Healthcare Exploration Programs: 

College and Gap Year Programs

We offer a series of healthcare exploration programs for undergraduate students. Applications for all summer sessions open and close in January. Other application release dates are noted below.

• NEW Healthcare Management Explorers Program (HMEP) - Students in their freshman, sophomore or junior year of college interested in healthcare administration can gain practical experience with hospital administration and business operations. (Session: Summer only)
• Pre-Nursing Experience Program - Students in their freshman and sophmore year of college interested in pursuing a nursing major can shadow nurses. (Session: Summer only)
• Pre-Nutrition and Dietetics Experience Program - Students interested in exploring careers in nutrition or becoming a registered dietitian (RD) can shadow RDs and volunteer in food service to gain culinary experience. (2 Sessions: Summer only).
• Community Health Experience Program - Students interested in public health and health policy can work with our Community Health team. (Session: Summer only).
• Pre-Speech, Physical, and Occupational Therapy Experience Program - Students interested in speech, physical, and occupational therapy can shadow clinicians in outpatient and inpatient settings. (Sessions: Summer & Fall - application release dates vary), for college or high school students.
• PreMed Experience Program - Students interested in attending medical school can shadow physicians. (Session: Summer only)
• Research Programs - Student have the select opportunity to participate in clinical research studies through Northwell Health's Visiting Scholar Program at Northern Westchester Hospital. Spots are limited; availability depends on current research studies. Please note, participation requires a 1-year minimum commitment as onboarding and training takes 2 months. Info: Contact Asha Mellor, Senior Director of Clinical Research at clinicaltrialsnorthernwestchester@northwell.edu.
• Affiliations – We are proud to partner with local colleges to offer undergraduate field placement hours for pre-graduate clinical and non-clinical programs. (Sessions: Fall, Spring, Summer semesters - inquire about application specifics). 

High School Programs

We offer a series of healthcare exploration program for high school students either throughout the school year, spring or summer.

• Senior Experience – High school seniors can complete their end-of-year internship with us. This program is designed for students who are interested in exploring careers in healthcare. Students will shadow clinicians, learn about and practice person-centered care, and give back to their community hospital. Applications opens and closes in February for an April/May start (start dates are specific to each school district). We currently only accept students who attend one of our partnering school districts (Byram Hills, Chappaqua, Pleasantville, John Jay-Katonah Lewisboro, Bedford Central, Somers, North Salem, and Yorktown).
• Pre-Speech, Physical, and Occupational Therapy Experience Program - Students interested in speech, physical, and occupational therapy can shadow clinicians in outpatient and inpatient settings. (Sessions: Summer & Fall - application release dates vary), for college or high school students.
• President’s Junior Leadership Council (PJLC) - PJLC is a selective high school student leadership opportunity for students interested in public health, exploring careers in healthcare, and who are committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of their peers. We recruit students annually in January for a September start date. We currently only accept students who attend one of our partnering school districts (Byram Hills, Chappaqua, Pleasantville, John Jay-Katonah Lewisboro, Bedford Central, Somers, North Salem, and Yorktown). For more information, CLICK HERE, or email PJLC@northwell.edu. The application opens and closes in January, annually.
• Affiliations – We are proud to partner and offer placement for students affiliated with the following high school programs: BOCES New Visions, Vertex Partnership Academies, and the WISE program at Yorktown High Schools. For more information, please contact your school administrators.
• Science Research Mentorship: If you are looking for a mentor for your science research project, spots are limited, placement is contingent on the type of study you are looking to do, and participation requires enrollment in Northwell Health’s Visiting Scholar Program. We do not provide opportunities to do research with our patients through this program. Info: Contact Asha Mellor, Senior Director of Clinical Research at clinicaltrialsnorthernwestchester@northwell.edu.

• Can I arrange my own shadowing/observation experience with a member of your team? No, at this time, Northern Westchester Hospital does not provide individualized shadowing experiences. If you would like to shadow a team member, you must be accepted into one of our healthcare exploration programs that allows for shadowing and meet our eligibility requirements.
• What is required to participate in one of your programs? Students must fill out a program application to the program they wish to participate in. Students are selectively chosen to participate in our programs through an interview process. If chosen to participate in a program, all students are required to adhere to Northwell Health’s clearance standards for volunteers, which includes confidentiality documents, photo consent forms, documentation of full vaccination records, a flu vaccination by December 1 or a signed declination form/agreement to wear a mask at all times, a 2 step PPD test or blood assay (screening test for Tuberculosis). Any student who does not meet these requirements and/or will not consent to medical clearance cannot be accepted into a program. Students also must agree to adhere to our code of conduct, commitment requirements, and dress codes.
• How old do I have to be to participate? You must be at least 16 years old to volunteer or participate in our career exploration programs (The PJLC program and Volunteering as a Musician/Singer is 14+). You must be 18+ to volunteer with your therapy dog, unless accompanied by a guardian. Healthcare exploration programs also have specific age requirements - please refer to each program for guidelines.
• How many hours am I required to commit as part of the General Volunteer Program? We ask students to commit a minimum of 40 hours for a semester/summer session or 100 hours for the school year.
• When can I volunteer? In our General Volunteer Program, we offer flexible shifts for daytime, after-school, evening, weekend, and school-break hours to fit your schedule. Students sign up for shifts using Sign-Up Genius.
• How can I get started? We select students to participate in our programs through an application and interview process. Exploration programs occur at select scheduled times per year and we do not arrange individualized shadowing experiences for any student. We recruit students for volunteer experience programs seasonally for a fall, spring or summer program; our exploration programs occur at select times of the year. Students who apply and are not accepted have the option to reapply as long they meet the eligibility criteria.
• What training is required to volunteer? All volunteers are required to go through orientation prior to participating. Our patient experience programs require a 30 minute to 1 hour training prior to signing up for shifts. Certain volunteer programs require additional training. Healthcare exploration programs have program specific orientation.
• Do you provide housing or transportation? No we do not. Students are responsible for their own housing and transportation.