Volunteering...

Volunteering is a great idea to supplement your time in nursing school for one HUGE reason... NETWORKING! As a volunteer you will have minimal patient interaction, and it will not be in a "nursing capacity" so you will not gain any "skills" in the medical sense. However, you will work closely with nurses, administrators, and staff throughout the hospital---people who you can build a relationship with who will hopefully offer you advice, their expertise, and maybe help you get a job down the road.

This is also something to list on your resume, and in the competitive market- it cant hurt! Definitely recommend this idea.... it will secure your career choice, offer you access to people who can help you throughout nursing school and beyond, and make you feel good to help others!

I volunteer in 'transportation' in a local hospital.- I move patients to where they need to go. I do get to interact with patients (which is helpful in my opinion in general) and I also get to see almost all areas of the hospital. I meet people all over, get to see what they do and just gain experience. I think it might help me in deciding what area I might like to work in in the future. PLUS like has been said, making contacts for the future.

Networking - cannot put a price tag on that!

I am like Stcroix in that I volunteer as a patient transporter in my hospital, all are discharges though. I have been doing this for almost 2 years and I love it more than my day job (which right now is non-nursing, hoping to start nursing school this year). Even though my time with patients is fairly brief, it has refined the way I interact with them. That's important skill to have as a nurse.

I highly recommend volunteering, you do meet a lot of nice staff members who may remember you when it comes time to employment. What better way to "interview" than by showing you're good at what you do? Try to secure a service in which you will have the most patient contact possible. So avoid gift shop, that's not a productive service if you're looking to go into nursing. However, the emergency dept is an excellent one!