Volunteering

[Rakkika]

I was wondering if anyone had any cool volunteering ideas to help with experience and points.

Normally I do a three hour stint as a receptionist at the hospital where I pretty much stare at a wall and change coffee every hour. I can't do it this term because there simply isn't enough time in my week day but next term I'm going to restart that again and hopefully something else a little more interesting.

So what do you do, if anything, on top of everything else?

[sscofield]

where do you live?

[karamarie91]

I volunteer at two hospitals and a nursing home. I'm quite disappointed in one of the hospitals I volunteer at because I do much of anything. Try health clinics or volunteering in a smaller environment where you may be able to learn more about the medical environment.

[supermotojen]

If you have a local Ronald McDonald house near your hospital, that would be a great place to volunteer. Also, something that I enjoy and have been doing for awhile now, is volunteer tutoring at my college. It's great because I tutor many of the science prereqs and get to meet alot of other students with common goals! Good luck to you!

[NCRNMDM, ASN, RN]

I started volunteering at my local hospital at the age of 12 and I volunteered until right before I got accepted into nursing school, about six years. Over those years, I worked in the ER, the ICU, the OR, the laboratory, and the pre/post anesthesia care unit. I spent five years in the ER, two years in the ICU, one year in OR, two years in pre/post anesthesia care, and two years in the lab. I worked 12 hour shifts five days a week during the summer, worked nearly everyday on holidays and breaks, and worked every other weekend for a year. I started out working in the histology section of the lab, and worked there the summer of my sixth grade year and into my seventh grade year. The summer of my seventh grade year, I worked in the lab from 7AM-1PM, and the ER from 1PM-7PM. During the school year in eighth grade, I worked solely in the ER. The summer of my eight grade year, I worked in the ER only, as well. During my ninth grade year, I worked in the ER, OR, and pre/post anesthesia care unit. During the summer of my ninth grade year, I worked in the ER, ICU, and pre/post anesthesia care unit. The rest of the time, my tenth grade year through my first semester of college, I worked in the ER, with a few trips into the ICU. In total, I had over 2,500 hours of volunteer service, and I can tell you that it was partly due to this that I got into nursing school on my first try. I strongly encourage you to try different units; you will get an idea of what nurses there do, see if you are interested in pursuing a career there, and gain valuable hours that look great on resumes and applications. You will also feel great because you are helping others.

[Rakkika]

Holy ******* moly...I'll ask about switching up what department I'm in too. Right now I'm assigned to the CVCU waiting room. It's usually really slow as I said and if there are people they generally don't want to make small talk. I've got the chaplain's (though we don't call him a chaplain, I can't remember exactly what his official title is) number on a sticky by the computer screen.

[Rakkika]

oh that was NOT a curse word

[Sugar-Phosphate]

go get your standard first aid, and volunteer for an ambulance service. Not sure where you are but st. johns ambulance in BC has volunteers that go to crash scenes and do first aid until medical help arrives. This is what was suggested to me to do by my instructor. I highly recommend that!

[tj87]

I live in Nashville and volunteer at the Children's Hospital (which is huge, and more like Disney than a hospital). It's absolutely wonderful and one of the greatest things I've done in my life. I get to lead group activities, go play with children bedside who cannot leave their room, and relieve parents from sitting with their child so they can get a few moments rest outside of the chair in the room, or just get some fresh air. Other times I may just clean toys and separate them based on age group all day, but it's all very rewarding. The other option (for me) was to sit with the elderly patients at lunch or dinner time and interview them about their lives and make books for/with them. I was absolutely torn between the two because I love both age groups. You could check with the emergency department at your hospital; the ED at the hospital I work at has volunteers maintain the waiting area and play with and talk to children while they are waiting.

When I was in a smaller town looking for volunteer opportunities I went directly to occupational services and asked them what was available and what I was looking for. Obviously your opportunities will vary depending on the size of the hospital, but you could discuss with them what you would like to do and see if something can easily be worked out!