Health Scholar Program

The Health Scholar Program (formerly known as Clinical Care Extender Program) features a clinically-focused experience that gives pre-health professionals unprecedented access to direct patient care. Participants become valuable members of the patient care team alongside nurses, doctors, and health professionals in clinical and administrative settings. Participants receive training in basic patient care tasks as they rotate among the different departments within the hospital.

Apply Now

Submit your application online using the COPE Health Scholars website. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older and must be currently enrolled in, or have graduated from, an accredited college or university.

If accepted, participants must submit required immunization and health records before attending mandatory training, and must pass post-training exams.Accepted applicants will begin the program in one of the medical/surgical units, telemetry, or acute care unit. From there, participants have the chance to serve on other units, including the emergency department, intensive care unit, labor and delivery, mother-infant unit, neonatal intensive care unit, peri-operative services, pharmacy, radiology, rehabilitation, and surgery.

Program Schedule Requirements

• Serve a minimum of one, four-hour shift each week. Most departments are open 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
• Attend two Health Scholar Program meetings every 3 months.
• Accumulate a total of 280 program hours. Most participants take approximately 15 months to complete the minimum hours requirement, however others complete it earlier by volunteering more shifts per week (accelerated 3-month track available).  

For more information about the Health Scholar Program, please call (805) 988-2500 Ext. 2020.