https://graduate.ouhsc.edu/Faculty-Research Parent Page: Faculty & Research id: 27643 Active Page: Undergraduate Volunteer OSSM Researchid:29059

Undergraduate Volunteers and OSSM Research

Undergraduate and high school students can gain valuable experience by volunteering at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. If you are interested in health-related research and want to volunteer in a laboratory in one of the OUHSC departments, then please take the following steps below to begin.

First, you need to identify a mentor who is willing and able to supervise a volunteer for a defined length of time.  Browse our list of graduate programs on the Graduate College home page, follow the links to their faculty, and contact those whose research interests you.  Note that faculty may be unable to mentor a volunteer if they are too busy or if they do not have space. Once a faculty member has agreed to take you as a volunteer, there are forms and trainings that need to be completed. The paperwork is completed with the hiring staff in the department of your faculty mentor.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  The departmental office will need to obtain a background check on the mentor (for minors) and on the incoming volunteer. Therefore, volunteers must have a valid social security number.

Step-by-Step Instructions

In order for volunteers to be granted IT access and complete all of the required trainings, all volunteers must complete the following hiring process (A Social Security Number is Required).

Step 1: The volunteer will need to identify a mentor who is able and willing to take on a volunteer for a defined amount of time. 

Step 2: The mentor and volunteer will begin the volunteer process in the mentor’s department via the departmental hiring manager. This will initiate a criminal background check and grant access to an OUHSC IT account. The following forms will be needed. 

*Mentors, please review the "Youth Protection Policy" if you are mentoring minors face-to-face.

(Note: The Mentor will also need a criminal background check if the volunteer is under 18 years of age)

  • Proof of Medical Insurance – front and back copy of the volunteer’s personal insurance card.
  • Confidential and Proprietary Information Disclosure Form (CPID): CPID

Step 3: Once the criminal background check is cleared and IT user access is granted, the volunteer will need to complete all required trainings (HIPAA, General Biosafety Training, Fire Safety Training, and Laboratory Safety) and any project specific trainings (Bloodborne Pathogens, Research Animal Training, TB Training Human Subjects Training, Radiation Safety, and/or DOT Shipping).

Step 4: After all trainings and all the above listed forms are completed, the volunteer is now able to work in the lab. A complete file should be saved in the office of the mentor’s department and if the volunteer is under the age of 18, the Office of Risk Management should be notified.

Interested in Biomedical Research?