Health Advocate Student Intern

Legacy Community Health • Houston, TX

7d • Onsite

About The Position

Legacy Community Health is seeking student interns to support patients and families at clinic locations in the Greater Houston area. Health Advocate Student Interns screen patients for access to food, transportation, housing, and financial support, helping address social needs that affect health outcomes. The internship provides hands-on experience in the nonprofit and health sectors, including direct work with patients and clinicians and learning about Houston’s healthcare and community-resource landscape. Interns work alongside experienced healthcare and nonprofit professionals and participate in training, supervision, and team learning. The position requires at least 8 hours per week at a Legacy clinic, attendance at mandatory orientation January 8–10 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and a commitment for one full-length school semester. Compensation is unpaid or may be provided as a bi-weekly stipend with AmeriCorps membership.

Requirements

• Commit to an entire full-length school semester.
• Provide a minimum of 8 hours per week at a Legacy Community Health clinic.
• Attend mandatory orientation January 8–10, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

Responsibilities

• Work professionally and effectively with a caseload of clients.
• Participate enthusiastically in at least 8 hours of clinic work each week, including new patient contacts, follow-ups, and weekly supervision and support sessions with staff leaders.
• Have engaging conversations with families to gather information needed to meet their resource goals.
• Document work with families to support continuity of care.
• Understand and follow Legacy Community Health’s scope of services and identify external resources that address social needs.
• Use available tools to find appropriate services for families.
• Identify, investigate, and assign services in partnership with families, and create plans to connect them with those services.
• Follow up professionally and in alignment with Legacy’s values with families on service-connection plans at least once every 7 to 10 days until the case is closed.
• Participate actively in training and supervision sessions.
• Use feedback from peers and staff leaders to improve individual, team, and organizational performance.
• Develop project management, communication, and cultural-awareness skills through team training and dialogue.
• Build data, people, and systems management skills through Health Leads tools and trainings.
• Communicate Legacy’s work accessibly to patients.
• Maintain constructive communication with clinic providers, medical assistants, and administrative staff.
• Represent Legacy in the clinic community by knowing and living its values.

Benefits

• Experience working directly with patients and clinicians.
• Understanding of the impact of unmet social needs on health.
• Knowledge of Houston’s healthcare and resource landscape.
• Legacy will provide references for dedicated advocates who successfully complete program requirements.
• Unpaid internship or bi-weekly stipend with AmeriCorps membership.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: No Education Listed