Hospital Volunteer Opportunities for High School Students
Introduction
Volunteering in a hospital setting offers high school students a unique opportunity to gain valuable experience, develop new skills, and make a positive impact on their community. It provides a firsthand look at the healthcare field, potentially inspiring future career paths and fostering a sense of social responsibility. Many hospitals and healthcare organizations offer structured volunteer programs specifically designed for teenagers.
Benefits of Volunteering
Volunteering at a hospital offers numerous benefits for high school students, including:
- Exploring Career Interests: It provides a firsthand look at the health care field, which might inspire you to work in health care.
- Skill Development: Volunteers can build skills and responsibility. Red Cross youth volunteers learn valuable lessons in how to work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds, mobilize communities and create positive change. They hone their leadership skills, make new friends, and explore new interests, all in a friendly, encouraging and age-appropriate environment with visible results.
- Personal Satisfaction: Our volunteers tell us how rewarding they find their work. No matter what role you choose, you’ll become an important part of our team-for patients, family members, visitors, staff, physicians-and each other.
- Community Contribution: If you have extra time in your day and would like to give back, volunteering at Baystate Health could be a great fit for you. Our volunteers are invaluable. In addition to making it easier for us to provide services across our organization, they provide a special personal element that allows us to better connect with patients and their caregivers.
Types of Volunteer Opportunities
Hospitals offer a wide array of volunteer opportunities suited to different interests and skill sets. These can generally be divided into patient-facing and non-patient-facing roles:
Patient-Facing Roles
- Direct Patient Interaction: Spend a few hours every week playing with sick children or reading to elderly patients. Volunteers in the Baystate Hospice Program provide support to patients, families, and caregivers in homes, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, group homes and hospital settings.
- Assisting Patients and Families: Some volunteers serve as greeters to escort patients and family members throughout the hospital.
- Providing Comfort and Support: Volunteers have many different roles that are not direct patient care, like sitting with patients.
Non-Patient-Facing Roles
- Clerical and Administrative Support: Assist office staff with clerical tasks. Additionally, we need volunteers in administrative offices. This includes human resources, our business offices, medical records, admitting, medical staffing, nursing education, employee health services, wound care, community education, and satellite locations throughout the organization.
- Hospitality Services: Providing hospitality services at the main entrance of the medical center, or staffing the gift shop.
- Support for Nursing Units: Others support the nursing units by delivering newspapers and magazines.
- Fundraising and Community Outreach: Or join our local auxiliary or community advisory groups to help raise funds, support our mission and provide a voice for your community. Connecticut Children's Foundation also accepts volunteers for their philanthropic events.
Specific Hospital Programs and Opportunities
Several hospital systems and organizations offer structured volunteer programs for high school students:
- NYC Health + Hospitals: We would love for you to be part of the team at NYC Health + Hospitals. We offer many opportunities for you to get involved and donate your time and talents to our patients. Each year, more than 8,600 volunteers contribute more than 715,000 hours of service to NYC Health + Hospitals facilities. Volunteers give of their time and talents in countless ways. Some even create special programs that utilize their own special skills and interests. Community Advisory Boards (CABs) are the formal and direct links between each NYC Health + Hospitals facility and its patients and local advocates. The CABs contribute to planning, program development and service delivery. Members also provide invaluable advocacy and advice from the local community perspective. Many NYC Health + Hospitals facilities are supported by members of an auxiliary, a group of volunteers who work in collaboration with hospital administration to advance the quality of patient care services.
- Connecticut Children’s: Connecticut Children’s relies on more than 300 volunteers. As valuable members of our team, volunteers receive training and other benefits to make the experience as rewarding as possible, for them and for our patients and families. Volunteer responsibilities may include leading arts and crafts or play activities, reading stories to children, assisting office staff with clerical tasks, providing hospitality services at the main entrance of the medical center, or staffing the gift shop. Many of our programs are available to teen volunteers who can use the opportunity to build skills and responsibility.
- Mount Sinai South Nassau: Mount Sinai South Nassau welcomes high school-aged young adults ages 15-17 to volunteer with us. You can work after school or during spring and summer breaks. Some of our junior volunteers receive college scholarships. Each year, Mount Sinai South Nassau recognizes local high school graduating seniors with the Dorothy M. Sharer Health Care Scholarship, given to outstanding junior volunteers at the hospital who plan to pursue a career in health care. We show our appreciation to our volunteers in a variety of ways. In addition, many of our volunteers make new friends. You can also explore new interests. Build skills and friendships while making a difference in your community.
- Red Cross: The Red Cross welcomes volunteers in all of our service areas. However, at this time, there are a few roles that need to be filled most urgently. Red Cross youth volunteers learn valuable lessons in how to work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds, mobilize communities and create positive change. They hone their leadership skills, make new friends, and explore new interests, all in a friendly, encouraging and age-appropriate environment with visible results.
- Baystate Health: If you have extra time in your day and would like to give back, volunteering at Baystate Health could be a great fit for you. Our volunteers are invaluable. Volunteers in the Baystate Hospice Program provide support to patients, families, and caregivers in homes, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, group homes and hospital settings. The is also a need to support hospice office staff in the office and in the community.
Requirements and Expectations
Before applying for a volunteer position, it's essential to understand the general requirements and expectations:
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- Time Commitment: We ask our volunteers to commit to a set number of hours per week and to a minimum length of service. This helps us support continuity of services for our patients. Each person works at least one three-to-four-hour shift per week in the same department, on the same day and at the same time each week. Volunteers commit to volunteering for at least six months.
- Age Requirements: Volunteers must be at least 16 years old. Mount Sinai South Nassau welcomes high school-aged young adults ages 15-17 to volunteer with us. Teens under 18 must have a parent’s or guardian’s written permission to volunteer. Mount Sinai South Nassau is looking for adults aged 18 and over to volunteer.
- Training and Medical Requirements: Some programs, such as patient advocacy or counseling, require special training. NYC Health + Hospitals provides the training programs free of charge. Each facility has medical requirements that volunteers must meet before they begin their volunteer activities. Volunteers are part of our patient care team and must complete our standard clearance process.
- Professionalism: We ask that our volunteers come with plenty of energy, willingness to work and a smile. And volunteers must wear a badge and uniform on every volunteer shift.
- Screening Process: Potential volunteers must complete an interview and several activities before they can volunteer at Baystate Health. This includes completing an application and a pre-screening and a background check. The entire process takes about four to six weeks.
How to Apply
- Identify Your Interests: Determine what type of volunteer work aligns with your interests and skills.
- Research Local Hospitals: There are NYC Health + Hospitals facilities in every borough of New York City. Find the facility closest to you and call the director of Volunteer Services listed below to arrange for an interview. Each of our locations has their own process for bringing on volunteers. You can volunteer at one location at a time -you’ll find information about volunteering at our different locations below.
- Contact the Volunteer Services Department: A member of our Volunteer Services team will get in touch.
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