Volunteering hours

I'm a volunteer at an area hospital (not becoming a nurse, I just volunteer). It's a 4-hour shift for me. Most places want 3-4 hours at a minimum. Hospitals will be flexible about exact time of day or week because they need the help. (A volunteer who isn't happy will just leave.) Some hospitals will give you a free meal in their cafeteria if you take x hours per shift.

Most hospitals have a volunteer office listed in the phone book or via website. Someone could likely explain the particular rules for that hospital.

Anyway, I've found it very rewarding. The nurses sure appreciate the help.

good Luck!!

I need to start volunteering so I will have a better shot at getting into an accelerated BSN program. How many hours a week are the average worked by a hospital volunteer?

There are lots of volunteer opportunities! Shifts are usually 3 to 4 hours/week. I volunteer in the Emergency Dept of a hospital and it's great! I listen and talk with the patients, offer them blankets, and give coffee/tea to their family and friends. (No beverages for them unless the RN clears it!) :chuckle: It's very rewarding and I feel energized after my weekly shift!

I also volunteer in a "buddy" program at a children's hospital where I buddy up with kids whose parents are not around (the parents could live a long distance away), either reading to them, helping them draw pictures, or just playing with them. I also love cuddling babies.

Then I volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House, which has branches all around the US. http://www.rmhc.org/ They have a CLIK program (computer learing for ill kids). I help the kids play computer games and take pictures with the digital cameras. They have volunteer positions to interact with the families that are not computer-related. too.

Having health care volunteer opportunities on your application can only strengthen it. It will also let you know whether you will like becoming a RN. Do you like interactiing with patients, their family and friends? Does the sight of blood, IV tubing, and heart monitors bother you or not? Could you see yourself doing the things the nurses are asked to do for patients?

Good luck!

Smile123

while it is important to get your volunteer hours under your belt, also take note of the quality of the experience. Keep the letter of recommendation issue in mind too!

For example, Hospital A was great as I had many RNs to observe and they were open to guiding me and mentoring me. The letter I got from the charge nurse for my application was much better quality. Hospital B was very "prestigious" but seemed to have a lot of turnover and the charge nurse didn't like to be bothered by volunteers at all. A lot of other volunteers griped about the experience and wanted out after a week or two, needless to say none of us got great letters from that hospital. Me, I increase my hours at Hospital A. Good luck!

I need to start volunteering so I will have a better shot at getting into an accelerated BSN program. How many hours a week are the average worked by a hospital volunteer?

Let me get this straight: volunteering in a hospital will help you get into nursing school?? If this is true, this is good news. I'm a volunteer labor doula and although I'm supposed to be there for 8 hours a shift, quite frequently I'll be there for more than 12. I'll tell you, I feel like I'm getting excellent experience. If the nurse has the time, she'll explain things to me. I'm very grateful when they do that.

In answering the original question, most volunteer shifts are 4 hours per week but due to the nature of labor and delivery, they have us come in for 8 hour shifts.

Now if this volunteer experience helps me get into nursing school, that would be wonderful!!

Let me get this straight: volunteering in a hospital will help you get into nursing school?? If this is true, this is good news. I'm a volunteer labor doula and although I'm supposed to be there for 8 hours a shift, quite frequently I'll be there for more than 12. I'll tell you, I feel like I'm getting excellent experience. If the nurse has the time, she'll explain things to me. I'm very grateful when they do that.

In answering the original question, most volunteer shifts are 4 hours per week but due to the nature of labor and delivery, they have us come in for 8 hour shifts.

Now if this volunteer experience helps me get into nursing school, that would be wonderful!!

Hi BabyRN2Be,

It depends on the school. If there's an essay involved in the application, you can always talk about why you want to be a RN: based on volunteer experiences, close friends who were RN's, friend who had gone through cancer, etc.

Some places give you extra "points" if you have volunteer experience, working with the underserved communities (homeless, AIDs, drug addicts).

It's also very useful if you have interviews. No one else can talk about YOUR health care volunteer experience and what you learned. I have been in group interviews before where they ask a series of questions to the entire group. If you are the 5th or 6th person answering the question, you definitely want to able to add something unique. That's where your personal experience in health care (be it volunteer or paid) come in!

Getting strong recommendations from people who have observed you in the volunteer setting also helps. You'll find out whether you like being in that environment too. So for a variety of reasons, volunteer health care experience is extremely helpful to get into nursing school. Good luck!

Smile123

I need to start volunteering so I will have a better shot at getting into an accelerated BSN program. How many hours a week are the average worked by a hospital volunteer?

IMO a 3 to 5 hour shift one day a week is the minimun most hospitals are looking forward. I am sure that given that you are a student it is easy to work around what works for you.

Gee, I just fired off an e-mail a couple of hours ago to the local hospital's volunteer office. I'm also interested in setting myself up for the future. My original plan was/is to start an LPN program in October and then bridge over to RN. (The wait list for the RN program is 2 1/2 to 3 years after completion of A&P 1 and 2.)

But now I've got a new plan in the works. The above mentioned hospital runs an "earn as you learn" program. They will have a "job fair" in October looking for RN candidates. You must have completed all of the pre-req's required by the community college, however it is recommended that you have ALL of your non-nursing courses completed. If selected, I would get to start the ADN program at the community college in January. The hospital would pay for tuiton, books and fees. They would also pay a stipend of $8 for every hour of class or clinicals. I would be required to work one 8 hour shift a week as a CNA (when trained and at the current hospital CNA payrate). If I work 12 hours a week as a CNA, I would be eligible for full time benefits. I would have to work during school breaks the same amount of hours as would normally be in school. I would be committed to working for that hospital for 2 years after graduation. (It's a good hospital....magnet)

This is a competitive program to get selected for. My grades are very good and I will be in good shape as far as having all of my non-nursing courses completed. I'm thinking that volunteering at the hospital will be helpful on my application. I'm even considering taking a quickie CNA training class and working at the hospital. (Not sure about that, though.) I really want to be selected for this! It would answer soooooooo many of my problems.