opportunity Program in Emergency Medicine rotation takes a holistic approach to the Emergency Medicine field and includes rotations in complementary areas. Volunteers can expect to spend each weekday morning clinically observing in an Emergency Medicine or Emergency Medicine–related rotation (such as: Pediatrics, Social Work, Observation, Internal Medicine, Stroke Care, Orthopedics, Immediate Care, Virtual Urgent Care, Diabetes Screening Initiative and Sports Medicine) followed by mandatory Health Career Opportunity Program lectures, small groups, and MCAT preparatory classes. Volunteers integrate with and work alongside multiple emergency care team members including physicians, physician assistants, residents, fellows, nurses, medical students and fellow volunteers. The Health Career Opportunity Program in Emergency Medicine is a unique role for volunteers because of the variety of both shadowing opportunities available in diverse departments and geographical locations. As a participant in this program, volunteers are expected to travel to various departments in neighborhoods around New York City (such as: Hell’s Kitchen, Cobble Hill, Sunset Park, the Financial District, Kips Bay, Midtown West and various others).
Research Associates
The Research Associate Internship grants students an opportunity to experience and observe multiple aspects of clinical research. Research Associates develop basic research skills and become an integral part of research projects and grants. Research Associates may be taught how to collect and enter data and maintain databases, participate in laboratory meetings, and gain Principal Investigator mentorship and shadowing experiences. Research Associates also become oriented to the Institutional Review Board and other human subjects courses. The current Research Associate study seeking candidates is the Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment, Opioid Education, and Naloxone Distribution (SBIRT-OEND) study.
The SBIRT-OEND study is a clinical initiative that takes place in the Emergency Department at Bellevue Hospital. The goal of SBIRT-OEND is to identify and deliver early intervention and treatment services to patients who screen positive for substance use, as well as those who are at risk of developing a substance use disorder. SBIRT-OEND screens patients for substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and a variety of drugs. Patients’ severity of substance use is assessed and a tailored brief intervention is provided (Research Associates have access to training in how to conduct brief interventions). Patients who use, have used, or know people who use opioids are offered a Naloxone kit. Naloxone is medication that counteracts the effects of an opioid overdose. Research associates also have access to training in administering Naloxone. These services are in addition to the regular services patients receive while in the Emergency Department.
Research Associates responsibilities include: screening and interacting with patients using an approved script to identify those at risk, assisting Emergency Department staff with patient care, identifying risky substance use among patients and providing them with appropriate intervention (opportunistic identification: designed to find and help those not seeking help for their substance use disorder and preventative identification: may reduce likelihood that risky users will go on to become dependent on a substance) and assisting with all other responsibilities assigned.
Applications
The application, for all programs, requires completion of a program application, submission of a personal statement, a current resume, two letters of recommendation and a photograph. Please note that no particular previous experiences are required. Each year, in selecting our volunteers, we look for a diverse group of volunteers with equally diverse interests and experiences. You can apply to all programs! More information on how to apply can be found here, while pertinent program dates are listed below. All interviews will be held virtually.
Program | Location | Term | Program Dates | Length | Application Window |
Project Healthcare Bellevue | Bellevue Hospital | Summer | June 5–August 11, 2023 | 10 weeks | November 1, 2022–February 1, 2023 |
Project Healthcare Brooklyn | NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn | Summer | June 10–August 11, 2023 | 9 weeks | November 1, 2022–February 1, 2023 |
Health Career Opportunity Program | Various NYU Locations | Summer | June 10–August 11, 2023 | 8 weeks | November 1, –December 21, 2022 |
Research Associate Internship | Bellevue Hospital | Summer | June 5–August 11, 2023 | 10 weeks | November 1, 2022–February 1, 2023 |
Information Sessions
We will be holding virtual Volunteer and Outreach Information Sessions on the below dates. If you are unable to attend and have questions, please send an email to the respective program you are inquiring about.
Tuesday, December 6th from 6pm – 7pm
Click here to register
Thursday, January 5th from 6pm – 7pm
Click here to register
Kareem Mohamed
Program Coordinator
Volunteer & Outreach
Health Equity
Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine
NYU Langone Health | Bellevue Hospital Center
462 1st Ave., Room A349
New York, NY 10016T (917) 284-4069
