Section B Items

I hope my volunteer experience will lead to a job at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles

Our volunteer office does not work with our Human Resources Department to field requests for employment.  All prospective employees use our online career search portal to apply for open positions.   Previous volunteers who have joined our program have been disappointed to later find that their volunteer experience did not directly result in a position being available or offered to them.  Our volunteer office discourages prospective volunteers who's primary reason for joining the program is to obtain a job at our hospital, from applying.

I want to use a volunteer position to improve my English-speaking skills

Volunteers are called upon regularly to read and write in English for many of their volunteer tasks.  In cases of emergency, the ability to read and write in English are crucial. 

I hope to meet other people like me and expand my social network

Previous volunteers have found volunteering to be lonely at times.  Many positions place you in positions where you are not working alongside other volunteers.  You might find yourself in a position where you are the only volunteer assigned to assist a particular area.  Alternatively, should there be other volunteers assigned to the same area with you, you will often be too consumed with helping patients to visit with other volunteers.  

I want to gain clinical experience, perhaps by shadowing or assisting a member of a hospital’s medical staff

Regrettably, our insurance coverage for the hospital prevents us from allowing volunteers to have any “hands on” experience.   Volunteers are also not permitted to "shadow" clinicians. 

I hope to use volunteer service as a way to work through the loss of a loved one

Our patients are best served by individuals who are compassionate and understanding of their experience in our hospital, but also who are in a solid emotional place themselves.  Volunteers who have attempted to use their service at our hospital as a way to overcome the death of a loved one have found that their experience did not meet their emotional needs.  If you have recently experienced the loss of a loved one, we ask that you complete your own healing process first and return to us when you are whole once again.

I am “in between jobs” and I wish to use some of this free time to be of service

If you are between jobs, we understand that your primary goal will be to find another position that meets your needs and in the shortest time possible.  Given that we request a six-month volunteer commitment, it is highly likely that your life and schedule may completely shift within this six-month time frame.  Given that the hospital must invest significant time and resources in each of its volunteers due to significant legal and insurance requirements, we ask that you wait until you have found your next position and, should you still have time for our patients in your new schedule, contact us at that time.

I need to be busy all the time

Volunteer experiences can be quite varied based on the time of day, the patient load, and the needs of our patients at any given time.  While some days may be very exciting and busy for you as a volunteer, a short-staffed area of the hospital to which you might be assigned might leave you without anyone to provide you with instructions for a period of time.  Although our staff might be extremely busy, you might find that, during this period, you would be left feeling as if you had "nothing to do."  We would caution those who "always need to be busy" to consider whether you would be comfortable with this being the case during your volunteer experiences with us.