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Health care is a service profession. To prepare for the interpersonal demands of the job you are seeking, you should seek out experiences now that will allow you to interact with all kinds of people, especially people who are very different from you. We strongly encourage all pre-health students to devote at least a couple of hours per week to a long-term volunteer role that puts them in a position to offer direct service to others, particularly those who find themselves grappling with profoundly difficult life circumstances. Examples include volunteering as a Victim's Assistant for the Boulder Sheriff's Office, with the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, as a needle exchange volunteer in a harm reduction clinic, as a tutor for disadvantaged kids, as a sports coach for athletes with developmental or physical disabilities, etc. ²ÊÃñ±¦µä's Volunteer Resource Center can help you find a meaningful volunteer position.

If you are pursuing a doctoral-level clinical career, be aware that professional schools will also assess your potential for serving as an effective leader in that role. If you have not yet served in a formal leadership role, look for opportunities to gain leadership experience now. Examples include serving as a teaching assistant, a coach, a student group/club leader, a church group leader, a wilderness trip leader, etc. We also encourage our students to do some independent reading on the subject of leadership styles so they are familiar with useful vocabulary to describe their personal leadership style.