Kauaʻi Resources for Pre-Meds

Preparing for medical school from Kauaʻi requires initiative. Opportunities exist, but they often require direct outreach and creativity. This page provides quick guidance and links to helpful resources.

Shadowing

Shadowing physicians is an important way to gain clinical experience and insight into the medical field. For Kauaʻi students, it is generally easier to complete shadowing while in college on the mainland or on Oʻahu, where there are more programs and formal opportunities available.

On Kauaʻi, options are more limited:

Hawaii Pacific Health (HPH) Health Careers Summer Internship

• Competitive and formal; applications are limited and acceptance is challenging.

Career Shadowing at Wilcox (HPH) or another Hospital System

• Less formal and not widely advertised. The easiest way to participate is to ask a physician you know or your own PCP if you can shadow them. HPH (or another institution) will then provide forms and other requirements for you to complete to get clearance to shadow.

Private Clinics

• Many local clinics allow students to shadow if you reach out directly. Often, a simple phone call or email asking, “Can I shadow you?” is the most effective approach.

Once you find one doctor to shadow ask them to introduce you to others, that generally works fairly well.

Clinical Hours

Gaining clinical experience is a key part of preparing for medical school. Kauaʻi students have several options, ranging from paid roles to volunteer and research opportunities.

Paid Clinical Roles (Direct Patient Care)

• EMT (Emergency Medical Technician): Get certified for hands-on emergency care and patient transport at Kauai Community College.

• Medical Scribe: Document patient encounters in real time with physicians, offering excellent observational experience. No certification required lots of online options its hard to get opportunities in-person on Kauai.

• CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant): Assist nurses with patient care; requires short certification. Get certified at Kauai Community College or at West Kauai CNA.

• Medical Assistant (MA): Work in clinics, assisting with patient care and administrative tasks. Get certified at Kauai Community College.

• Phlebotomist: Draw blood, a common entry point into clinical work. Get certified at Kauai Community College.

Volunteer Clinical Roles (Patient Interaction)

• Hospital Volunteering: Seek departments like ER, pediatrics, or patient transport for direct patient contact.

• Hospice Care: Provide comfort and support to patients, gaining insight into end-of-life care.

Volunteering

Volunteering is one of the easiest things for Kauaʻi pre-med students to get involved in to gain meaningful experience, develop skills, and contribute to their community. Opportunities are plentiful and can range from hospitals and clinics to schools, environmental organizations, community events, and non-profits.

To name a few Opportunities:

• Kauai Hospice
• Hawaii Food Bank
• Surfrider Foundation Net Patrol and Beach Cleanups
• National Tropical Botanical Garden Horticulture Volunteer Program
• Friends of Kamalani & Lydgate Park Community Workdays
• Waipa Foundation

Research

Participating in research is generally not mandatory unless you plan on doing an MD-PHD program. However, it can help make your application stand out. Research helps develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and scientific skills while also strengthening your application.

For Kauaʻi students, it’s often easiest to pursue research while in college or through summer programs on Oʻahu or the mainland, where more opportunities are available. You can often receive a stipend for these summer research opportunities. If that is not possible for you I would suggest shadowing at Wilcox and asking doctors that you meet if they know of anyone or if they are working on any research.

The UH Medical School (JABSOM) has a list of research opportunities in Hawaii (Mainly on Oahu). Visit this link for more info!

Leadership

Leadership isn’t limited to formal titles—it’s about stepping up, taking initiative, and guiding others toward goals or solutions. Whether in the classroom, a lab, a volunteer organization, or a job, leadership can be demonstrated anytime you go beyond what’s expected, help a team meet a deadline, or guide people to reach conclusions.

Examples include serving as a club president, student body officer, or team leader, but leadership can also be creative and informal: identify a need in your community, school, workplace, or volunteer organization, and develop a solution. Roles like lab assistant, researcher, or CNA offer many opportunities to lead by example and make an impact.