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Volunteer in Our Hospital

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Each year more than 500 compassionate individuals from our community volunteer more than 82,000 hours in 55 different areas of the hospital.

Many of our volunteers work directly with patients:

  • Assisting in hospital playrooms (and sometimes at the bedside)
  • Playing board games 
  • Reading to children (requires 10 hours of individual training)

Please note that our volunteers provide services that are strictly comforting in nature and are not able to shadow nurses, doctors and clinicians, or to take vital signs and observe procedures.

Our Greatest Need

Currently, we are only accepting applications for volunteers who serve as patient and family escorts. Hospitals can be difficult and scary places to navigate during what can be an emotional time.

As part of your role, you’ll be able to interact with children and families while you walk with them to their appointments. This is a great opportunity to learn about what makes our hospital and staff so special, and explore other areas of interest for future volunteering.

Patient and family escort volunteers are immediately needed Monday through Friday during daytime business hours. A six-month minimum commitment is required.

Steps to Become a Volunteer

Please be advised that while we are currently accepting applications, there is a two to three month wait to begin volunteering. Positions on the waiting list are assigned as applications are accepted, and seats in New Volunteer Orientation are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage you to think ahead and apply early.

Opportunities for Volunteers

Volunteer opportunities fall into two main categories:

Direct Patient Contact

Opportunities with patients include assisting in:

  • Patient care units
  • Outpatient services
  • Emergency Department 
  • Child Life Playrooms

Little or No Patient Contact

Volunteers with little or no patient contact help in our:

  • Business offices
  • Gift Shop
  • Volunteer Resources office
  • Outpatient clinics
  • Guest Services escorts

We have a special division of volunteers—the Tender Loving Care and Compassion Team—who visit patients with extra needs. 

There are also a small number of administrative volunteers who work at the Guest Services desk and in various clinics and offices within the hospital. As part of our efforts to promote literacy, we also have volunteers who read aloud to patients and families in the waiting room of our General Pediatrics Clinic. 

Find out more about our volunteer opportunities.

Volunteer Commitment

Volunteering at our hospital requires a significant commitment from our staff to provide free training, testing, and processing.  As a result, we require a significant commitment from our volunteers. Find out more about the process of becoming a volunteer in our volunteer requirements section of the site. 

In addition, there are special programs hosted by other nonprofit agencies who deliver services at our hospital to our patients. To become involved with these programs, please contact them directly.

Additional Information

For additional information, please contact Volunteer Services:

Email us or call 323-361-2371.