Local Opportunities

Campus Partners

The Pace Center is Princeton University’s central resource for civic engagement. It supports efforts by all members of the extended University community to identify and act on the problems of society. Opportunities include:

  • Alternative Break Trips are an opportunity to be immersed in social issues in the US and abroad over vacations.
  • Weekly service opportunities in health and human services organizations help organize volunteers to serve in the local hospital and hospice, to provide health education in local schools, to volunteer for a crisis and suicide hotline, and serve in a number of other health- and service-oriented capacities.
  • Community House is an organization committed to closing the minority achievement gap in Princeton by providing programs that bolster early childhood literacy, promote the mastery of fundamental academic skills, and create early awareness of post-secondary opportunities for under-served minority youth.

The Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES) offers service opportunities that are embedded in selected courses each semester. They also fund Princeton students to do research with local non-profit organizations through internships.  Students selected for an internship work with a host organization for ten weeks during the summer.  Research projects will be driven by the needs of the non-profit, and students may also begin work toward a related junior paper or senior thesis topic.

 

Health-Related Student Groups

A number of student groups on campus have health-related missions. If you're part of a group that isn't listed, please let us know and we will add your group!

 

In the Princeton and Surrounding Community

Ascend Hospice Volunteers: Volunteering in a hospice can be a meaningful experience; you will work directly with a patient and their family/caregivers while also exploring issues of end of life care, death and dying, and the kind of care involved in this critical time in an individual’s life. Training and reflection sessions will occur within walking distance of campus, and the hospice itself is accessible by public transportation or Pace vehicles. The application is sent out to HPA listservs in the summer, with a late August application deadline. Learn more about past students’ participation in a similar program online.

Hospital Grand Rounds: Princeton Healthcare System's Department of Continuing Medical Education has kindly offered to extend an invitation to PU pre-health students to attend Grand Rounds.  Medicine Grand Rounds take place on Tuesdays at 8am at the Princeton Medical Center. Your objective in attending a Grand Rounds session should be simply to get a sense of the kinds of conversations that doctors and hospital personnel are having around important healthcare topics.  We at HPA hope this is a valuable experience as you continue to clarify or deepen your interest in the health professions.  The Grand Rounds topics are included in our Vitals newsletter and you can pick up a pass that allows you to attend from HPA.

Hospital Volunteering: There are a wide range of opportunities available for college volunteers at the Princeton Medical Center. College volunteers work with the volunteer coordinator to select a weekly three-hour shift. The minimum commitment is 100 hours per year. Volunteer assignments are based on organizational need, in addition to your interests, skills and availability. College volunteers enjoy many benefits, including free parking, documentation of hours, free training, special discounts and celebratory recognition events.  Students apply to volunteer independently; transportation coordination and support is provided through the Pace Student Volunteer Corps.

New Jersey Medical Reserve Corps: The NJ Medical Reserve Corps seeks volunteers who are willing to assist in the event of public health emergencies and health education / public health events. Volunteers are able to participate in training and education opportunities.

Physician Shadowing: HPA has compiled a growing list of local physicians who are willing to have Princeton pre-health students shadow them.  Please email hpa@ to get a copy of the list.  

Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad (PFARS): Serving the community for nearly 80 years, Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to providing the entire Princeton community with professional, courteous and skilled emergency medical and technical rescue service.  To learn more about how to become a volunteer, complete an online interest form.

St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Center (SLRC): St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Center (SLRC) is a private, not-for-profit facility that provides physical rehabilitative services. A variety of volunteer opportunities are available that enhance patient satisfaction, while producing a well‐deserved feeling of personal fulfillment for the volunteer. The SLRC is a few miles away and can be reached by public transportation. See the SLRC website for their volunteer application.

Currently Inactive

Be Jersey Strong Health Reform Movement: This initiative was established in Fall 2015 to mobilize students interested in implementing health reform efforts in NJ by talking one on one with uninsured individuals about their health care options.  Email questions to kyle@bejerseystrong.org.