Will volunteering help with finding a job as new grad?

mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN · Nov 25, 2016

Could be a bonus in several ways. Networking, getting a taste of what it's like in a hospital. not to mention it a good thing to do. Do it because you care about people, with a potential bonus.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Nov 25, 2016

No, not usually. Are you a nurse yet, or getting ready to graduate? Maybe see if there are tech jobs available if you are still a student? Volunteers rarely interact with the staff. Nobody would really know who you are or how good of a worker you are by being a volunteer.

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Nov 25, 2016

Not likely in many facilities . New volunteers are often assigned to non patient/staff areas such as the gift shop or similar.

pmabraham, BSN, RN · Nov 25, 2016

I started volunteering as a hospice companion volunteer this past May 2016 for several reasons: 1) I enjoy helping others, 2) I'm pro-life and this helps me give towards the end-of-life spectrum, and 3) to add additional volunteering experience to my resume (I also have been volunteering in other areas since 2006).

My personal experience is that it does help towards getting a job IF a) you are apply at local community hospitals and are stating the community matters to you; then using volunteering as a way to show community matters to you or b) if you are applying for any behavioral health job whereby you can potentially show a link of how you've been practicing therapeutic communication all the while during volunteer service. Also, if you don't currently work in healthcare, and can volunteer in a healthcare area, that also has its benefits.

antimafia · Nov 25, 2016

i volunteered and landed a job right after i graduated . i live in california, also. the market is vast here.

before you consider becoming a CNA/MA, take a look at their scope of practice. this is probably 1% of what RNs do. careful of the advice on this board, if an RN can delegate it, they will. trust me on this. crap rolls downhill, literally.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Nov 25, 2016

i volunteered and landed a job right after i graduated . i live in california, also. the market is vast here.
before you consider becoming a CNA/MA, take a look at their scope of practice. this is probably 1% of what RNs do. careful of the advice on this board, if an RN can delegate it, they will. trust me on this. crap rolls downhill, literally.

This is wrong on so many levels. I do not delegate a darn thing to my techs. Do I ask for help with a turn or bath, yes I do. I don't delegate anything and neither do any of my coworkers. But, if I decided to delegate something, it's their job to do what is within their scope of practice and why they were hired. I was a tech, and I most certainly did whatever the RNs needed.

To the OP, if you are looking to get your foot in the door to get hired at a particular hospital, getting a tech job is the way to go. If you are looking to fluff up your resume, then you can volunteer. To me, I wanted people to see what a hard worker I was and that I would be a dependable employee. That's what employers look for over volunteer experience.

rjones416 · Nov 25, 2016

I think it at least helps to make your resume look better than other new grads who aren't volunteering. If there's a specific patient population you're looking to work with then volunteer somewhere where you will be interacting with those kinds of people.

AceOfHearts<3 · Nov 25, 2016

I don't ask my aides to do a damn thing I'm not willing to do myself. I worked last night and took vitals, cleaned dentures, helped patients on bedpans, helped patients to the bathroom, rubbed lotion on a patients legs. I also dealt with threatening family members and assisted with a rapid response.

I've helped with bed baths. I've cleaned up horrible messes on my own, turned and repositioned patients with and without help. I do it all and when I delegate I do so because I have other things to do that the aides can't- not because I'm above toileting a patient, getting vitals, cleaning a patient up, etc. My aides know this- I'll refrequntly say can you help Mr. Smith in 3 while I do meds and a dressing change for Mrs. Brown in 2. I also thank my aides all day for their help.

Edit: OP, I think volunteering will look good, but I agree with others that it won't get your foot in the door like you think it will. I very rarely see hospital volunteers on my unit. Nursing externships and working as an aide is really the way to get to know staff and the manager of a unit.

antimafia · Nov 25, 2016

I don't ask my aides to do a damn thing I'm not willing to do myself. I worked last night and took vitals, cleaned dentures, helped patients on bedpans, helped patients to the bathroom, rubbed lotion on a patients legs. I also dealt with threatening family members and assisted with a rapid response.
I've helped with bed baths. I've cleaned up horrible messes on my own, turned and repositioned patients with and without help. I do it all and when I delegate I do so because I have other things to do that the aides can't- not because I'm above toileting a patient, getting vitals, cleaning a patient up, etc. My aides know this- I'll refrequntly say can you help Mr. Smith in 3 while I do meds and a dressing change for Mrs. Brown in 2. I also thank my aides all day for their help.
Edit: OP, I think volunteering will look good, but I agree with others that it won't get your foot in the door like you think it will. I very rarely see hospital volunteers on my unit. Nursing externships and working as an aide is really the way to get to know staff and the manager of a unit.

i'm not going to have a discussion with anybody on here who believes because we have a disagreement, i am automatically incorrect. and i love the fact you decided to respond to it. shows character.

all i have to say is, i am in probably 1 of the most competitive job markets out there and i landed a job right after i passed my NCLEX because of the connections i made through my volunteer experience.

i wrote my initial post based on the OP history of posting, i'm going to assume he/she hasn't been exposed to anything nursing, yet. becoming a CNA/MA might deter you.

BSN16 · Nov 25, 2016

i volunteered and landed a job right after i graduated . i live in california, also. the market is vast here.
before you consider becoming a CNA/MA, take a look at their scope of practice. this is probably 1% of what RNs do. careful of the advice on this board, if an RN can delegate it, they will. trust me on this. crap rolls downhill, literally.

When I was a CNA in the hospital i learned a ton of skills that helped me in my nursing career. I became familiar with a charting system, normals limits of vitals, i learned how to manage lines, drains, and tubes. Proper ways to bathe and ambulate my patient...these skills have been EXTREMELY helpful to me now as an ICU nurse. Just being exposed to the environment its self has been VERY beneficial to me and helped me succeed as a new grad.

RNperdiem, RN · Nov 26, 2016

CNA: yes, you get to meet other nurses and network. This might help you.

Volunteer: Usually answers phones in the waiting room or works at the gift shop. They are nowhere near patients or nurses. In my almost 20 years of nursing, I can say that volunteers are invisible to me. Unless you are known to nursing, volunteering probably won't help.