Who has volunteered?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Hey guys,

Today I submitted an application to the local hospital to volunteer for Fall 2013. To be honest, to me it felt like a mini nursing school application. I had to submit an application, statement of purpose, and two letters of recommendation. If I am chosen for one of the volunteer positions I will be contacted two weeks into the semester. We also have to bring results of a TB test if we're chosen.

When any of you volunteered, did you have to submit all of that? Or was it simply going up there to tell them you want to volunteer & you started soon after?

ALSO, when you volunteered what tasks did you perform? Did they put you in a certain area or were you able to tell them which unit you wanted to volunteer on?

I filled out an application that was just basic information. They ran a background check, and once that came back clear they did a TB test and bloodwork to check some titers. After that I did about a 45-minute training. I asked to be in the ER and that is where I am. I am just to offer comfort to the patients and their families - a listening ear, warm blanket, food/drink as allowed, etc. I also stock up the rooms, clean handrails and chairs, whatever I can find to do!

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By the way for those who volunteer how often did you go? I try to go at least once a week.

I am scheduled for a specific 4-hour shift, once a week.

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I was excited to start as well and now that I've been doing it for a while, I'm still excited lol. You got lucky! I wish I could have gotten in the nursery but those positions were filled and so was L&D. I only got to do this section of pediatrics because the teen that was supposed to do it changed their mind. I guess you can say I got lucky too. You definitely have to let me know how you like it, I'm in Augusta but I hope to move to Atlanta for one of the residency programs after nursing school.

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After being accepted I had to do orientation as well as their HIPAA course and take/pass the HIPAA test at the end before being allowed to start. It was a long process.

Oh yeah, I had to take a couple tests like this too.

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I had to get more than my TB. I had to make sure all my vaccinations were up to date and be signed off by one of their nurses for TDap, varicella, MMR, Hep B, etc.

Oh goodness, this right here has been my main hold up for starting. Last week I was going all over the place trying to find someone who could do the flu and TDAP shots (went to Walgreens, CVS, HEB [Texas], Walmart, and on the local military base). They either didn't carry the shot at all, they were out of it for the day, or the Tricare coverage wasn't taken ($60 for the TDAP shot without insurance :down:, but the base was able to do it for free).

Finally, yesterday, I got everything turned in, and now I'm just waiting for a call from the Volunteer coordinator to come in for orientation, get my badge and shirt, and remind them that I want to work in the transplant telemetry ward, ICU, or clinic...and if not those, then wound care. I'm super excited to start! :D

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By the way for those who volunteer how often did you go? I try to go at least once a week.

7 am to 7 pm Saturdays and Sundays back-to-back for a little over a month while going to school full time and working my own separate part time job.

I did it that way because I needed at least 100 hours of hands-on patient volunteer experience in a hospital setting within no more than 3 months time for one of the schools I meant to apply to (but coincidently I got into a program that didn't require it) so I wanted to just get it done. It was exhausting but worth the experience!

However, I also really wanted to see what a full 12 hour nurses shift looked like. Holy cow, those hours FLY on med-surg! I loved it because I like being super busy and mobile on my feet. It's neat to me - you just never know what you're going to get. You get everything from surgery recovery to suicide watch and God only knows what else inbetween. All sorts of ages, all sorts of situations. I really like that variety.

And no matter what, whether it is required by your program or not, volunteering in a hospital will do nothing but benefit you and look fantastic on a resume. But if you can get access to doing some sort of patient care and interaction, that would be the most ideal.

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I was excited to start as well and now that I've been doing it for a while I'm still excited lol. You got lucky! I wish I could have gotten in the nursery but those positions were filled and so was L&D. I only got to do this section of pediatrics because the teen that was supposed to do it changed their mind. I guess you can say I got lucky too. You definitely have to let me know how you like it, [b']I'm in Augusta[/b] but I hope to move to Atlanta for one of the residency programs after nursing school.

I lived in Augusta for 7+ years! I did some nurse shadowing in various specialty settings at University Hospital when I was in high school. They even let me watch an open heart surgery from start to finish AND I followed the patient into his room in the cardiac ICU and was there when he woke up from it for the first time. It was AMAZING. I'm still shocked they even let me do that to be honest.

I live in Washington State now, completely 100% opposite of good 'ol Augusta, GA LOL. But I love it here. :) I was just there to visit family this past June/July!

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I was excited to start as well and now that I've been doing it for a while, I'm still excited lol. You got lucky! I wish I could have gotten in the nursery but those positions were filled and so was L&D. I only got to do this section of pediatrics because the teen that was supposed to do it changed their mind. I guess you can say I got lucky too. You definitely have to let me know how you like it, I'm in Augusta but I hope to move to Atlanta for one of the residency programs after nursing school.

My first day was today. It was very interesting. I got to clean/make up the baby beds, answer phones, clean stethoscopes, take milk/bottles to the moms if needed, and I even got to watch a doctor perform a circumcision! Whew .. So glad I'm not a boy. Lol. In addition to the stuff I did today, when I go back I will be making charts and feeding/rocking the babies if the nurses need me to. I love the nursery environment. I don't think I could have picked a better unit!

On the flip side, I'm not far from you. I'm in Statesboro. I hope to move to Atlanta for one of the residency programs after nursing school as well.

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