Volunteer Opportunities

Featured Volunteer Opportunity

Volunteer on campus with the Marshfield Clinic Health System's Community Connections Team

Marshfield Clinic Health System (MCHS)-Community Connections Team

Since 2015, UW-Eau Claire has partnered with Marshfield Clinic to have student volunteers help patients connect with assistance in food, housing, utilities, clothing, childcare, and transportation. Volunteers with work side-by-side with individuals to prioritize needs, locate and connect individuals with community resources to be healthy and provide follow-up up to assure individual are connected with the correct resources. 

Purpose of the Organization

Marshfield Clinic health care providers and staff know your health is affected by your community more than by the care you receive within the clinic walls. Patients are screened during health care visits to identify areas of need, such as food, transportation, clothing and utilities. Our Community Connections Team (CCT) enlists volunteers to connect patients with local resources to meet their needs and helps individuals improve their health and quality of life.

If you are interested in volunteering, Community Connections Team is asking for a minimum of a two-semester commitment and 3-4 hours per week from volunteers.  Your volunteer time can also be used toward Service-Learning hours.  

Benefits to Becoming a Community and Student Volunteer:
• Develop the skills and knowledge that position you to be a leader in the healthcare system of the future
• See the broader side of healthcare by assisting individuals meet their basic human needs
• Gain an appreciation for agencies in the community that can assist

Local Volunteer Opportunties

Health/Medical Opportunities

• American Cancer Society
• American Red Cross
• Children's Hospital of Wisconsin (Neenah, Milwaukee)
• Chippewa Valley Free Clinic
• Dove Healthcare
• Eau Claire Health Dept.,Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps (MCR)
• Epilepsy Foundation of Western Wisconsin
• Family Resource Center for Eau Claire County
• Grace Lutheran Communities
• Marshfield Clinic Volunteer Opportunities
• Marshfield Opportunities for Observation
• Mayo Clinic Health Systems
• Northwest Wisconsin Home Care - Hospice
• The Open Door Clinic (Chippewa Falls)

Community Engagement Opportunities

• Beaver Creek Reserve
• Big Brothers Big Sisters
• Bolton Refuge House
• Boy Scouts of America-Chipp. Valley Council
• Boys and Girls Clubs-Greater Chipp. Valley
• Chippewa Valley Museum
• Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild
• Downtown Eau Claire, Inc.
• Eau Claire City Recreation Division
• Eau Claire Children's Theatre
• Eau Claire Hmong Mutual Association
• Family Promise of the Chippewa Valley
• Girls on the Run
• Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes
• Goodwill Industries
• Habitat for Humanity-Chippewa Valley
• Hope Gospel Mission
• Joshua's Camp
• Junior Achievement of Wisc. Northwest District
• L.E. Phillips Career Development Center
• L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library
• L.E. Phillips Senior Center
• Literacy Chippewa Valley
• Paul Bunyan Logging Camp Museum
• Peace Corps
• Sojourner House
• Special Olympics Wisconsin
• Stepping Stones of Dunn County
• The Bridge to Hope
• The Salvation Army
• United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley
• UWEC Service Learning
• Western Dairyland Comm. Action Agency
• Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources
• Wisconsin Public Radio

Food Pantries

• Agnes' Table (Chippewa Falls)
• Feed My People Food Bank
• Meals on Wheels (Chippewa County)
• Meals on Wheels (Eau Claire County)
• St. Francis Food Pantry
• The Community Table

Pets/Animals

• Chippewa Humane Association
• Dunn County Humane Association
• Eau Claire County Humane Association
• Trinity Equestrian Center

Global Health Clinical and Volunteer Experiences

Learning about healthcare from other global perspectives is a very important part of your pre-health education, but before seeking clinical experiences abroad or engaging in global health volunteer opportunities, you should seriously consider some very important things. There are numerous situations where students on international trips are asked and expected to practice medicine (including veterinary medicine) or dentistry without proper education, training and supervision. You need to be aware of the real risk of some well-intentioned programs doing more harm than good. It is strongly advised that you explore your personal motivations for participating in a global health experience and research the organization that is offering the experience.

 Useful resources:       

 1. Read the guidelines provided by the AAMC (American Association of Medical Colleges) and ADEA (American Dental Education Association) for providing patient care outside the US.

 2. Read Considerations for Serving Ethically (University of Kansas, Center for Service Learning)

 3. Read the information provided at Global Ambassadors for Patient Safety (GAPS) and take the free online GAPS workshop (University of Minnesota, Pre-Health Student Resource Center).   

 3. Research the organizations that offer international health experiences and carefully consider any “red flags” like those listed below. (From Preparing for International Health Experiences: A Practical Guide)

• Organizations that see high numbers of patients in a very short time.
• Organizations that allow unlicensed or non-professional students to do professional activities such as triaging patients, taking histories and physicals, doing physical exams and dispensing medications (particularly when there is no redundancy with a licensed/trained health professional repeating all patient care activities done by the students).
• Opportunities that over-promise big impacts in a short time.
• Organizations that reduce the challenges of health disparities to simple causes and/or simple fixes.
• Organizations that are not transparent about the use of fees and/or are trying to profit off of volunteering goodwill.
• Organizations that focus narrowly on the benefit for volunteers (such as the benefits to an application or resume), rather than the benefit to the community served by the volunteers.
• Organizations that do not measure their impacts on communities or evaluate their work.