Patient Care

• Medical care is the primary focus of the hospital environment. Doctors and nurses should provide a pleasant bedside mannerr, but their main focus is physical care. Improving patient morale is one area where volunteers can fill a void. You can assist the staff by visiting with patients and residents. Providing conversation, encouragement, laughter and companionship is a valuable service that busy doctors and nurses may not always have time to provide. This can be especially helpful in convalescent and children's hospitals where the patients are especially susceptible to loneliness or sadness at being hospitalized.
  
  

Meal Service and Kitchen Help

• Hospital kitchen staff also benefit from the help of volunteers. In this position, you can help with the delivery of meals, snacks and beverages. Once scheduled meal times are over, volunteers also assist with collecting dishes and trays and returning them to the kitchen.
  
  

Clerical Assistance

• Some hospitals offer opportunities to assist with office work. If your personal skill set revolves around computers and technology, this type of volunteer work may be ideal for you. It can be a great help to hospital staff to have someone give switchboard relief, data entry assistance, filing help or a variety of other tasks which tend to add up quickly and can overwhelm the regular staff.
  
  

Gift Shop

• Hospital gift shops often employ volunteers. You can assist with stocking shelves, taking inventory, greeting customers and providing customer support.
  
  

Young Volunteers

• Not all volunteer programs are open to kids for legal reasons. Even though the opportunities for teens are slightly more limited than those for adults, they do exist. Usually the requirement is that young volunteers be at least 14-years-old and have the written permission of their parents to participate. Check with your local hospitals to find out what opportunities exist, and how to get your young person involved in this rewarding experience.