Volunteer Opportunities

Currently, the hospital has the following opportunities available:

Once you have completed our application and interview process, we will place you in an appropriate position based on your qualifications and time availability. Openings change frequently. Evening positions are limited, with many requests for those time slots. Some of the opportunities in the departments below require additional screening and orientation.

Arts Program

Hours
Weekday mornings, afternoons, and evenings; weekends negotiable

Description
Arts Program volunteers may be needed to do one or more of the following duties:

  • Assist with collection, inventory and maintenance of supplies.
  • Maintain digital archive of patient artwork, music and poetry files.
  • Provide assistance to patients and staff before, during and after group workshops.
  • Provide art activities to patients at bedside, in playrooms and in outpatient waiting areas, as appropriate.
  • Assist with special events, projects and outreach.

Qualifications
In addition to dealing with serious illness and adapting your work and communication style to fit patient needs, we require that you demonstrate a history of experience with art, music, poetry or other art-related fields.


At Your Service

Hours
Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Description

  • Serve as a patient and family escort.
  • 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.

Qualifications
You must be a friendly and energetic people person and be able to stand for long periods of time. Fluency in a secondary language is not mandatory but is a definite plus.


Child Life

Hours
Morning, afternoon and evening sessions, 7 days/week

Description

  • Assist Child Life Specialists with play therapy in the playrooms on the patient care units, including: inpatient and outpatient surgery, Emergency department, outpatient Hematology and Oncology. 
  • Duties involve setting up the room, bringing the children to the playroom and interacting with patients.
  • Volunteers also provide diversionary activities for patients and their siblings at the bedside.

Qualifications
You must be able to deal with serious illness and be extremely reliable and prompt to work in this area.


Emergency Department

Hours
4 p.m. - 12 p.m., 7 days/week

Description

  • Serve as a liaison between medical staff and families.
  • As part of your duties, you will provide comfort needs, such as diapers, bottles and formula; remain with patients in the treatment room between procedures; assist with registration process; escort patients and families to radiology and lab; help keep hallways clear; and offer non-medical assistance.

Qualifications
You must be self-directed and able to adjust to varied work patterns. Also, you must be able to stand for long periods of time.


Family Thera-tea

Hours
Monday - Friday, afternoons preferred between 2 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday - Sunday, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Description

  • Assist in comforting our parents and families by offering them tea from our Family Thera-Tea cart donated by our CHLA RN Residency.
  • Maintain tea cart.

Qualifications
You must be a friendly and energetic people person and be able to stand for long periods of time. Fluency in secondary language is not mandatory but is a definite plus.


Gift Shop

Hours
Daily, various hours

Description

  • Assist customers with purchases, plus stocking inventory and merchandising items. All proceeds go directly to the hospital.

Qualifications
You must be good with money, friendly and outgoing; able to stand for long periods of time.


Guest Services

Hours
9 a.m. - 9 p.m., 7 days/week

Description

  • Greet and escort patients and their families from the information desk to their destinations within the hospital.
  • Assist staff by providing visitor passes.
  • Deliver items to patient care units.

Qualifications
You must be a friendly and energetic people person and be able to stand for long periods of time. Fluency in Spanish is not mandatory but is a definite plus.


Literally Healing™ Program

Hours
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.,  Weekdays

Description

Volunteers read aloud at patients' bedsides; lead reading session in the hospital's story corner; and make rounds with our "Book Moo-bile" stacked with fun books!

Qualifications
Highly self-directed; comfortable reading aloud; physically able to push "Book Moo-bile;" available to attend extensive training during the normal business hours. After training is complete, it may be possible to hold an evening or weekend assignment. (This service area should not be underestimated. It is extremely intense).

Note
Priority given to volunteers who are fluent in Spanish.


Office Assistants

Hours
8 a.m. - 5 p.m., weekdays

Description

  • Assist with clerical tasks and office tasks in business offices, outpatient clinics, Human Resources and other areas. This extremely vital service does not involve working directly with the patients, however, volunteers will interact with a wide range of hospital staff as well as patients.

Qualifications
You must be a self-starter, dependable and able to adjust to varied work patterns, as well as to stand/sit for long periods of time. 


Reach Out and Read Program

Hours
Late morning and late afternoon, Monday - Friday

Description

  • Read aloud to patients and siblings in the General Pediatrics Clinic.
  • Reach out and Read is a nationally recognized early literacy program in which pediatricians discuss the importance of reading with patients and their families at every Well Baby Checkup from six months to age 5. At the end of the visit, the doctor "prescribes" a certain amount of reading per day and gives the child a brand new book.  It is our hope that parents will model the volunteer behavior by reading aloud to their child.

Qualifications
You must be self directed and able to perform in front of people, as well as able to get children excited about reading on their own.


Special Care

Hours
6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., Monday - Wednesday

Description

  • Work in the playrooms under supervision of the evening volunteer coordinators.
  • Activities include reading to patients and siblings, playing board games, possibly visiting children at bedside; also, cleaning and disinfecting toys and playrooms at the end of each shift.

Qualifications
Volunteers must be able to deal with serious illness and adjust to varied work patterns.


Stuff Masters

Hours
8 a.m. - 4 p.m.,  Monday -Thursday

Description

  • Assist with large mailings, stuffing envelopes and sorting mail; building chart packets; Stuff Masters only do those jobs that can be brought to the volunteer office.

Qualifications
You must enjoy office work and be able to sit for long periods of time.