Volunteering

[sp30233n]

It's been difficult finding a nursing job so I decided to volunteer. I'm in NYC. Has anyone volunteered at NY Presbyterian, Mount Sinai, or anywhere else? If so, how was the experience? Any suggestions on where to volunteer while job hunting? Thanks!

[FutureNurseInfo]

I applied to those hospitals to volunteer...was denied at each. Never thought volunteering would be as hard as finding a real job. In any case, good luck with that!

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Most volunteer jobs are non clinical (information desk, gift shop) and rarely lead to employment especially in a major metropolitan area like NYC. The major NYC hospitals have hundreds of applications for a single opening

A less urban area with more demand for nurses maybe it would help.

[moretonel]

I'm taking my NCLEX-PN (LPN) next month. Just in case it's difficult finding a job, I started a 2.5 month EMT course right after my pinning ceremony. I'll start clinical ambulance rides next week, and finish the program April 29 2017 - I'll take the NREMT in May 2017.

I say that to say this - there are several volunteer EMS that accept volunteer EMTs. While its not "nursing" per se, there is trauma and medical assessments, in a stressful environment, with a great deal of independence, collaborating with a doctor for permission to perform certain treatments and medications, providing possibly nebulizers, wound care, oxygen, performing in a code, obtaining histories, and inputting data in an electronic prehospital care report. Wow, sounds a lot like nursing to me, and it's not a 2-year paramedic program, but a 2.5 month EMT program - I think it's worth the extra time and money as an investment into future gainful employment as an RN (or LPN in my case).