Navigating Health-Related Internships at UC Davis: A Comprehensive Guide to the HRE Program

The pursuit of a career in healthcare is a journey that often begins with practical experience, offering students invaluable insights into the diverse and dynamic world of health sciences. For undergraduate students at the University of California, Davis, the Health-Related Experiences (HRE) Program, meticulously managed by the UC Davis Career Center, stands as a pivotal gateway to these crucial early exposures. This program is specifically designed to connect UC Davis undergraduates with entry-level volunteer and internship roles across a wide spectrum of local health clinics, hospitals, and human services organizations. Through these placements, students are not merely observers; they are guided, supervised, and evaluated by seasoned health industry professionals, fostering a rich learning environment that extends far beyond the classroom. The HRE Program is instrumental in enabling students to explore various specialties within human health, gain firsthand exposure to professional healthcare settings, cultivate essential practical skills, and forge meaningful industry contacts that can shape their future career paths.

The HRE Portal: Your Gateway to Health-Related Experiences

At the heart of the HRE Program lies the HRE Portal, an online database maintained by the Career Center. This sophisticated platform serves as the central hub for students seeking health-related opportunities. Each year, the Career Center leverages this portal to facilitate placements for over 1,000 health-related experiences. These opportunities are strategically located across more than 50 distinct sites, encompassing the Yolo, Sacramento, Solano, and Placer county regions. The breadth of these sites is truly impressive, featuring prominent institutions like UC Davis Health in Sacramento, alongside a diverse array of specialized practices such as dental offices, optometry clinics, physical therapy practices, nutrition sites, and pharmacies. Furthermore, the program extends to vital public health non-profit organizations, offering students a comprehensive view of the healthcare landscape. The HRE Program operates on a year-round basis, with experiences offered every academic quarter, including the summer session. For students opting for summer participation, a commitment to being available throughout both summer sessions is a prerequisite.

Commitment and Logistics: Understanding the HRE Requirements

Participation in the HRE Program necessitates a significant commitment. Each HRE requires a minimum time commitment of 4 hours per week, sustained over a ten-week duration, culminating in a minimum of 40 hours of service per quarter. While some HREs are conveniently located within Davis, a substantial number are situated in Sacramento, Woodland, and the surrounding areas, underscoring the importance of reliable transportation. Students are responsible for arranging and providing their own transportation to their respective HRE sites. For those undertaking HREs at the UC Davis Health campus in Sacramento, the "Causeway Connection" bus service offers a vital link, running hourly between Davis and Sacramento from approximately 7 AM to 8 PM, Monday through Friday. It is crucial to note that parking at UC Davis Health is exceptionally limited, making public transportation or alternative commuting methods essential for many. Some select UC Davis Health slots may be located at clinics situated beyond the main health campus, and these often require personal vehicle transportation as they may not be easily accessible via public transit. A significant aspect of the HRE Program is that these experiences are unpaid. However, students who successfully complete their HRE participation receive transcript notation (TN) for each quarter they are actively involved.

Navigating the HRE Portal: Registration and Profile Management

The process of securing a health-related experience begins with registration on the HRE Portal. Prospective participants must first create a personal profile within the portal, a step that can be completed at any time. It is imperative for students to understand that their HRE profile details do not update automatically; therefore, regular review and updates to information such as name, year in school, and major are essential. The HRE registration period itself is a concentrated event, occurring once per quarter over a one-to-two-week window. This timing typically follows students' completion of their Pass 1 registration in Schedule Builder, as most HRE slots are assigned specific days and times. Consequently, students must carefully select HRE options that do not conflict with their academic course schedules or other existing commitments, critically factoring in the necessary travel time when meticulously planning their weekly schedules.

Understanding HRE Registration Mechanics: Pass Times and Waitlists

Registration within the HRE Portal operates under a distinct set of rules compared to the standard Schedule Builder. A key feature is the system of randomized pass times. All pass times generated within the HRE Portal are assigned randomly, meaning that initiating a request for a pass time early in the registration window does not guarantee an earlier slot. Each student is allocated a single pass time per quarter. Once this assigned pass time commences, students have the ability to make changes to their selections until the conclusion of the entire registration period. For students who find their desired HRE slots already filled, the program offers a waitlist system. Importantly, these waitlists are not tied to specific, individual slots. Instead, students can join a waitlist based on a general area of interest, such as "UC Davis Health," "Dental," "Optometry," and so forth. This allows for flexibility and broader access should openings arise.

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HRE Availability and Strategic Planning

The demand for positions within the HRE Program is consistently high. In most quarters, the number of students requesting a pass time significantly exceeds the number of available slots. Students who are unable to secure a slot when their pass time begins are encouraged to join the relevant waitlist or to periodically check back during the open registration period, as slots may become available due to cancellations or other changes. To enhance their prospects of securing a placement, students are strongly advised to request an HRE pass time over multiple consecutive quarters, demonstrating sustained interest and commitment.

Integrating HREs with Course Scheduling

A common challenge for students participating in the HRE Program is the overlap between standard HRE operating hours and academic course schedules. The majority of HREs take place during typical business hours, which frequently coincide with university class times. Therefore, when building their academic schedules, students should strategically aim to leave at least one dedicated 5-6 hour block open between 8 AM and 5 PM. This open block is essential to accommodate the required participation in an HRE. While less common, a small subset of HREs are offered during evening hours and on weekends, providing some alternative options for students with particularly demanding academic schedules.

The Waitlist Process: Staying Engaged for Opportunities

Should the desired HRE slots be full upon initial registration, students have the option to join a waitlist. To remain an active participant on a waitlist, it is mandatory to complete the Career Center's Asynchronous HRE Orientation, which is delivered via Canvas. This orientation includes a specific module detailing waitlist dates and procedures. Failure to complete this asynchronous orientation by the designated deadline will result in the student being automatically removed from the waitlist. When a slot does become available for waitlisted students, it opens for a single day of enrollment and is filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Placement is strictly restricted to the category of the waitlist the student joined; for instance, students on the dental waitlist can only register for dental slots and not for positions within UC Davis Health. It is crucial to reiterate that placement in an HRE through the waitlist process is not guaranteed.

Onboarding and Medical Clearances: Maintaining Your HRE Slot

Successful registration for an HRE slot, or placement on an HRE waitlist, is only the initial step. To maintain their registration and secure their position, students must diligently complete a multi-step HRE Orientation process. This process is critical for onboarding and fulfilling necessary medical clearances.

Step 1: Career Center HRE Asynchronous Orientation: Following the conclusion of the HRE registration period, all students who have been assigned an HRE slot or placed on a waitlist are required to complete the Career Center's Asynchronous HRE Orientation module on Canvas. This online module necessitates achieving a perfect score of 100% on all quiz questions within the Canvas modules. Students who fail to complete this asynchronous orientation by the specified deadline will be removed from their slot or waitlist without any penalty. This period also serves as a crucial opportunity for students who are uncertain about their ability to commit to their HRE or meet site-specific requirements, including medical clearances, to voluntarily drop their slot. This action is strongly encouraged as it provides students on the waitlist with a valuable chance to secure a placement.

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Step 2: Career Center HRE Synchronous Orientation: After successfully completing the asynchronous orientation, all registered students, including those who have secured a specific slot via the waitlist, must attend a live, synchronous HRE Orientation session conducted via Zoom. The date and time for this session are communicated through the HRE Portal. This live session is designed to cover site-specific details pertinent to the students' placements. Attendance is mandatory for the entire duration of the session, and students are expected to remain engaged and logged in throughout. Failure to fully attend the synchronous orientation will result in the student being dropped from their HRE slot without penalty. It is important to note that students who were on an HRE waitlist but did not ultimately secure a slot are not required to attend this synchronous orientation.

Step 3: Site-Specific Onboarding and Medical Clearances: The final and often most complex step involves site-specific onboarding and the fulfillment of medical clearances. The vast majority of HRE placements mandate medical clearances before a student can begin their volunteer or internship duties. This typically involves the submission of immunization records and may require obtaining additional tests, titers, or vaccinations. These can often be obtained through a student's primary care provider, the UC Davis Student Health and Wellness Center, or a local pharmacy or laboratory. The precise documentation required and the specific submission process will be clearly detailed within the HRE Portal and further elaborated upon during the Career Center's HRE Synchronous Orientation. Each individual HRE site establishes its own unique deadlines and requirements for onboarding and medical clearances. Students who fail to meet these critical requirements or adhere to the specified deadlines risk being removed from their HRE slot and may even face suspension from future participation in the HRE Program.

HRE Participation Agreements: Commitment and Consequences

The HRE Participation Agreements, previously referred to as the Suspension Policy, are foundational documents that clearly outline the commitments students must uphold to actively participate in the program and maintain their eligibility for future quarters. A distinctive feature of the HRE Program is that it bypasses the conventional requirements of submitting resumes, cover letters, and undergoing interviews, or signing formal job offer letters. This inclusive approach is designed to facilitate participation for students with a wide range of prior volunteer and work experiences. Moreover, these agreements are carefully crafted to maximize student engagement and ensure that the participating health organizations receive dedicated and reliable volunteers who conscientiously fulfill their commitments, which includes consistently showing up for scheduled shifts and completing all mandated hours.

Understanding the Implications of the HRE Participation Agreements

Before committing to registration, it is incumbent upon students to thoroughly review the HRE Participation Agreements. This includes a detailed understanding of site-specific requirements, such as the precise details regarding medical clearances, which are readily accessible under the "Experiences" tab on the HRE Portal. A clear comprehension of these agreements is paramount to avoiding potential repercussions.

Suspension from the HRE Portal: Understanding the Consequences

The consequences of failing to adhere to the HRE Participation Agreements can be significant. Students are strongly urged to register for an HRE only if they are confident in their ability to fulfill all the stipulated agreements, including site-specific requirements, by their designated deadlines. Failure to meet these commitments will result in the student being removed from their HRE slot and could lead to a suspension from utilizing the HRE Portal. When a student is suspended from the HRE Portal, they are prohibited from participating in any health-related experiences facilitated through the portal for two consecutive quarters immediately following the incomplete experience. Furthermore, if a student registers for an experience that has a mandatory two-quarter commitment and subsequently decides to withdraw during the first quarter of that commitment, they will face a more extended period of ineligibility, being prevented from using the HRE Portal for a total of three quarters (this includes the second quarter of the intended commitment plus the subsequent two-quarter suspension).

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