What are Observerships?
Observerships, also called job shadowing, provide current or prospective healthcare students the opportunity to observe healthcare employees in a workplace setting. The goal is to help individuals learn about health career options and the required occupational skills.
Observership experiences:
- are unpaid and do not fulfill any clinical or internship requirements
- do not provide any hands-on experience or training.
- may not involve more than 40 hours in a twelve month period.
Who is Eligible for Observerships?
To have an observership at Baystate Health, you must be:
- aged 18 or older
- a college students or exploring a second career
Baystate Health does not accept requests for general observation experiences from international medical graduates who wish to pursue residency or fellowship in the United States, regardless of whether they reside in the U.S. or abroad.
High school students, please contact the Baystate/Springfield Educational Partnership (BSEP) at 413-794-1671.
Getting Started with an Observership
Baystate does not offer placement services for observerships.
You must contact and make arrangements directly with one of our healthcare professionals. Approval of the request is at the discretion of the office or department manager(s), with consideration of the unit’s staffing resources, the nature of the patient population and the procedures performed.
Prior to starting your observership, you must be cleared through the Healthcare Education Office's onboarding process. Please contact the Healthcare Education Office at 413-794-4466, or AlliedHealth@baystatehealth.org.