About the Program

Since 2014, we have reached 100 individual organizations over 180,000 students in the community.

The UCLA Allied Healthcare Careers Program offers education on career pathways in the healthcare field to students across various high schools in Los Angeles County.

This pipeline program teaches students about opportunities in healthcare that offer promising career growth in areas facing critical workforce shortages.

Allied health professionals support physicians and nurses by playing supportive roles in prehospital care, service delivery, rehabilitation, and disease prevention. Recruiting these positions from our community aims to support our goals of diversifying our future workforce.

UCLA Allied Healthcare Careers Program: Meet Carlos

Partners and Collaborators

  • Sylmar Biotech Health Academy
  • Huntington Park Institute of Applied Medicine
  • Alexander Hamilton High School
  • John C. Fremont High School
  • Manual Arts High School
  • Orthopaedic Hospital Medical Magnet High School
  • Bravo Medical Magnet High School
  • Roosevelt High School
  • Crenshaw High School
  • King Drew Medical Magnet High School
  • Augustus Hawkins High School
  • Bravo Medical Magnet High School
  • Los Angeles Unified School District
  • Long Beach Unified School District
  • Compton Unified School District
  • Los Angeles Mission College 
  • Los Angeles Trade Tech College 
  • East Los Angeles Occupational Center
  • UCLA Center for Prehospital Care
  • UCLA Extension 
  • Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center
  • Santa Monica College
  • West Los Angeles College
  • LAUSD Division of Adult and Career Education

Laboratory Science

  • UCLA Blood and Platelet Center
  • Clinical Laboratory
  • Anatomic Pathology

Clinical/Direct Patient Care

  • UCLA Health Interventional Radiology
  • UCLA Health Nursing (Various Departments)
  • UCLA Health Nutrition
  • UCLA Mattel Child Life Services
  • UCLA Health Outpatient Rehab Services
  • UCLA Center for Prehospital Care
  • UCLA CPC Emergency Medical Technician Program
  • UCLA CPC Phlebotomy Program
  • UCLA Extension Medical Assistant Program
  • UCLA Health Respiratory Therapy
  • UCLA Emergency Medical Services
  • UCLA Health Patient Transport

Administrative

Turner-UCLA Allied Health Internship

The Turner UCLA Allied Health Internship is implemented by the UCLA Community Engagement Program, in partnership with Bobby and Lauren Turner, to provide learning opportunities for high school students and recent graduates in finding out more about careers in the entry-level, allied health professions.

Learn more about the Turner-UCLA Allied Health Internship

Resources

For more information or if you are interested in a presentation for your school or organization, email HSPipelines@mednet.ucla.edu or call 310-206-1441.

Career Guides

Funding for Education

Many students qualify for financial aid. There are different types of aid that can be received, these include scholarships, grants and loans. Scholarships are typically awarded to students based on academic or other achievements and do not have to be paid back. Grants are awarded based on need by the federal government and do not have to be paid back. Other types of financial aid include loans, either federal loans or private loans that do need to be paid back and work study programs which provide part-time employment while enrolled to help pay for school.

The first step for obtaining financial aid is to complete a FAFSA form to determine eligibility and need. 

Here are some helpful resources for financial aid.

FAFSA: The United States Department of Education provides this Free Application for Federal Student Aid, FAFSA, as a service to students. Students complete this profile of their financial resources, and the information is used by schools to evaluate the means of students and offer them aid.

California Student Aid Commission: In addition to administering Cal Grants, the California Student Aid Commission works to make postsecondary education accessible to California students. To accomplish its mission, CSAC publishes several brochures and FAQs and organizes links to information on California colleges and universities on its website.

California Dream Act: The California Dream Act allows certain students who meet the requirements below to apply for and receive state financial aid at California public and private colleges and private scholarships administered by California public colleges.

I Can Afford College: The 'I Can Afford College' website provides a wealth of financial aid resources for students attending community college. The site contains information on the Federal Pell Grant, Board of Governor's Fee Waiver and other types of aid. 

Board of Governor's Fee Wavier: For California residents planning on attending a California Community College, the Board of Governor's Waiver waives the enrollment fees. Apply for the waiver through your community college.

Scholarships

There's no single, comprehensive source that can list for you all of the scholarships you're eligible for. There are many resources out there for students and different ways to search for scholarships. Scholarships are usually merit-based awards that do not have to be paid back.

How to search for scholarships:

Database Searches: We recommend that you try a few different databases, since none of them are comprehensive. Please see a list of databases listed on the UCLA Scholarship Resource Center Website.

You'll give the database information about yourself (background, career goals, academic interests, hobbies, etc), and it will find scholarship matches based on your profile. Since many of the sites will send you e-mail updates, it's a good idea to set up a separate e-mail account just to handle your scholarship information.

Ask Academic Departments: Many departments will offer scholarships for their undergraduates. Always check for listings on department bulletin boards, and ask in the departmental office. Also, departmental counselors might receive information from scholarship agencies.

Search Online: In addition to the free searchable databases of scholarship information, you can find a wealth of information online. The key is focusing your search, so that you won't be frustrated by the terrifying amount of information, and so that you can avoid disreputable sites and scams.

Think Broadly: Take note of your interests, hobbies, ethnic/religious background, affiliations, etc. There are scholarships based on many, many characteristics that have nothing to do with grades or financial need.

How to apply for your scholarship

Many scholarship programs will post their application materials on their websites-some may use an online application form. If the application is not available online, write to the scholarship agency to request a copy of the application. Tip: Make sure to include a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Application Form: Most scholarship applications will include an official form where you will list your personal information. If the form can't be filled out on your computer, please write as legibly as possible.

Personal Statement: Many applications require a personal statement or statement of purpose; some require a longer essay. Pay close attention to what the application is asking you to write about (career/academic goals? Experiences?, etc.).  Make sure to highlight the most pertinent aspects of yourself or your project. Try to make your essay unique and memorable-this is your chance to show the scholarship committee something about yourself. Always remember to proofread for typos and grammatical errors. Show your work to peers, teachers and counselors for feedback.

Stay Organized: It is important to keep yourself organized, especially if you're applying for more than one scholarship. Keep a record of what you've done for each application. If you use online database searches such as fastweb.com or brokescholar.com, we recommend setting up a separate e-mail account just to handle your scholarship e-mails.

Completing and Submitting Your Application: Proofread your entire application to make sure you haven't made any careless errors or typos. Be sure to meet all deadlines-check to be sure whether the deadline printed on the application is for postmark or receipt of the application. Mail your application at least three days in advance of the postmark date. If the application must be received by a particular date, allow at least a week.

For more information about scholarships & financial aid, visit the Scholarship Center or email communityengagement@mednet.ucla.edu

Sourcescholarshipcenter.ucla.edu

Keep it simple! Know your audience and speak in terms that they will understand.

Follow the four-step plan:

  • What the profession does.
  • How much the profession makes.
  • How much education is needed.
  • Which local schools offer the schooling needed.

Tell the students about the importance of experiencing these professions in order to help them decide if this is something that they would like to pursue.

  • Shadowing professionals at a hospital or doctor's office.
  • Volunteering during the summer at a hospital or doctor's office. Many hospitals allow volunteers and this is a great way to see if a career in this field is right for you. Example: UCLA Health Volunteers.

The Allied Healthcare Careers Program provides students with insight and exposure to careers in health beyond just being a doctor or nurse.

Todd Engle, Assistant Principal at Manual Arts Senior High School