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Discussion

Volunteer work

What type of volunteer work looks good on a resume? I am waiting to get accepted into a local ADN program, and I am finished with all of my general education courses. I know that I can take more courses that pertain to, but aren't required for, the ADN program, but I'm paying for school myself and I really don't want the extra debt. It could be a year or longer before I actually start the program, so I wanted to do some volunteering in the mean time. I was thinking of doing something at our local food bank (maybe to help organize food drives b/c the bank is VERY low on food) or tutoring local middle school children in math and science. As of right now, w/o any clinical experience, I think I would like to go into L&D (our local hospital is LDRP), NICU, or the ED upon graduation. Do any of you have any opinions on what I should do? TIA

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    I think the most useful type of volunteering for a would be nurse is to volunteer in one of the places where you think you may eventually want to work. If your local hospital uses volunteers, volunteer there. Some NICUs use volunteers to come in and hold the babies -- this would be a way to do something useful and learn about a nursing specialty you are considering at the same time.

    I believe I got my first nursing job in part because I volunteered at the same hospital. It wasn't that the person who hired me got to know me that way -- it was just that I made sure it was displayed prominently on my resume when I applied to the same place a couple of years later. I know the NM who hired me noticed this, because she mentioned it when she called me for an interview.

    Good luck!

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    The person above is right. Go be a baby cuddler. It's in the area you are interested in and you get to spend all day with adorable babies.

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    The American Red Cross. They will train people for free how to be certified CPR instructors, first aid instructors, etc. and this knowledge can be applied towards a nursing degree and used in the profession i.e. staff developer.

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    • Experts
    The American Red Cross. They will train people for free how to be certified CPR instructors, first aid instructors, etc. and this knowledge can be applied towards a nursing degree and used in the profession i.e. staff developer.

    Not entirely true. I was asked if I was interested in becomming a Red Cross CPR instructor. To do so, I would have had to take a course costing $250. Perhaps they may train you for free if you are willing to work for free, but I'd specifically ask first before agreeing to do anything, especially since they generate a lot of their revenue through teaching courses.

    Also, I'm sure there are plenty of other volunteer opportunities within the Red Cross that don't require you to pay for training.

    Try to volunteer in areas that you are interested in: for example, if you want to get into an ED, see about volunteering at your local ED. If you're not sure where you want to be, go volunteer anywhere there are patients. LTCs and nursing homes would snap you up in a minute if you went there to volunteer. Wherever you land, don't expect to be doing a lot of nursing tasks because of liability reasons: you'll probably visit patients, help with clerical tasks, fetch supplies, and such. Volunteering gives you a chance to get your name and face known; it may not guarantee you a job, but it definitely can't hurt!

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    Thank you all for the suggestions, it is appreciated. I may try to do all three: hospital, nursing home, and red cross. All three are within a 1/2 mile of my house. I am a stay at home mom and my oldest will be starting pre-k next year, so I will have some free time. My husband is a firefighter so he is home some days during the week. I just want to do something worthwhile with my time (besides raise my children of course) while I am waiting for the next ADN application cycle.

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