YouthCHAT Actor

The Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Health (DoGPAH) in the Department of Pediatrics is hiring YouthCHAT Actors - the YouthCHAT Actor/Advisor role has 2 components: 1) to serve as youth actors in a simulated patient role for healthcare professionals in training and 2) serve as youth advisors to staff and faculty on programs and projects related to adolescent and young adult health.

YouthCHAT Actors/Advisors will also serve as advisors to staff and faculty on projects and programs related to adolescent and young adult health. The purpose of the youth advisory board meetings will be to provide ideas and feedback on activities such as research, community-engaged work, and dissemination of findings and recommendations. Examples of the topics that may be discussed include youth experiencing homelessness, LGBTQIA health care, justice involved youth, sexuality education, gender & sexual health and general adolescent health and wellness. YouthCHAT Actors/Advisors will also have the opportunity to participate in leadership development activities such as facilitation skills, research development processes and learn about the work and research profiles of Division staff and faculty.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Attend a series of orientation / training sessions to develop skills necessary to support healthcare professionals in clinical interview skills and communication. (10%)
• Work with YouthCHAT faculty to develop adolescent/young adult patient "character" that will serve as the basis for practice clinical interview with clinical trainee. (5%)
• Conduct virtual or in-person training sessions, including 1-2 practice clinical interview sessions per month (up to 2 hours each) with medical, nursing, or other clinical trainees (40% of time).
• Provide thoughtful and specific feedback to clinical trainee during session about how they might improve their clinical interview skills (5%)
• Attend monthly 2 hour Youth Advisory Board meetings which include presentations of adolescent and young adult health related projects in progress within the division and provide input and guidance on those projects to DoGPAH staff & faculty (20%)
• Meet regularly with YouthCHAT staff to discuss program, address concerns, make adjustments to "character", etc (5%)
• Respond promptly to requests from DOGPAH staff for scheduling session trainees (3%)
• Provide constructive feedback to staff regarding program development and other topics as requested. (10%)

• Keep track of hours, complete required staff trainings & paperwork, and maintain other tasks required by University of Minnesota for employment & payment (2%)

Required:
Highschool diploma or equivalent
Comfort with discussing sensitive health topics, such as sexual health, mental health & substance use
Interest in improving health care for adolescents and young adults
Interest in working with healthcare professionals
Ability to work virtually and synchronously 1-2 Friday mornings per month
Ability to attend in-person meetings on Twin Cities campus on a periodic basis
Organized, responsive, and detail-oriented
Commitment to centering equity in their professional work and to creating an inclusive, anti-oppressive, and safe work environment
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Ability to connect with people and establish effective working relationships with team members, youth and diverse community partners
Willingness to take initiative, ask questions, clarify directions and tasks as needed
Ability to work independently with support from supervisors and plan, organize, and prioritize workload in an efficient and timely manner
Comfort and familiarity with computer programs such as: Google Drive, Microsoft Word, Zoom

Preferred:
Ability to portray voice & perspectives of young people ages 16-24
Prior experience in acting &/or peer teaching or group facilitation, with a willingness to strategically draw on personal experiences to enhance training effectiveness through storytelling and strategic roleplay
Experience working on efforts related to adolescent health or youth development
Demonstrated skill in presenting to internal and external audiences via in-person, virtual platforms, and recorded media
Interest and/or experience contributing to adolescent health research

The Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health is committed to achieving health, justice, and positive development for all children, youth, and families through community-centered health care, research, education, and advocacy.
YouthCHAT (Youth Council on Health and Teaching) is an innovative, youth-engaged approach for training current and future health care professionals who strive to provide developmentally appropriate, culturally-relevant, youth-friendly, trauma-informed and strengths-based adolescent health services. YouthCHAT Actors/Advisors will be trained to act as simulated patients for purposes of interactive clinical education of pediatrics and internal medicine-pediatrics residents, nurse practitioner students, medical students and other interdisciplinary adolescent health professionals. Their role is to help healthcare professionals hone their interviewing and communication skills with adolescents and young adults. YouthCHAT Actors/Advisors will work with medical faculty to develop a character that is an adolescent or young adult patient with a health concern. During educational sessions, adolescent and young adult "patients" role play with the medical resident or nursing student as though they are in a clinical setting - this clinical "interview" session is followed by a feedback session.

Centering Justice, Equity and Inclusion:
The team is committed to centering equity in our work.
The team will aim to reflect the rich diversity of the youth and communities with whom we work in our Division and clinical care. This team will work to ensure representation on the team from people who identify as BIPOC and LGBTQ.
All team members will be asked to reflect on their intersecting identities and personal and professional intentions, and consider how those identities and intentions influence their positionality in the context of this work.
Priority will be given to applicants who represent & reflect the identities and lived experience of the diversity of young people the program aims to reach.

More information about the program is available here on our website
https://med.umn.edu/pediatrics/divisions/general-pediatrics-and-adolescent-health/programs-and-centers/YouthCHAT-program

Pay Range: $20.00 per hour depending on education/qualifications/experience.

Retirement plan options are available for Civil Service, Faculty, Labor-Represented, Professional & Administrative, and Temp Casual classifications. Learn more about retirement plans.

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions. You will be given the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a cover letter and resume.

Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail jobcentr@umn.edu.

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.

At the University of Minnesota, we are proud to be recognized by Forbes as a Best Employer for Company Culture (2026), Best Employer for Women (2023, 2025, 2026), and Best Employer by State (2022-2026). In 2026, we also received Culture Excellence & Industry Awards recognition for employee appreciation and work-life flexibility.