Founded in 1981 by Lewis R. Goldfrank, MD, the Project Healthcare Summer Volunteer Program is an immersive clinical and educational program available to U.S. and international undergraduate students who are not enrolled in medical school.

Offered through NYU Langone’s Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine, we aim to inspire participants to become more interested and engaged in the field of healthcare and emergency medicine.

Project Healthcare is offered every summer, and students may participate in Manhattan, at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, or in Brooklyn, at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn.

We seek mature, committed, and motivated applicants who fully embrace the demands of Project Healthcare and enthusiastically participate in all aspects of the program. We encourage applications not only from students with a strong interest in healthcare (aspiring doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, clinical psychologists and psychiatrists, and clinical social workers, for example), but also from students who are uncertain about whether they wish to pursue a career in healthcare.

Project Healthcare at Bellevue

Project Healthcare at Bellevue is an intensive summer volunteer program for enthusiastic, inspired, and dedicated students. Our program at Bellevue offers a comprehensive overview of emergency medicine, providing participants with a unique and authentic healthcare experience that helps them make informed career choices.

Participants rotate through various clinical areas of Bellevue’s emergency department, including adult, pediatric, the emergency ward–trauma intensive care unit; fast track (formerly urgent care); social work offices; operating rooms; and the cardiac catheterization lab.

At the start of the program, participants are paired with a resident mentor, whom they shadow and rely on for professional guidance throughout the summer. Participants engage with the greater Bellevue and New York City communities by organizing a community health fair; presenting end-of-summer projects to NYU Langone and Bellevue faculty and staff; and volunteering for optional programs, such as Children of Bellevue’s Reach Out and Read (ROAR).

Weekly meetings and lectures that are modeled on a current medical school curriculum are a staple of Project Healthcare. Weekly meetings have five components: guest speaker, objective, activity, reading materials, and discussion. Meetings bridge the distance between classroom learning and current emergency medicine practice. They also provide opportunities to discuss medical issues in the community, reflect on shift experiences, and hear from accomplished speakers.

Speakers include NYU Langone and Bellevue faculty and staff, authors, administrators, residents, and medical students who speak on topics within an extensive curriculum. Participants also attend a social medicine course taught by an attending physician.

Program Requirements

Project Healthcare at Bellevue is a very demanding summer program that requires serious commitment from participants. We welcome applications from students who have completed at least one year of college by the program start date.

The program lasts for 10 weeks, typically beginning in June and ending in August. Participants must be present for the duration of the program.

Shifts are not flexible. Participants are permitted to enroll in other courses or programs, but any other schedule must not interfere with Project Healthcare shifts.

The first week is an extensive five-day orientation that includes an introduction to the Bellevue emergency department and additional rotation areas, informational lectures from the emergency medicine service chiefs and other representatives from each department, along with mandatory educational and compliance trainings and courses.

For the remaining 9 weeks, participants can expect to work an average of 25 hours a week in scheduled shifts. Special accommodations cannot be made, and students are expected to commit to their assigned shift schedule for the entire summer.

Participants receive their shift schedule during orientation week. Project Healthcare at Bellevue mimics the intensity of a career in healthcare, and participants are required to work nights, weekends, and holidays. Clinical rotations are divided into 5-hour shifts: 8:00AM to 1:00PM, 1:00PM to 6:00PM, and 6pm to 11pm.

During shifts, participants perform structured tasks to assist doctors, nurses, social workers, patients, and administrators. These tasks include, but are not limited to, assisting with electrocardiograms (EKGs), changing linens on stretchers, stocking supplies, and transporting patients.

Most important, volunteers act as patient advocates, carrying out such tasks as talking with patients, supporting them, making phone calls on their behalf, monitoring their length of stay, and helping with interpretation. Participants simultaneously provide an invaluable service to Bellevue and receive an unparalleled opportunity to observe and assist with clinical care.

Participants should plan on working additional hours to prepare for the Bellevue Health Fair and complete end-of-summer projects. Volunteers are also required to attend the weekly meetings.

Note that absolutely all components of Project Healthcare at Bellevue may be subject to change each year without prior notice up until the day of the program, except for shifts in the emergency department.

If the Project Healthcare at Bellevue schedule is too demanding, please consider our Project Healthcare at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn program, detailed below.

Project Healthcare at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn

Launched in the summer of 2018, Project Healthcare at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn is directly modeled after Project Healthcare at Bellevue but with a few key differences. The most notable difference is that most of the program activities take place at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn (formerly Lutheran Medical Center) in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

Additionally, Project Healthcare at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn maintains a set schedule and a significantly smaller class size of 15-20 students. It parallels Project Healthcare at Bellevue in intensity and extent of immersion, and provides participants with an equally comprehensive and enlightening healthcare experience.

Project Healthcare at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn is specifically designed for those who demonstrate a keen interest in the experiences afforded by the program and would benefit from learning in a smaller, more intimate group setting. Participants have a fixed shift schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10am to 3pm.

Participants rotate through many clinical areas in the emergency department at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, including adult, pediatric, and psychiatric emergency rooms; triage; social work; operating rooms; and emergency medical services, where they have the chance to observe NYU Langone emergency medical technicians (EMTs).

Participants perform similar structured tasks as those at Bellevue, which includes serving as patient advocates. As patient advocates, participants speak to patients, support them, and provide emotional comfort all while observing in an active emergency department. They provide an invaluable service to NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn while receiving a vast range of clinical experiences as they assist doctors, nurses, social workers, patients, and administrators.

Although participants spend much of their time at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, they have chances to engage with the greater New York City community. Volunteers are paired with a resident mentor, whom they shadow at NYU Langone’s Tisch Hospital and rely on for professional guidance throughout their summer and beyond. They also help organize the annual Bellevue Health Fair and present end-of-summer projects to Tisch Hospital, Bellevue, and NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn staff.

Project Healthcare at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn participants attend weekly meetings organized for both Project Healthcare programs. They have the opportunity to discuss medical issues pertaining to each site, reflect on what they experience during their shifts, and hear from accomplished speakers. Participants also attend the social medicine course taught by an attending physician.

Note that all components of Project Healthcare at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn may be subject to change each year without prior notice up until the day of the program, except for shifts in the emergency department.

How to Apply

Learn more about Project Healthcare application materials and timeline.