Advice on Volunteering for Pediatric Nursing

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Hi,

i am interested in becoming a pediatric nurse and i heard it was good to volunteer with kids. However, there is no nearby children's hospital for me to volunteer at. Close by is a John Muir which i am about to be begin volunteering at however, the list of volunteer opportunities they gave me to choose from doesn't really have any that specifically deals with children. Listed below is the list of services they gave me. Which should i choose?

"Administrative Support

Cancer Center Library

CVI Surgery/Pre-op

Dispatch

Emergency Services

GI Lab

Gift Shop

Grief support

Home knitting

Home sewing

Infection Prevention

Lobby Desk

Medical staff services

Mended heart visitors

Patient Services

Pet Therapy

Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Short Stay Unit

Special Projects

Spiritual Care

Student Volunteers

Surgery Desk

"TLC"- Magazine and Book Cart

Urgent Care/JMMG

Volunteer Dispatch

Volunteer Services

Workshops"

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For me, I would choose emergency services since pretty much all ages are seen there :yes:, including peds. If you are in the Concord/Walnut Creek area, then I would suggest volunteering for Bay Area Crisis Nursery in Concord, but only if you have the spare time :).

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Thank You for the advice:) I will definitely look into that!

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

"Volunteering with kids" doesn't have to mean in a hospital setting. Or even a health care setting. You can learn the intricacies of interacting with kids at a nursery school, a boys-and-girls club (Scouts?), an organized sport (soccer, softball, hockey, whatever) or even at a library.

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Ok, i wasn't sure if i had to volunteer specifically in a medical setting because i want to be a nurse or just volunteering in general looks good. Thank you:)

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Specializes in Pedi.

There are plenty of camps for children with various illnesses across the country... when I was in college, I volunteered at programs for children with epilepsy, HIV, cancer and organ transplants. Summer's over now but look into those sorts of things for next summer. Also, places like the Ronald McDonald House staff themselves primarily with volunteers.

Check out Home to find a children's oncology camp near you. Some of them have off-season programs.

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