Opportunities for Volunteers: NIH Virtual Career Center

Home > Virtual Career Center > Exploring Career Options | Continuing Your Education | Employment Options | Job Search Process | Keyword Index

Opportunities for Volunteers

Skip Table of Contents
Opportunities in the United States | International Opportunities | Medical / Healthcare Specialists Wanted | Legal Information for Professional Health Care Volunteers

Some of these programs offer loan repayment / debt forgiveness programs, and many graduate schools offer special funding and academic credits to alumni of these programs.

Opportunities in the United States

The Corporation for National and Community Service - includes AmericCorps, Learn and Serve America, USA Freedom Corps, and the Senior Corps.
Rural Area Veterinary Services (RAVS) -- prior veterinary experience not necessary. Primarily US but many International opportunities
Teach for America -- help America's youth by volunteering to teach in an underprivileged district. Certification and prior experience not required.

Top of Page

International Opportunities

Many international voluteer programs require participants to pay a fee to be involved. This fee helps to cover program expenses as well as any fees required by the many governments for non-citizen volunteers to enter the country.

Peace Corps -- International opportunities, US citizens only
Travel Tree Volunteer Programs -- good information on traveling abroadand several work areas are related to healthcare, medicine, and the natural sciences
Cross-Cultural Solutions
VolunteerAbroad.com -- also features good information on traveling abroad. Several work areas are related to healthcare, medicine, and the natural sciences
idealist.org: Action Without Borders -- Along with the database of opportunities they link to several additional organizations that specialize in placing volunteers in different countries.
Directory of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies -- Volunteers should contact the nearest national society about programs and opportunities. Please note that many national societies prefer volunteers who are citizens of their own countries.

Top of Page

Medical / Healthcare Specialists Wanted

Top of Page

Legal Information for Professional Health Care Volunteers

Federal Tort Claims Act Coverage of Free Clinic Volunteer Health Care Professionals (Federal Malpractice Protection for Volunteer Physicians). The Federal Torts Claim Act (FTCA) provides medical malpractice protection to physicians who volunteer in free clinics in the US. Interested volunteers should visit the Web site to apply for FTCA status.
Providing Charity Care: A Primer on Liability Risk Information from the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Top of Page

We have provided links to other Internet sites only for the convenience of our users. NIH is not responsible for the availability or content of these external sites, nor does NIH endorse, warrant or guarantee the products, services or information described or offered at these other Internet sites.

Comments on or questions about this site should be addressed to TrainingWWW@mail.nih.gov.

December 31 2007