Can anyone suggest ideas for volunteering?

Lericalpoet · Feb 4, 2008

American Red Cross. I volunteered during the last two summers, it was great. It is an organization that is known by everyone and they are very well respected. There's certainly one in your area. I helped with corospondance between American citizens who were forced to flee Lebonanon due to conflict, and their relatives here is the states. I learned a lot about forein policy and met a lot of interesting people. Believe me, it will look great on a resume as well as an entrance application. Can open a lot of door for you in the future. Most of the people I worked with or reported to were nurses or former nurses.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Feb 4, 2008

That's funny...it's the exact same at Duke where I'm volunteering in the ER. NOTHING TO DO!!! Even with getting people water and blankets to make them more comfortable, you are technically supposed to ask a nurse to make sure it is okay (which really defeats the purpose...you are trying to make things go faster and smoother, and asking a nurse if someone can have a blanket puts a monkey wrench in the works). I suggest contacting the person who is in charge of volunteers and tell them how bored you are, and that you want to be useful while you are there. I actually just did that, and am going to spend an hour with the volunteer coordinator so that I have a better idea of things that can be done while I'm at the hospital. If that doesn't work, the volunteer coordinator might be able to direct you to other volunteer positions that are a little more active. Anyway, though, I feel your pain! I've also been contemplating spending my time elsewhere...

Hey - I volunteered at Duke in the Rock-A-Baby program. You get to sit with the peds BMT unit patients (they have to have someone with them 24 hours a day) and give their poor exhausted parents a break. I also used to sit with the peds pts on 5100 and 5300 and read to them, or just go in and chat with them if they were restless or bored. I really enjoyed it; you had chances to ask the nurses questions when they would come in to administer meds or just check on the pt, and you learned a lot about communication and encountering families whose children were terminal.

I also learned a few personal things about myself - such as how to handle it when the little guy you've been seeing for the last three weeks is suddenly not there anymore - and he wasn't discharged.

Just an idea.

curlysue82 · Feb 4, 2008

I just started volunteering with our local hospice. I will be visiting hospice patients in their homes and in nursing homes. I hope this gives me the healthcare experience that I need. Unfortunely our hospital offers the same volunteering opportunities given above:(

butterflyeffect · Feb 5, 2008

I would recommend your local VA hospital as not only will it be volunteer experience, but it shows an interest in your community.

divineeyeam · Feb 6, 2008

thank you for creating this post. I myself am looking to do some volunteer work to see what th hospital environment is like - I just need to decide what area I want to volunteer in.

icechick, RN · Feb 6, 2008

I've been volunteering at a local nursing home where my grandmother lived before she passed away last year. I run a program for the seniors & it is great because I can bring my baby with me, he is always great entertainment. It leaves you with such a good feeling because most of the residents don't get too many visitors & they are happy to talk to anyone. I think most nursing homes would be happy to have someone volunteer to visit with the residents.

benegesserit · Feb 6, 2008

Check first to see if your school has any specific requirements for volunteering - the schools I'm applying to require that volunteer experience be medically related to be considered, and some require direct patient interaction.

My local hospital has a volunteer doula program. I really enjoy it, and have been doing it for a few years now. It was actually what made me interested in nursing in the first place.

Faeriewand, ASN, RN · Feb 7, 2008

The University in San Diego requires patient contact experience in some way. I volunteer at a hospital nearby in the ER and there volunteers do some hands on stuff, esp if the staff gets to know you and you are volunteering there a while. But that's not hospital policy, that is just the way it works in that ER. Most volunteers in the ER are pre-med students however.

EeyoreAddict · Feb 9, 2008

I am very interested in Organ donation - so I am volunteering for Life Source. I do to fundraisers and high schools and get people to understand the process and the mportance od organ donation.

Plus, since my mom's and my MIL's organs were donated - I have personal experience.

Just an idea - or another one is Ronald McDonald house :)

Faeriewand, ASN, RN · Feb 10, 2008

The Red Cross is always looking for Volunteers. :)

Do Or Do Not · Feb 11, 2008

I started volunteering at a local hospital in town two weeks ago. It's a HUGE level I trauma center with a campus that's close to a square mile in size and there's no shortage of places to volunteer at. I'm doing 4 hours a week at Trauma Nursing...basically a place where car crash/stab/gunshot victims go to rest before or after surgery, and it's a mix of excitement and boredom depending on the moment. At one time I was helping out a nurse turn a guy over in his bed, and another I was watching over a patient who has issues with getting up and walking around too much. Those are pretty cool things, but much of the rest was me answering patients pages and sitting around studying for Chem stuff.

If you're thinking about volunteering, give it a shot! All you have to lose is some extra free time, plus you get to ask all kinds of interesting questions straight from the horses mouth.