Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I apply to be part of Student Hospital Connections?
- SHC accepts new members early during Fall and Spring semesters.
- Fill out our interest form! Our interest form is always opened, except during the period that our application is available online. If you fill out our interest form BEFORE our application goes live, we will personally send you our application, but if you fill out our interest form AFTER our application is closed for the semester, we will personally send you our application the following semester! You only need to fill out the interest form once. If you are already a member of SHC, you DO NOT need to fill out the interest form.
- Fill out and submit our application! Please put effort into the application! Not all applicants are accepted, but there is no limit to the number of applicants who are expected. You will NOT be compared to other applicants when determining your acceptance. The semester's application for new members will be launched on our social media, website and GT Engage page after our first General Body Meeting, which is welcome to current and prospective SHC members! The application will be due one week after its release at 11:59 PM. If you are a returning member, you DO NOT need to fill out the New Member application, instead please fill out the Returning Member's application, which will be released around the same time.
- If you filled out the New Member's application, you will receive an email from SHC informing you of whether you have been accepted or not. If you are accepted, you will need to pay your dues and fill and submit the SHC waiver by the due date indicated by the Executive Board to officially become a SHC member! Returning members have automatic acceptance once you play your dues.
- What are you guys doing during COVID-19?
- During COVID-19, SHC expanded in ways we never imagined! We held several fundraisers, hosted several service projects and supported our partnering hospitals! We hosted a campus-wide mask making drive with Buzz Mobile Health which led to the manufacturing of 755 masks by more than 200 GT students for five local homeless shelters and clinics and partnered with Mercy Care Atlanta to make over 220 bags of food to give to Atlanta's homeless. In our efforts to continue supporting patients and hospital staff members, we worked with Emory Winship Cancer Institute to launch their very first virtual volunteering program, volunteered with MedShare and packed over 1,500 care packages for WellStar Atlanta Medical Center's staff. Through MedShare, we helped over 1,500 patients over the Spring 2021 semester! One of our first fundraisers was for Feed the Frontline, a program dedicated towards providing meals for frontline workers, so they can dedicate their time towards treating COVID-19 patients and putting a stop to this pandemic! Thanks to our members and community, we raised $679 for Feed the Frontline and were able to provide them with 212 meals!
- To continue serving our community, we also started two outreach teams: the SHC Outreach Team and the SHC Senior Support Team. These teams were created to provide support to Atlanta's healthcare institutions and underserved communities both emotionally and operationally! We have officially integrated these teams as part of SHC.
- How will you help students receive clinical experience during this pandemic?
- SHC officers are working hard to prepare for each semester to make sure we can provide our members with ways to get involved in our organization and involved within the community. We developed a list of clinical and volunteering opportunities for our members starting in Fall 2020. We have now improved upon this "living document" and have moved to the platform called Notion for better accessibility and usability of the information for our members. We will also be hosting several panels, talks, and events for you guys to learn more about what it means to be a Pre-Health student or a student interested in the healthcare field this semester! These additional opportunities will be catered to your interests, as well. Have faith in us! We will do our best to make sure you are able to get some clinical experience and knowledge for the future during this pandemic!
- As a member, you are always welcome to reach out to any executive board member for advice and support! You can find our emails on the SHC Officers page!
- If I cannot make it to the orientation or the first General Body Meeting, can I still join SHC?
- You can, however, we go through a comprehensive explanation of what it means to be an SHC member and when hospitals are open, we also go through the volunteer application process during orientation. You can apply through the online application we send out every year. This will be posted through our GT Engage Page, Social Media, and website. If you filled out our interest form, we will also personally email you the application!
- I am an international student and do not have a Social Security Number (SSN). Can I still volunteer?
- Yes! Put all 0's for the SSN required on the application and email the volunteer coordinator for the corresponding hospital to explain your situation.
- What should I do if I cannot make my shift?
- Contact your volunteer coordinator at your hospital immediately and let him/her know. Aim to inform your volunteer coordinator in a timely fashion, ahead of time, and using the method they prefer best!
- How many hospital shifts are we allowed to miss?
- You are only allowed ONE missed shift per semester for non-health reasons. If you are sick or feeling unwell, please stay at home, but inform your volunteer coordinator and follow all necessary protocols.
- What happens if I do not satisfy the required number of volunteer hours for a semester or I am not in Good Standing?
- Due to the current pandemic, we understand it can be challenging for some to be able to fulfill requirements. You will NOT lose your membership in SHC, but you will not be considered for the Reimbursement program.
- Please Note: The SHC officers and Hospital Coordinator dedicate significant amounts of time for SHC members to be able to volunteer. We need committed members who understand the significance of their work. We understand that there may be situations that you were not in control over (not enough events were hosted, became severely sick, etc.). If you are unable to maintain a Good Standing due to less number of events being held (determined by SHC officers), we will make accommodations and let you know immediately! If you think you might a member who experienced an unusual situation that led you towards losing your Good Standing, please reach out to us! We will consider these cases on a situation basis and let you know our decision.