Students interested in volunteering can visit our GivePulse page.
Become a HOPES volunteer provider
To become a HOPES provider, please email EVMSHOPES@evms.edu.
Physicians, residents and physician assistants are able to mentor and assist EVMS students in providing healthcare to uninsured patients of the Norfolk and Portsmouth communities at HOPES during evening clinic shifts from 6-9:30 p.m.
Providers across numerous specialties currently volunteer at HOPES and have the flexibility to choose a schedule that suits their availability. Benefits available to participating community faculty include:
- Liability coverage
- EVMS professorship clock starts
- EVMS library resources (journals, databases, etc.)
- Continuing Medical Education credit
To volunteer in Esperanza, the Spanish-speaking clinic, please contact Dr. Alex Leader.
Why volunteer at the HOPES Clinic?
"Working with the HOPES student-run free clinic restores the joy in medicine. The students do all the documentation; I just get the fun of treating patients and watching students pick up on clinic findings and develop diagnoses. It's just a lot of fun!"
– Dr. Bruce Britton, EVMS Family Medicine
Note About Language Services
We are excited by the breadth of languages that our students and community volunteers either speak or have interest. We have received many questions about whether students who are bilingual can act as interpreters in a clinical setting. There are certain qualifications required to be an interpreter in a healthcare setting. Students and volunteers may not act as ad hoc interpreters while participating in CEL activities. Students who have a Community Interpreter Certificate or are Nationally Certified Interpreters should always discuss with CEL whether they may act as an interpreter at a site BEFORE participating in a pre-approved CEL activity. Students who wish to offer their services as interpreters in the community, do so at their own risk and may not hold themselves out as doing so on behalf of EVMS.
From time to time, we also receive requests for Community Engaged Learning to offer language services other than Spanish. Medical Spanish is the only international language training program supported by EVMS. There are no other international language opportunities available and EVMS will not consider requests for other language services/programs at HOPES/ Clínica Esperanza or other Community Engaged Learning initiatives.
Whether or not a bilingual student may be a “Spanish Medical Interpreter” at an EVMS Community-Engaged Learning site is based on a multitude of factors including the activity and the student’s level of Spanish medical interpretation experience. Currently, Spanish language services are only available as part of the initiatives outlined below and in accordance with the guidance provided:
- HOPES/ Clínica Esperanza
- Medical Spanish
Finally, be aware that while individuals use the words “interpreter” and “translator” interchangeably, they are very different activities. Interpreters speak orally while translators work with written materials. EVMS does not have translation services available.
If you have additional questions, please contact Community-Engaged Learning at communityengagedlearning@evms.edu.