Learn Through Service

Volunteer experience will not only enrich your postbac year; it also is a powerful way to demonstrate your commitment to the delivery of health care as you apply to medical school.

Bryn Mawr College encourages and supports off-campus community service by offering a database of volunteer and internship opportunities, partial transportation reimbursement, and other resources. You will have many opportunities to volunteer in a variety of medically related programs and activities, which will take you out of the classroom and into the real world.

In Bryn Mawr’s local area are five schools of medicine, one school of veterinary medicine, two dental schools, 24 teaching hospitals, 115 hospitals, and numerous clinics and social-service organizations dedicated to underserved populations, where you can work side-by-side with health care professionals, residents, and medical students. Through your volunteer experiences, you will gain a hands-on perspective of the health care profession and a fresh reminder of why you want to become a physician.

Health Related Volunteer Opportunities Map

A comprehensive listing of volunteer opportunities in Bryn Mawr and Philadelphia can be found on Bryn Mawr's health care volunteer blog. The health care volunteer blog is a collaboration between our office and Bryn Mawr College's Career & Civic Engagement Center, for use by postbacs and undergraduates. Our office created the map below to provide a visual where our students volunteer.

Our students have gained valuable first-hand knowledge and experience at a variety of health care organizations. Some of the popular volunteer sites are listed below.

  • Action Wellness Continuing its legacy of providing support and a myriad of services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS, Action Wellness provides services to those living with chronic illness. Volunteers with the Buddy Program provide emotional support, companionship, and occasional assistance with the task of daily living. Volunteers receive preliminary training and ongoing peer support.
  • Main Line Health HomeCare and Hospice and other hospice programs in the Philadelphia region Each of these hospice organizations serves patients of various ages throughout the Philadelphia region. After an initial training period, volunteers are paired with a patient either at home or residing in a hospice or nursing facility.
  • Bryn Mawr Hospital & Lankenau Medical Center, part of Main Line Health, a community-based, not-for-profit health system, BMH (a community hospital, walkable from campus) and LMC (a teaching hospital and research institution, 5 miles from campus) offer a variety of volunteer programs for postbac students.
  • Prevention Point, a non-profit, public-health organization committed to protecting the health and welfare of drug users and sex workers. PPP works to reduce the harm associated with drug use and sex industry work by offering a safe and humane alternative to the war on drugs.
  • Various Ambulance Services: Marple Township Ambulance Corp, Narberth Ambulance and Radnor Fire & Ambulance Company Opportunities are available for postbacs who already have Pennsylvania-recognized or national EMT certification. Each of these ambulance companies are operated primarily by volunteers.