Direct Referral Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Direct Referrals are invited by UCLA Health faculty and staff to be their department's volunteers or UCLA SRP student. If you are not invited, unfortunately, we cannot process you as a Direct Referral

If we do not have an assignment approved, unfortunately, we cannot process you as a Direct Referral. We may need to delay your process or start it once your assignment is approved.

Unfortunately, we do not have walk-in hours or office hours set up. Please do NOT walk-in. All of our onboarding processes and meetings are completed through scheduled appointments.

Volunteers must be able to perform their services onsite and consistently (weekly or biweekly basis). If you are unable to perform services onsite, then we are not able to process you as a Direct Referral.

If you are receiving any type of credit, stipend, or compensation for volunteering, then you should not be a Direct Referral Volunteer. Please contact our office to help you transition to another title.

Exceptions: UCLA Students receiving SRP credit.

SRP is for UCLA Students ONLY. UCLA Students should contact their UCLA Counselors or Undergraduate Research Office for more information. Direct Referral Program does NOT assist with enrollments, we only process clearances to permit SRP clinical research activities within our facilities.

All Direct Referrals must complete the same process which includes a background check, health screening, paperwork (onboarding), training modules, orientation (final session) and quiz.

Please book/sign up for your appointment using the link provided in your "Direct Referral Approval" email. If you did not receive an email, please check to make sure your CRVSOD or Invitation Form was already submitted before contacting our office. It can take up to 2-3 business days for forms to be reviewed and approved. Any information that is missing or requires revision on the form will delay receiving the approval email.

If you plan to join more than one program, please choose a PRIORITY assignment. Unfortunately, you cannot begin more than one assignment at a time. Some volunteer programs may require more than 50 hours before joining another, please check with your program coordinator.

If a faculty invited you to shadow, he/she may not be aware of the Shadowing Policy. Please note that shadowing is only permitted within approved shadowing program shifts. Per policy, it is not permitted for individuals to shadow individually/independently or outside these program shifts. If you are unsure if you are part of an approved program, most likely you are not. Instead of shadowing, we encourage individuals to join one of our various UCLA Health volunteer programs to gain alternative clinical exposure and experience.

The Ronald Reagan UCLA Health Volunteer Office is closed during the weekends, holidays and departmental events, therefore, we request that all applicants and volunteers/students to schedule appointments.