This page covers clinical experience and volunteering opportunities for Massachusetts high school students interested in healthcare careers, including hospital volunteer programs across the state, EMT certification, CNA training, physician shadowing, and community health volunteering.
Hospital Volunteer Programs
Massachusetts has one of the densest concentrations of teaching hospitals in the world. The Boston area alone contains dozens of hospitals with structured volunteer programs, and regional hospitals across the state provide additional options for students outside the metro area.
Mass General Brigham: Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston) are two of the most prestigious teaching hospitals in the world, both affiliated with Harvard Medical School. MGH’s volunteer program accepts students age 16 and older for roles across dozens of departments, including patient support, surgical waiting areas, emergency department support, and departmental assistance. Brigham and Women’s operates a similar program. These are among the most competitive volunteer placements in the state due to high demand; apply early (January or February for summer placement) and be flexible about scheduling and department assignment. Visit massgeneral.org and brighamandwomens.org.
Beth Israel Lahey Health: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston, a Harvard teaching hospital), Lahey Hospital and Medical Center (Burlington), Mount Auburn Hospital (Cambridge), and Winchester Hospital accept volunteers through their respective Volunteer Services offices. Beth Israel Deaconess is known for its research-oriented clinical culture and strong teaching programs. Visit bilh.org.
Tufts Medicine: Tufts Medical Center (Boston, the teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine), Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, and other Tufts Medicine affiliates accept volunteers. Tufts Medical Center serves a diverse patient population in downtown Boston. Visit tuftsmedicalcenter.org.
Boston Medical Center: BMC is the largest safety-net hospital in New England and the teaching hospital for Boston University’s medical school. BMC serves predominantly low-income and uninsured patients, providing volunteer exposure to health disparities, social determinants of health, and the challenges of delivering healthcare in underserved communities. Volunteering at BMC provides a perspective on medicine that differs fundamentally from volunteering at a wealthy academic medical center. Visit bmc.org.
Boston Children’s Hospital: The top-ranked pediatric hospital in the country. Volunteer programs accept students age 16 and older for roles in patient and family support, playroom activities, and departmental assistance. Volunteering at a pediatric hospital provides unique exposure to child development, family-centered care, and pediatric medicine. Visit childrenshospital.org.
Statewide hospitals: UMass Memorial Medical Center (Worcester) serves central Massachusetts. Baystate Medical Center (Springfield) is the major teaching hospital in western MA. South Shore Hospital (Weymouth), Cape Cod Hospital (Hyannis), Berkshire Medical Center (Pittsfield), and dozens of community hospitals across the state accept volunteers. Regional hospitals often have less competition for volunteer positions than Boston-area facilities, and students may receive more direct patient interaction in smaller hospital settings.
EMT Certification in Massachusetts
Massachusetts requires EMT-Basic candidates to be at least 16 years old (with parental consent) to begin training. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Office of Emergency Medical Services oversees EMS certification. Training courses (approximately 150 to 180 hours) are offered through community colleges (Massasoit, Bristol, Middlesex, Berkshire, and others), fire departments, hospitals, and private training organizations across the state. Costs range from approximately $800 to $1,500.
After completing training and passing the NREMT exam, certified EMTs can volunteer with local ambulance services and fire departments or seek paid positions with commercial EMS agencies like Cataldo Ambulance, Fallon Ambulance (now part of Transformative Healthcare), and AMR. Many Massachusetts towns have volunteer ambulance services that welcome high school EMTs, particularly in suburban and rural communities. EMT experience provides direct patient care, emergency decision-making practice, and clinical exposure highly valued by medical school admissions committees. See our EMT and Paramedic career page.
CNA Training and Other Clinical Certifications
CNA training programs are available through Massachusetts community colleges, vocational-technical high schools (some health science CTE programs include CNA preparation), and private training organizations. After completing a state-approved training program and passing the competency exam, CNAs can work in nursing homes, hospitals, and home health agencies. CNA experience provides extensive hands-on patient care that PA programs particularly value. Phlebotomy technician training is also available, providing a focused clinical certification that complements other clinical experience.
Physician Shadowing
Massachusetts’s dense medical community makes shadowing accessible through personal connections, school guidance counselors, pre-health clubs, and hospital-based programs. Some Boston-area physician practices and hospitals have formal shadowing arrangements for high school students. The Longwood Medical Area (where Harvard Medical School, Children’s Hospital, Brigham and Women’s, Beth Israel, and Dana-Farber are located) creates a culture of medical education that makes many physicians in the area receptive to student shadowing requests. Shadow in at least two different specialties to broaden your perspective. See our Volunteering and Shadowing page.
Community Health Volunteering
Greater Boston Food Bank: Accepts youth volunteers for food sorting and distribution (gbfb.org). Special Olympics Massachusetts: Volunteer as event support or unified sports partner (specialolympicsma.org). Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston and affiliates statewide: Build affordable housing (age 16+ for construction). American Red Cross Massachusetts: Volunteer for blood drives, disaster preparedness, and community health. Pine Street Inn (Boston): Serves people experiencing homelessness. NAMI Massachusetts: Mental health advocacy and support volunteering.
Track all volunteer hours carefully from the beginning with dates, organizations, hours, tasks, and reflections. These records form the foundation of your college and eventual medical school applications. See our Extracurriculars for Medicine page.
Community Health Centers and Safety-Net Volunteering
Massachusetts has a strong network of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) that provide primary care to underserved populations. Organizations like the Dimock Center (Roxbury), East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, South End Community Health Center, Codman Square Health Center (Dorchester), the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center (Worcester and Framingham), HealthFirst Family Care Center (Fall River), and Holyoke Health Center (Holyoke) accept volunteers for patient support, health education, and community outreach. Volunteering at a community health center provides exposure to primary care medicine, health disparities, cultural competency challenges, and the social determinants of health in ways that large academic medical centers may not. These experiences produce compelling application material and demonstrate the service commitment that healthcare schools value. See our health equity page and social determinants of health page.
Massachusetts students should also consider volunteering at free clinics. The Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, which operates clinics serving people experiencing homelessness, and student-run free clinics associated with Boston-area medical schools may have roles for motivated high school volunteers. These experiences expose you to the intersection of medicine and social services that defines healthcare for many of the most vulnerable patients in our communities.
Maximizing Your Clinical Experience
With so many hospital systems and community organizations to choose from, Massachusetts students should be strategic about building a clinical profile that demonstrates both depth and breadth. Commit to one primary hospital volunteer position for an extended period (at least 6 to 12 months of consistent weekly service) to build relationships and demonstrate sustained commitment. Supplement this with shorter-term or seasonal involvement in other settings (a community health center, an EMT course, a shadowing experience) to demonstrate breadth of exposure. Document everything from the beginning with dates, hours, organizations, tasks, and reflections. When application season arrives, you will have specific, vivid material to draw from rather than vague recollections of experiences years ago.
References
Massachusetts DPH. “EMS Certification.” Mass.gov, 2025. https://www.mass.gov/. Accessed March 2026.
Massachusetts General Hospital. “Volunteer Services.” MGH, 2025. https://www.massgeneral.org/. Accessed March 2026.
Boston Medical Center. “Volunteer Programs.” BMC, 2025. https://www.bmc.org/. Accessed March 2026.