Medical Malpractice

Volunteering for hospitals, where or how should i start?

I am in the pre-med program in my college. so i want to volunteer for hospitals during my spare time. but i'm really lost about the whole system? what should I do? where do i start? what should i tell them? what kind of work should i expect?

Public Comments

1. Almost all hospitals have candy stripers (volunteers). Just ask at the information desk (either call or walk in) about how to contact them.
2. Most hospitals have a central Volunteer Office, which is typically part of Community Relations. Sometimes, you can find the volunteer opportunities as a function of the Human Resources department. I started my career as a hospital volunteer, and it really depends upon the hospital as well. I volunteered and worked at a large 500+ bed acute care trauma facility, so there was a relatively large volunteer program. I started in the summer volunteer program, which had a greater opportunity for volunteers in various areas of the hospital, including media services, administration, engineering, pharmacy, etc. During the rest of the year, most of the duties and responsibilities of the volunteers included reception work, escorting patients and visitors around the hospital, admissions and discharge escorts for patients, delivering newspapers, flowers, and other stuff to patient floors, and various other stuff like that... Start by looking for the Volunteer Office. There is typically a Director of Volunteer Services that will talk to you about the volunteer program, positions, responsibilities, etc. Since you are pursuing a career in medicine, volunteering is a great way to learn about the environment. That is something that you definitely will want to mention. It is a learning experience for you, and it will provide the hospital with someone who is motivated and wants to learn the environment.
3. Call your local hospitals and speak to Patient Relations Dept. or Volunteer Dept. They will let you know what is available, and what you can do. You Can also check out Old Age Homes. Or Assisted Living Homes.