Volunteers & Providers

Professional medical and mental health professional volunteers are integral to our work at Health Brigade.

Volunteering with Health Brigade could even count towards your Continuing Medical Education requirements!

Our team of volunteer healthcare professionals donates countless hours of quality medical care for our patients. If you’re a talented and compassionate health care professional hoping to make a difference in the lives of those who are uninsured and underserved in your community, then we need you! All volunteers must be sensitive, compassionate, inclusive, and non-judgmental.

Medical Clinic

At Health Brigade, we embrace an integrative approach to wellness. We are interprofessional and collaborative, and interdisciplinary. We welcome primary care providers, subspecialists, advanced practice nurses, registered nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, acupuncturists and nutritionists to support our patient care.

Volunteer Providers typically volunteer in 4 hour shift(s) in the morning or afternoon per month at least monthly. Please note that a current Virginia license is required, as are references.

Mental Health & Wellness

Mental Health & Wellness at Health Brigade is actively seeking licensed mental health professionals to provide counseling and therapy to clients as well as supervision to professionals seeking licensure.

At Health Brigade, we believe in a holistic approach to wellness, and are pleased to offer ancillary services such as Healing Touch and meditation for our patients. If you are trained in one of these or any other discipline, we’d love to discuss how we can incorporate your specialty into our programming.

Non-licensed mental health professionals who need supervision and experience hours for licensure eligibility may also apply. Please note that these positions are limited based on availability of licensed supervisors.

At Health Brigade, we do our best to match volunteer interest and skills with the needs of various departments within the organization. Please be aware that submitting a volunteer application does not guarantee a volunteer placement.

All volunteers for Mental Health & Wellness with a completed advanced degree who are seeking hours for licensure, please contact Dr. Muriel Azria-Evans.

MEDICAL CLINIC VOLUNTEER

Clinic volunteers are integral to clinic workflow and are often the first person with whom a patient interacts in the Medical Clinic. They become the face of the organization and set the tone for the patient experience

Job responsibilities

Includes, but are not limited to:

• Checking patients in
• Obtaining vitals
• Preparing exam rooms
• Specimen testing
• Assisting providers and staff

Position Requirements

• 18 years or older
• Self-motivated, detail-oriented, dependable, compassionate and non-judgmental
• Bilingual and/or Spanish proficiency preferred but not mandatory
• Can ideally make a 1 year commitment
• Minimum of ONE shift per week
• Must attend a mandatory orientation and complete 3 on-site trainings prior to working independently.

Clinic Shifts

• Monday – Friday from 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
• Monday – Thursday from 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

NAVIGATOR

The experience of shadowing providers is available through the Clinic Navigator role.

Job responsibilities Includes these but not limited to:

• Assisting the provider in navigating the electronic medical record (EMR)
• Entering information into the EMR as directed by the provider
• Researching medication cost and availability as requested by the provider
• Assisting with procedures, e.g. IUD insertions, PAPs, wound care, etc.
• Locating information for review – previous notes, lab results etc.
• Facilitating workflow by completing documentation in EHR needed for ordering labs, imaging, and referrals as indicated by the provider

Position Requirements

• Four consecutive months of volunteering as a Medical Clinic Volunteer are required prior to being considered for Navigator training
• Minimum 6 months commitment
• ONE 4 hour shift per week is required

Clinic Shifts

• Monday – Friday from 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
• Monday – Thursday from 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

REGISTRATION VOLUNTEER

All those seeking services at Health Brigade must be interviewed to determine if they meet the criteria established by Federal Poverty Guidelines. Registration Volunteers assist clients in providing the necessary information and in completing the registration packet. Registration volunteers are an essential part of the Health Brigade team and must be discreet, respectful, non-judgmental and patient. Detailed training is provided so that Registration Volunteers can assist in the patient intake process.

Job Responsibilities

• Clearly explain the intake process
• Assist clients in completing registration forms
• Discuss sensitive financial matters
• Enter demographic information and scan and upload documents into the Electronic Health Records

Position Requirements

• 18 years or older
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Bilingual and/or Spanish proficiency preferred but not mandatory
• Basic computer competency
• Ideally one year commitment
• One shift per week

Registration Shifts

• Monday (English session) from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
• Tuesday (English session) from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm or 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
• Wednesday (Spanish session) from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
• Thursday (Spanish session) from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm or 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

TRANSLATOR/INTERPRETER

Health Brigade serves many individuals with Limited English Proficiency.

Bilingual volunteers who train for specific positions (Medical Clinic Volunteer, Registration Volunteer, Clinic Navigator, etc.) are eligible to receive further training to act as an interpreter in those roles. This position enables us to provide quality care to all of our patients, regardless of language barriers.

Position Requirements

• Spanish proficiency
• 18 years or older
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Comfortable discussing sensitive or personal issues
• Able to understand and present information of a medical or technical nature.
• 6 months minimum commitment
• Weekly 4 hour shift(s)

Job responsibilities 

• Interpreter will assist providers

Interpreter translates the physicians’ questions and answers for the patient to understand and respond when necessary.

HEALTH OUTREACH SPECIALIST VOLUNTEER

Health Outreach Specialist Volunteers work closely with our Health Outreach & Advocacy Services to provide health information and HIV testing to the greater Richmond area. From sexual health to promoting clinic services, Health Outreach serves the community by providing an open invitation to services. Volunteers assist with tabling, handing out condoms and information about safe sexual practices, and provide administrative support for HIV testing in the community.

Volunteers for this position must be self-motivated, dependable, outgoing and friendly, open to discussing issues related to sex and sexuality, compassionate and non-judgmental in their dealing with the populations we serve. This position has a minimum commitment of 6 months with 2-4 volunteer sessions per month.

HEALTH OUTREACH INTERNSHIPS

Unfortunately, we are not able to offer internships or shadowing opportunities in Health Outreach at this time.

MEDICAL CLINIC INTERNSHIPS

HPEX internship

Medical Clinic will accept up to 6 interns per semester. Interested candidates should email their resume and application to Clinic Manager, Gaya Zeleznick at gzeleznick@healthbrigade.org. Please indicate HPEX 395, HPEX 495 OR 406, or HPEX 495 AND 496 and list the day(s) and time(s) you are available for the internship in your email.

Preceptorship

Unfortunately, we are not able to offer preceptorship for nursing students or shadowing opportunities in the Medical Clinic at this time.

MENTAL HEALTH & WELLNESS INTERNSHIPS

This Internship program for second year students in Psychology, Counseling, or Social Work provides the intern with a thorough knowledge of how to work with and use the DSM-V, how community mental health agencies work and how to work in them and exposure to experts and mentors in all areas of mental health. Individual and/or group supervision is conducted weekly along with weekly case consultation with the Mental Health & Wellness staff. The purpose of the internship program is to provide graduate students a well supervised clinical experience within a safety net community mental health agency

Current Openings-

The Department of Mental Health & Wellness  only provides Internship experiences for master and doctoral level students. We do not have placement opportunities for undergraduate students. Students interested in internships should contact the clinical coordinator several months prior to their anticipated start date.

Student Requirements-

Graduate level internships require a minimum placement of two semesters. Attendance is required 1) Friday mornings during placements and 2) during winter break for continuity of care with clients, as agreed upon with Field Instructor. Other hours of placement can be negotiated around class and/or work schedule when possible.

Interns are expected to 1) maintain a caseload of 5-15 clients (depending on hours worked/week), 2) co-facilitate one or more groups, 3) complete intakes as needed, and 4) demonstrate a willingness to “roll up their sleeves” with the rest of the team to provide quality mental health services to our clients.

Interns are expected to have excellent people skills, flexibility, ability to be an engaged member of a multi-disciplinary team, and an ability to work with a diverse client population and staff. We are seeking interns who have an eagerness to learn and who are self-starters who can work independently and seek supervision as needed. Requires experience with Microsoft Office and appropriate documentation.

Those interested in internships with Mental Health & Wellness Department as described above should contact the Director of Mental Health & Wellness Dr. Muriel Azria Evans, PhD by email at mazria-evans@healthbrigade.org.