Coop | Research | Summer Internships | Volunteering/Community Service
What kind of health career is right for me?
Research/Clinical Research Coops
Did you know that 90% of today's applicants to health professional schools have some form of work and/or research experience that demonstrates they can interact effectively in a medical setting? Health professional schools look for ways that applicants have differentiated themselves and a co-op work/research contribution is one of the best ways to achieve this distinction.
This is where NU's renowned co-op program and its Boston location with its medical and technology connection may come into play. Our undergraduates get access to a wide range of opportunities. Northeastern places students in co-op positions in the city's leading teaching hospitals, research institutions, and community health centers. This exposure is invaluable as you consider your future in health and medicine. You could have up to eighteen months of experience when you graduate, making you very attractive among the top applicants - with a record of accomplishment and a demonstrated commitment to your goals.
With co-op, NU applicants may have the significant advantage of professional achievement already on their resumes. Your co-op advisor will help direct placements consistent with your career goals and qualifications.
Experiential education at Northeastern may also take the form of an internship or extended research with a faculty member or at a hospital or research center. Many Northeastern students who apply to health professional schools already have peer-reviewed publications listed in their resumes, giving them a differentiator over other medical school applicants.
Summer Research and Clinical Internships
Wondering how to find a summer internships that will give you experience? Here are some search ideas - in the US and beyond.
Conduct your search for summer undergraduate research programs at the following major research facilities:
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory gives highly selected individuals the opportunity to conduct research working next to their leading scientists.
Brookhaven National Laboratory sponsored by the US Support Program offers one year internships in Vienna, Austria, at the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute offers students from disadvantaged backgrounds opportunities in the Exceptional Research Opportunities Program (EXROP).
US Department of Health, Research & Training offers summer internships in biomedical research.
Pasteur Foundation of NY offers undergraduate internships at the Institute Pasteur, Paris, in biomedical science.
Volunteering/Community Service
Whether it's bringing the sick child in the hospital bed a touch of love, feeding an aging nursing home resident, or going to a third world country to help research malaria with a medical team - these are single pages from the book of the volunteer exploring medicine.
What volunteers get in return is the opportunity to test themselves and to develop key attributes that characterize effective medical professionals - the ability to relate to people, to communicate effectively, to observe carefully, and to have passion about making a difference.
How can you volunteer? Do a search based on your interests. Here are a few ideas around Boston to get you started.
Northeastern University - Center for Community Service
The Center of Community Service (CCS) supports the long tradition at NU of service to the community and commitment to civic engagement. The CCS is where students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community organizations can exchange information, resources, and referrals for community service and service-learning opportunities.
Through CCS programs and events, service-learning programs, and AmeriCorps partnerships, all members of the campus community have opportunities to contribute to the health and well-being of their surrounding environment. By engaging with the city of Boston and beyond, NU draws strength from our diverse surroundings and contribute to them as a partner and resource.
AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts
Beth Israel Deaconess Volunteer Services
Boston Medical Center Volunteer Services
Brigham and Women's Hospital Volunteer and Community Services
Cape Cod Hospital (Hyannis)
Faulkner Hospital Volunteer Opportunities
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Volunteer Opportunities
Massachusetts General Hospital Volunteer Department
Mount Auburn Hospital (Cambridge)
New England Baptist Hospital Volunteering
New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans
Oxfam America Interns and Volunteers
South Shore Hospital Volunteer Opportunities (South Weymouth)
Starlight Children's Foundation
