HAVEN Free Clinic relies on the dedication of volunteers to provide free, high-quality healthcare to uninsured adults in Greater New Haven. Whether you're a healthcare professional, a student, or simply someone who wants to help, there's a place for you at HAVEN.
Fall Volunteer Recruitment 2026
Applications for Fall 2026 volunteer positions are open now. We welcome students across all health professions and programs, graduate students, and college students who want to serve uninsured adults in Greater New Haven alongside our student-run team.
Volunteers must be Yale-affiliated. We are not able to accept applications from community members without a Yale affiliation. Licensed clinicians interested in volunteering as attendings should see Professional Volunteers below, which follows a separate process.
Applications due Saturday, September 12th, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT. Questions? Email us at hfc.recruitment@yale.edu
Ways to Volunteer
Our volunteers contribute across a wide range of areas to keep the clinic running and our patients cared for.
Clinical Care
Assist with patient intake, health screenings, and clinical support under the guidance of licensed professionals.
Interpretation
Help bridge language barriers for our diverse patient population. Spanish speakers are especially needed.
Operations
Support day-to-day clinic operations including scheduling, data entry, and administrative tasks.
Social Services
Connect patients with community resources, assist with insurance navigation, and provide wellness education.
Our Volunteer Community
HAVEN is entirely student-run, powered each Saturday by a carefully selected team of volunteers. In any given term, we receive 750+ applications, and we take the time to review each one. Those selected are paired intentionally based on their skills, background, and the needs of our clinic, with support and coordination that extends well beyond initial training.
What We Look For
- Commitment and reliability
- Passion for serving underserved communities
- Teamwork and communication
- Spanish language skills are a valued asset
Who Volunteers With Us
Our team includes students across all health professions and programs, graduate students, and college students: medical, nursing, physician associate, public health, and pre-health students, alongside non-clinical volunteers in administrative and support roles.
All volunteers must be Yale-affiliated. We are not able to place community members without a Yale affiliation. The one separate route is Professional Volunteers below: licensed clinicians who serve as attendings go through credentialing rather than the student application.
Curious what the departments actually do? Every one of them is described here.
Clinical Supervision
Every clinical encounter at HAVEN is supervised by licensed attending physicians and registered nurses who volunteer their time to our clinic. Our Saturday clinics in primary care and reproductive health are staffed by faculty attendings, alongside RNs and specialty clinic preceptors. They are all community providers who believe in this mission. Their oversight ensures every patient receives safe, professional-standard care.
Recruitment Timeline
Because of the volume and care involved in our selection process, recruitment follows a structured timeline each term:
Applications open
Applications opened Friday, August 28th, 2026 at 12:00 AM EDT for the fall term and close Saturday, September 12th, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT.
Review Period
Our team carefully reviews every application and conducts intentional pairing based on skills, availability, and clinic needs.
Offers & Onboarding
Selected volunteers are notified and begin training and orientation before their first shift.
We ask that all applicants please be patient during this process. With 750+applications to review, we give every candidate the thoughtful consideration they deserve, and that takes time. We appreciate your understanding and your interest in HAVEN’s mission. We continue to review applications on a rolling basis even after training begins, so if you do not hear from us right away, your application remains under consideration.
Interested in volunteering? Applications for our Fall 2026 cycle are open now and close Saturday, September 12th, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT.
Professional Volunteers
Professional volunteers act as volunteer attending clinicians at HAVEN, and are integral to the function and success of the clinic. Faculty preceptors guide teams of students in the evaluation and treatment of patients, giving them an opportunity to mentor students across the disciplines of medicine.
In order to become a medical preceptor at the HAVEN Free Clinic, we ask that you complete a credentialing and privileging process, and provide a recommendation from a current Yale faculty member. If necessary, we will work with you to find a Yale faculty member that can provide a recommendation on your behalf.
Thank You to Our Volunteers
Every Saturday, hundreds of people choose to spend their morning here, for neighbors they have never met. Students who answer phones after class. Interpreters who stay late so a patient feels heard. Navigators who chase down a referral on a Tuesday because nobody else was going to.
Our attending physicians and nurses are volunteers too. Every clinical encounter at HAVEN is supervised by a licensed attending who is not paid to be here. They give up their weekends, they teach while they supervise, and they stay long after clinic ends to answer one more question. The clinic simply could not open its doors without them.
To every volunteer, student and clinician alike: thank you for your time, your expertise, and your support. Everything HAVEN accomplishes is possible because you do it together.
Other Ways to Support HAVEN
Make a Donation
Donations pay for our patients' medications, lab tests, and specialist visits. Gifts are made through Yale and designated to HAVEN.
Donate NowSpread the Word
Share information about HAVEN with friends, family, and your community. Help us reach more patients and potential volunteers who can benefit from our services.
Refer a Patient
Know someone who is uninsured and needs primary care? Let them know about HAVEN. Call us at (203) 200-0673 to schedule an appointment.
Thank you for your support at the 11th Annual HAVEN Free Clinic 5K!
With the help of our volunteers, sponsors, and donors we raised over $61,598 for the clinic!
100% of the proceeds will go towards patient care.