Pre-med and health clubs at UCLA

Health and medicine are among the largest subjects in this directory. 251 groups list themselves under Medicine & Dental and another 86 under Health & Wellness; 138 of the medical and dental groups are open to undergraduates. They are not interchangeable. Some put you in a hospital or a free clinic, some in a lab, and some are communities of students on the same track who share advice and speakers.

Free clinics and outreach

Student-run clinics give undergraduates patient-facing work alongside professionals. The Mobile Clinic Project brings health care and social services to people experiencing homelessness in West Hollywood and Santa Monica, with undergraduate, medical, public health and law student volunteers. Flying Samaritans runs a monthly clinic in Tijuana offering free medical and dental care, medications and health education; it recruits in fall and spring, and new members complete an online crash-course quiz, a waiver, and vaccination, TB test and HIPAA training paperwork.

Hospital volunteering and shadowing

UCLA Health's Care Extender Program places students at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, rotating through departments and shadowing doctors and nurses. It is run by UCLA Health rather than by students: applications typically open in mid-May, it asks for about a year's commitment, and it requires health screenings and training. Plan for it in spring, not fall.

For shadowing on its own, PULSE is a student-run physician shadowing organization that takes members through a yearly recruitment cycle.

Research programs

Several groups place undergraduates in clinical research at UCLA Health, and they choose members by application. The CTSI Research Associates Program puts students on research protocols in places like the medical intensive care unit. Emergency Medicine Research Associates works on clinical research in the emergency department. The Student Stroke Team, started in 1992 to support the UCLA Stroke Network, takes a small group each year. Brain Wave analyzes EEG and MRI datasets and publishes student-authored preprints.

Selective health clubs taking applications this year include:

• Bruin Buddies in Pediatric CareOur mission is to give back to our local community by volunteering at children's hospitals and bringing entertainment and joy to pediatric…Undergrads
• Community Health CollectiveCommunity Health Collective aims to take a community-centered approach in ameliorating health inequities in and around the Los Angeles area…Undergrads
• Brain-health Education and Advocacy MovementBrain-health Education and Advocacy Movement is a student-run club that works with the UCLA Easton Center. Our goal is to educate students…Undergrads
• Bruin Beans Health ClubBruin Beans Health Club (BBHC) is composed of undergraduates and recent alumni working with nephrologists at UCLA's David Geffen School of…Undergrads · Application
• Student Stroke ForceRecognizing the community need for stroke public education and awareness, the UCLA Stroke Force was formed in 1992 under the leadership and…Undergrads
• Global Medical Training at UCLAThe purpose of GMT is to offer pre-health students an educationally enriching opportunity of gaining first-hand medical and dental…Undergrads

Pre-dental, pre-pharmacy and identity-based societies

Track societies are open communities: speakers, application advice, test prep, mentoring and service. The Pre-Dental Society and the Pre-Pharmacy Society are the general ones. Others serve students who share a background, such as First-Gen Dentists, the Latinx Pre-Dental Society and the Armenian Pre-Health Society. Most ask you to fill out a form and join a group chat; some, like the Pre-Pharmacy and Latinx Pre-Dental societies, also charge yearly dues.

Public and mental health

Health & Wellness groups work on mental health, wellbeing and prevention. Active Minds and NAMI at UCLA work on mental health advocacy and stigma; Active Minds is open to students of any major and takes a short general member application in fall. Think Tourniquet teaches bleeding control as part of the national Stop the Bleed campaign. The Bruins Public Health Club runs community health projects and is selective.

Planning a first year

• Pick one of each kind rather than three of the same: one open society for advice and friends, one hands-on program, and research when you are ready for it.
• Mind the calendar. Most selective programs recruit once, in the first weeks of fall. Hospital programs like Care Extender recruit in spring.
• Ask about hours. Clinical programs often ask for regular shifts and a long commitment; Care Extender asks for about a year. Fit it to your class schedule before you apply.
• Start the paperwork early. Vaccination records, TB tests and HIPAA training take time to arrange.

Browse everything in Medicine & Dental and Health & Wellness; each club's page says how it takes members.