The Health Professions Organization
Guide to Service Opportunites
Introduction: More than a Requirement
“I think we learn from medicine everywhere that it is, at its heart, a human endeavor, requiring good science but also a limitless curiosity and interest in your fellow human being, and that the physician-patient relationship is key; all else follows from it.”
-Abraham Verghese
Service experience is more than another requirement touted by professional schools; it is an opportunity to prepare oneself to effectively care for others in the future. Service experiences offer a rich and boundless array of opportunities to learn about the contexts of need from which health issues arise, and to understand the circumstances and challenges of future patients. Through service, one has the opportunity to attain an education in solidarity; one learns to be a man or woman for and with others.
Keep in mind these pieces of advice when considering service opportunities:
- If possible, try to find a position where you can gain experience in interacting with those who come from circumstances different than your own.
- Although there are many great opportunities to volunteer on campus, if possible, get off campus to witness other environments as well.
- Although volunteering in a hospital or a clinic can be a great experience, volunteering in other settings can be a valuable learning experience as well. Differentiate your clinical experiences from your service experiences.
- Seek to have varied service experiences, but also seek to engage in long-term commitments. Professional schools look for these sustained commitments; more importantly, long-term commitments will allow you to serve in a more meaningful way.
- Take the time to talk to those you encounter while doing service. Get to know them. Learn their stories.
- Reflect on how your experiences inform your immediate goals and future goals as a professional.
- Journal after your service experiences and record any meaningful insights. Having record of these insights can be useful later on when completing applications and preparing for interviews.
- Challenge yourself by taking a position that is out of your comfort zone. You will surely face many such situations in your professional life.
Service in the Scranton Area
An updated list of current volunteer opportunities in the Scranton area can be found on the website for the Center for Service and Social Justice.
- Go to:
- On the left hand side, select the tab labeled “Current Volunteer Opportunities”
You are responsible for contacting agencies and making inquiries. Please keep in mind that the people running these agencies often have more on their hands than they can handle. If you do not hear back in a reasonable amount of time, do not hesitate to call or email again.
Although many agencies are within walking distance from the University, some do require transportation. If this is the case, first check to see if you can utilize the Colts Bus System:
If the bus system does not run in close proximity to where you wish to volunteer, the Center for Service and Social Justice offers transportation via their van. To request transportation, please visit:
If you are having trouble identifying where you would like to volunteer, feel free to consult your HPO Co-VPs of Service, Michelle Dougherty and Melissa Fedor, or go to the office for the Center for Service and Social Justice, DeNaples 205B.
Domestic Service Trips
Domestic service trips provide an excellent opportunity to gain a unique perspective about the needs of a particular population in a different area of the country. The Center for Service & Justice coordinates these service trips over Fall Break, Intersession, and Spring Break.
Information Sessions detailing the trip assignments, types of work, as well as housing and costs will be held on:
Thursday October 3, 2013 at 8pm
and
Monday October 7th, 2013 at 12pm
Moskovitz Theater, 4th floor DeNaples
Applications will be available after each information session. A limited number of spots are available on each trip and awarded by lottery. Although the Center for Service and Social Justice provides resources for fundraising, trip participants are responsible for funding their own trips.A Scranton faculty, staff, or graduate student will chaperone each trip.
Past trips have included working with the refugee population in Philadelphia, serving the disabled on an Indian reservation in Arizona, hurricane and flood relief work throughout the country, working with the homeless in Washington D.C. at the McKenna Center, and spending time with former gang members at Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles.
Please visit the website for the Center of Service and Social Justice for more information:
International Service Trips
International Service Program
The International Service Program (ISP) is a rewarding and unique way to expand your service experience. In 2013, ISP offered eleven different trips to ten countries in Central and South America including Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico and Nicaragua. ISP is open to all students at the University of Scranton.
Should you choose to apply to ISP, you must attend an information session in order to gain access to the application. If your online application stands out, you will be selected for an interview. You will find out the status of your application before Thanksgiving Break. If money is an issue, do not let that deter you from applying! Campus Ministries will gladly help you organize the financial aspect of your trip, should you be accepted.
Information Session Dates
FRIDAY 9/13 3:00 PMDeNaples 407A
SUNDAY 9/15 8:15 PMDeNaples 407A
TUESDAY 9/17 11:30AMDeNaples 407 A
WEDNESDAY 9/18 8:30 PMDeNaples 407A
If you are accepted to the program, you’ll spend the Spring semester getting to know your group and your country at retreats and group meetings. During this time, you will also fundraise for your trip. Once the semester is over, you’ll get ready for your trip. Most ISP trips occur during the first two weeks of June.
If you’re not accepted, do not worry. ISP is an extremely popular organization at Scranton and can only accept a set number of students each year. If you are passionate about international service, apply again next year. Your perseverance will impress the moderators and increase your chance of getting accepted.
For further information on ISP and the countries that they visit, go to their website:
Mollie Vita is the coordinator of the International Service Program. Stop by her office in Campus Ministries on the 2nd floor of the DeNaples Center or send her an e-mail at .
Please do not hesitate to contact ISP Alumni on the HPO Board with any questions or concerns:
The Health Professions Organization / 1-Manny Akpan, El Salvador Crispaz 2013
-Biren Desai, Ecuador 2013
-Michelle Dougherty, El Salvador 2011
-Melissa Fedor, El Salvador 2012
The Health Professions Organization / 1Medical Alumni Council Medical Mission Trip to Haiti
Each year, the University of Scranton Medical Alumni Council sponsors a week-long medical mission trip to Haiti as a collaborative effort to help Haiti and premedical students at Scranton. Between two and three senior-year students (and one junior-year student) are selected to participate on the trip.
Selection is competitive and regular attendance of HPO meetings is required. Strong background in Haitian Creole or French is useful, but not mandatory. An application is initially released by the HPO during the Fall semester. The trip occurs during intercession, usually in late January.
Once selected, students are expected to help collect supplies and other essentials preceding the trip and active participation is imperative to make the trip successful. In Haiti, students follow and assist the doctors in seeing patients and any other task required to help Father Rick, a physician and a Passionist priest at whose hospital the MAC physicians volunteer. Overall, this trip is truly life changing and transformative experience. All HPO members interested are encouraged to apply.
If you want more information about the Medical Mission Trip to Haiti, contact Dr. Engel or one of the HPO Officers.
In addition, Nick Cucci (Class of 2014) went on the trip last year and would be more than happy to answer your questions. You can find him at our HPO meetings or
e-mail him .