This page covers clinical experience opportunities for undergraduate students at New York colleges and universities, including hospital-based roles, free clinic volunteering, community health placements, paid clinical positions, and physician shadowing.
Hospital Volunteering
New York’s hospital systems operate volunteer programs that accept college students, typically offering more substantive roles than those available to high school volunteers. The major systems and their volunteer structures are detailed on our NY HS Clinical page; college students should contact the same volunteer services offices but ask about roles with greater clinical exposure. NYU Langone, NewYork-Presbyterian, Mount Sinai, Northwell Health, Montefiore, and dozens of other hospitals across the state welcome undergraduate volunteers in departments ranging from emergency medicine to rehabilitation to oncology. Commit to a consistent and reliable weekly schedule (4 to 8 hours per week, sustained over at least 6 to 12 months) to build meaningful relationships with staff and accumulate enough hours to demonstrate genuine engagement on your applications.
Paid Clinical Positions
Medical Scribe: New York’s large hospital systems and physician practices employ medical scribes through companies like ScribeAmerica, Proscribe, and ScribeConnect, as well as through direct-hire arrangements. Scribing provides unparalleled exposure to clinical decision-making and medical documentation. NYC-area scribe positions are competitive; apply early in your sophomore year and highlight any prior clinical experience. Expect to work 15 to 25 hours per week during the school year and up to 40 hours per week during summers. Hourly rates in New York range from $15 to $22 depending on the employer and location.
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT): If you are certified (see our NY HS Clinical page for certification details), you can work or volunteer as an EMT throughout college. In New York City, FDNY EMS hires EMTs for paid positions (starting salary approximately $35,000 to $40,000 for full-time, with part-time options available). Outside of NYC, volunteer ambulance corps on Long Island, in Westchester, and in upstate communities provide flexible scheduling for college students. Many SUNY and CUNY students work as EMTs on campus emergency squads (Stony Brook Volunteer Ambulance Corps, for example). See our EMT and Paramedic career page.
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA): CNA positions in New York nursing homes, hospitals, and home health agencies pay $16 to $22 per hour in the NYC metro area and provide extensive hands-on patient care. CNA experience is particularly valued by PA programs. Training programs are available through community colleges, BOCES, and private organizations. Patient Care Technician (PCT) and Medical Assistant: Hospital-based PCTs and outpatient medical assistants perform clinical tasks under supervision, providing broad and valuable clinical exposure alongside a steady income.
Free Clinic and Community Health Volunteering
New York City has a particularly rich network of free clinics and community health organizations where pre-health students can gain clinical experience while serving underserved populations.
Student-Run Free Clinics: Several New York medical schools operate student-run free clinics that accept undergraduate volunteers. The Columbia-Harlem Homeless Medical Partnership, NYU Lutheran Family Health Centers outreach, and Einstein-Montefiore affiliated community programs are examples. Roles for undergraduates typically include patient intake, vital signs, health education, and clinic logistics rather than direct clinical care, but the exposure to underserved patient populations and the social mission of medicine is invaluable. Contact the community service offices at nearby medical schools for current volunteer opportunities.
NYC Health + Hospitals: The public hospital system serving New York City (Bellevue, Lincoln, Kings County, Elmhurst, Jacobi, Metropolitan, and others) provides healthcare to all patients regardless of ability to pay. These hospitals serve some of the most diverse and underserved patient populations in the country. Volunteer programs at NYC Health + Hospitals facilities provide exposure to public hospital medicine, health disparities, and the safety-net healthcare system. Visit nychealthandhospitals.org.
Community-based organizations: CAMBA (Brooklyn), Covenant House (runaway and homeless youth), Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC, HIV/AIDS services), Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, and dozens of other organizations provide health-related volunteering that connects clinical experience with community service and advocacy. These experiences demonstrate awareness of health equity and the social determinants of health. See our health equity page and social determinants of health page.
Physician Shadowing
New York undergraduate students can find shadowing opportunities through pre-health advising offices (many maintain shadowing physician databases), clinical volunteer contacts (physicians you work with during hospital volunteering may agree to let you shadow), medical school outreach programs (some schools arrange shadowing for interested undergraduates), and direct outreach to physician practices. NYC students have the advantage of proximity to physicians in every conceivable specialty; shadow in at least 3 different areas, including primary care, a procedural specialty, and one additional area that interests you, to demonstrate breadth of clinical exposure. See our Shadowing Physicians page.
Documenting Your Clinical Experience
Keep a detailed log of all clinical activities: dates, organizations, hours, specific tasks, and brief reflections. This log will be essential when you complete the AMCAS® or AACOMAS® activities section (700 characters per experience, 1,325 characters for your three most meaningful activities). Specific, vivid details from a contemporaneous log produce far more compelling descriptions than vague recollections. Track cumulative hours by activity type (volunteering, scribing, EMT, shadowing, community health) so you can assess your profile balance and identify gaps before application season. See our Building Your Resume page and AMCAS® Application Guide.
Building a Clinical Profile Over Four Years
The strongest clinical profiles are built over years, not weeks. Medical school admissions committees look for sustained, meaningful engagement rather than a concentrated burst of activity immediately before applying. Start clinical volunteering during your freshman year if possible, even if you can only commit a few hours per week. By the time you apply in the summer after your junior year, you will have accumulated hundreds of hours of clinical experience that demonstrate a consistent, long-term commitment to patient care.
Diversify your clinical experiences across settings and populations. A student who has volunteered at a major academic medical center, worked as an EMT responding to 911 calls, and volunteered at a free clinic serving undocumented immigrants has a more compelling clinical profile than a student who spent all their clinical hours in a single setting. Each experience provides a different lens through which you understand healthcare: the academic medical center shows you cutting-edge medicine and subspecialty care, the EMT work exposes you to emergency decision-making and community health emergencies, and the free clinic connects you to health disparities, access barriers, and the social mission of medicine. New York’s diverse healthcare landscape makes it easier to build this kind of multi-dimensional clinical profile than almost anywhere else.
When describing clinical experiences on your application, specificity matters more than hours. Admissions committees want to know what you observed, how it affected your understanding of healthcare, and how it informed your decision to pursue medicine. A detailed description of a single patient encounter that changed your perspective is more compelling than a generic summary of 500 hours of volunteering. Keep a journal or log throughout your clinical experiences so you have specific details available when application season arrives. See our AMCAS® Application Guide for detailed guidance on presenting clinical experiences effectively.
References
AAMC. “Clinical Experience Recommendations.” AAMC, 2025. https://students-residents.aamc.org/. Accessed March 2026.
NYC Health + Hospitals. “Volunteer Services.” NYC H+H, 2025. https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/. Accessed March 2026.