Physician volunteerism

Senior Physicians remain active well after retirement. If you're interested in sharing your time and expertise, but aren't sure where to start, the opportunties provided below are a good starting place.

Many of the links listed below will take you off the AMA Web site. The AMA is not responsible for content of other Web sites.

General Resources on Physician Volunteerism

Report of the Board of Trustees - Licensure and Liability for Senior Physician Volunteers - A-04
(Word, 146KB)

Table of State Licensing and Liability Laws for Volunteer Physicians
(PDF, 71KB)

Volunteers in Healthcare - A national resource for organizations and clinics caring for the uninsured.

"Advice for Aspiring Volunteer Physicians" - JAMA article, 1999.

Volunteer Opportunities

Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) - advancing public health infastructures and emergency response in communities through local medical volunteers.

Headquartered in the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, the MRC is a clearinghouse of information and best practices to help communities establish, implement and maintain community-based volunteer units nationwide. Established after the 2001 terrorist attacks, MRC volunteers in communities nationwide donate their time and expertise to prepare for and respond to local emergencies and to promote healthy living.

Volunteer Opportunities Overseas for Physicians - independent projects worldwide.

International Organizations serving the world in Health, Relief Efforts/Donations and Human Rights.

Health Volunteers Overseas - improving global health through education.

The International Center for Equal Healthcare Access (ICEHA) - ICEHA provides opportunities for physicians to clinically mentor their colleagues in developing countries. Physicians typically volunteer 6 to 12 weeks in developing countries as clinical mentors to their local counterparts. ICEHA's clinical mentoring program is designed to rapidly scale-up skills of the local healthcare workforce, strengthening the quality of healthcare delivered in countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

International Health Volunteers (IHVO) is an independent, not for profit humanitarian medical service organization whose primary goal is to encourage, engage, and assist medical personnel who wish to volunteer their skills with international health care projects.

Service Opportunities After Retirement (SOAR) - meeting community needs through the volunteer service. Opportunities for senior physicians available in the Newton, Wayland, Weston, Concord or Sudbury Massachusetts area. Contact: slevinson@ncscweb.org.

Free Clinic Groups

Information on HIPAA Section 194 - Congress enacted the Free Clinics Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) Medical Malpractice Program as described in Section 194 of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Find out who is covered, what services are covered, Program requirements, how claims are processed, application process and what other types of recommended insurance is available.

National Association of Free Clinics - Serving free clinics and the people they serve.

Volunteers in Medicine - A national solution to America's uninsured, one community at a time.

Community Education

"Act in Time to Heart Attack Signs" - community outreach information and materials for physicians to share and teach life-saving information about heart attack symptom recognition and action with potential heart attack patients. (a program funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institute of Health).

Other resources of interest:

Locum Tenens Companies
National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations - Opportunities are available throughout the country that allow you to apply for relief care or temporary positions.

Global Medical Staffing, Ltd. - pioneered the organization of international medical sabbaticals. GMS has placed thousands of doctors in wide range of fields in Australia and New Zealand.

Ways to Stay Active and Involved:

Spending time with family, traveling or gardening are all wonderful ways to spend your well-deserved retirement or semi-retirement, but if you yearn for more, than consider the following:

Please e-mail the SPG with additional suggestions, resources, or activities. It’s our hope that this list will continue to grow and become an invaluable resource.

Volunteer at a local clinic, through Senior Corp, www.seniorcorps.org or any number of national or international volunteer organizations. Call Volunteers in Medicine (VIM) at (802) 651-0112, or by e-mail at info@vimi.org for a “start up” guide on volunteerism.

Host a medical student through the Community Welcoming Program sponsored by the AMA Alliance, you can host a fourth-year medical student who is on the interview trail Go to (link) for more information and a downloadable host form.

Get Trained in Disaster Preparedness – As you well know, physicians are an invaluable resource during emergencies. The National Disaster Life Support of the AMA is in partnership with four major medical institutions to standardize emergency response training nationwide and strengthen our nation's public health system.

Organize a stethoscope collection at a local hospital or medical society – WorldScopes, a project of the AMA and AMA Foundation is collecting new and gently used stethoscopes for distribution around the world.