PRE-HEALTH SHADOWING · 501(C)(3)
About Us
The leading free virtual shadowing platform for future healthcare professionals.
Pre-Health Shadowing is where curious students take their first step into healthcare—exploring careers, earning verified experience, and building momentum toward medical, nursing, PA, and other health professions programs.
A student-founded nonprofit becoming the “step 0” into healthcare.
Pre-Health Shadowing (PHS) is a student-founded 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps learners get started in healthcare— before they commit to a major, a program, or a specific path. What began during COVID-19 to keep opportunities from disappearing has grown into a global learning community that supports students from high school through professional school.
We make exploring healthcare a low-risk, high-value first step. Students can test their interests, learn from professionals across specialties, and understand what the work really looks like—long before they invest time and money in applications or training. That early clarity helps reduce attrition, strengthens motivation, and sparks interest in fields and specialties that many students rarely see up close.
By the time learners move into in-person roles, internships, and advanced programs, they are more informed, more prepared, and more confident in the paths they choose.
A new model for exploring healthcare careers
Traditional shadowing depends on geography, connections, and availability. Many students struggle to access meaningful exposure before applying to programs. PHS changes that by delivering flexible, high-quality virtual shadowing sessions that students can join live or watch on-demand—no matter where they live or what their schedules look like.
By the time they pursue in-person opportunities, students come in with stronger background knowledge, better questions, and a clearer sense of which paths fit their interests.
From virtual sessions to real in-person opportunities
PHS isn’t just informational—it’s a launchpad. Students use what they learn in our sessions and the certificates they earn to secure in-person roles and experiences, including:
- Clinical volunteer positions and hospital roles
- Scribing, MA, and other patient-facing jobs
- Traditional in-person shadowing with local providers
- Research, public health, and community health projects
Learners have gone on to be accepted into medical school, nursing programs, PA programs, dental and pharmacy schools, and other health professions pathways—often citing PHS as a key part of their story.
Live learning, verified experience, and a global community.
PHS connects students with healthcare professionals across specialties through live and recorded sessions. Each experience is designed to help learners understand what day-to-day work looks like, how training paths differ, and what it really takes to care for patients.
- Live & on-demand shadowing: Case walkthroughs, day-in-the-life insights, admissions tips, and open Q&A.
- Verified certificates: Awarded after a short assessment and used on applications, resumes, and LinkedIn.
- Diverse speakers: Physicians, PAs, NPs, nurses, pharmacists, mental health providers, public health leaders, and more.
- Global access: Students join from rural towns, large cities, tribal communities, U.S. territories, and abroad.
Built by students and volunteers for the next generation of healthcare.
Pre-Health Shadowing runs on a remote team of student and professional volunteers who keep everything moving— from what students see on the website to the live sessions they attend each week.
Our volunteers span high school, college, gap years, and working professionals. Together, they help:
- Virtual programming & speaker outreach – plan and moderate live sessions, coordinate speakers, manage Q&A, and follow up with students.
- Website, tech, and data – maintain the PHS website, support registration and certificates, and track engagement to guide decisions.
- Social media, marketing, and storytelling – plan content, create graphics and videos, run campaigns, and share student and professional stories.
- Blogs, editorials, and resources – write articles and build learning tools that help students turn shadowing into next steps.
- Fundraising and partnerships – support grant research, outreach to sponsors, and collaborations with schools and organizations.
- Internal admin, HR, and professional development – help with onboarding, communication, leadership training, and volunteer support.
Volunteers don’t just help out—they own real pieces of the work that keep PHS free and accessible for thousands of students.
Heroes Behind the Mask: A volunteer-led book project
One example of what our volunteers build together is Heroes Behind the Mask, a student-authored book created through Pre-Health Shadowing.
Written by two student co-authors, Ramsha Essa and Mirza Baig, in collaboration with PHS, the project was supported by volunteers who helped with outreach, interviews, editing, design, logistics, and launch events.
The book shares stories from healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 era, giving students a deeper look at what it means to care for patients beyond job titles.
Some of our featured volunteers from this year
Volunteers keep PHS running—moderating live sessions, recruiting speakers, building resources, doing research, and supporting thousands of students every year.
Inside the Heroes Behind the Mask project
Volunteers contributed to outreach, interviews, editing, logistics, and launch events—turning stories from the frontlines of COVID-19 into a published book.
PHS volunteers at the Heroes Behind the Mask book launch in Chicago, IL.
Guided by leaders across education, healthcare, and innovation.
PHS is supported by a professional advisory board that brings expertise in health professions education, academic leadership, and strategic planning—helping us align our work with the needs of learners, schools, and the healthcare workforce.
A national voice in expanding access to health professions education, Dr. Nakae advises PHS on strategy, visibility, and helping more students find a pathway into healthcare careers.
An expert in health professions education and student development, Dr. Barney supports PHS’s academic programming, research, and skill-building efforts to keep our offerings rigorous and meaningful.
As a veterinarian and founding dean, Dr. Tran brings an interprofessional lens to PHS—helping us highlight diverse careers in health and expand programming beyond traditional medical pathways.
Jason advises PHS on nonprofit strategy, financial planning, and sustainable growth so that the organization can scale impact while keeping programs free and mission-centered.
Bringing Pre-Health Shadowing to high school campuses.
The PHS High School Training Program (HTP) helps schools launch student-led PHS clubs on their campuses. Chapters receive training, resources, and support to bring virtual shadowing, career talks, and leadership opportunities directly to their peers.
HTP chapters introduce healthcare exploration earlier in the pipeline—so students can discover their interests, build skills, and prepare for college-level pre-health work with confidence.
Students, schools, and partners each play a role.
Explore and prepare
Students attend sessions, earn certificates, and use what they learn to secure in-person experience and build stronger applications.
Integrate and support
Advisors and programs link PHS to their websites, syllabi, and clubs to offer scalable, no-cost exposure for all pre-health learners.
Fuel the infrastructure
Donor support powers technology, programming, and tools that keep PHS free and accessible while demand continues to grow.
Strengthen the pipeline
Over time, better-prepared, better-informed students enter programs—building a stronger healthcare workforce for patients and communities.
Together, we’re building the future of healthcare.
Whether you’re a student exploring your path, an educator supporting learners, or a donor seeking meaningful impact, PHS gives you a way to move healthcare forward—one session, one story, and one student at a time.