College Volunteers FAQ
Check out the common questions below for many useful answers.
For questions pertaining to Current/Returning Volunteers click here.
General
Questions
We are
located on the ground floor of the Main (Memorial) Hospital behind the
escalators and dental clinic. You can ask any information desk how to
find us if you need to.
Applicants need to complete all of the
following steps in order to become a volunteer at UNC Healthcare.
Please note that the steps needed to become a volunteer are listed in
the order that they must be completed. This information is located on
the College
Volunteer Application Process site.
No, students from any college are welcome
to apply. We are able to offer parking to non-UNC-CH students
only.
As a hospital volunteer, you will be expected
to complete a minimum of 25 hours per semester. This will amount to
approximately 2.5 hour-shifts on a weekly basis. During the summer
session, since there are less weeks, the shifts will need to be a
little longer (approximately 3 hours long) to still complete the 25
hour minimum.
If you do not
complete the minimum hours you will be penalized and asked to sit out
the next full semester (spring/fall). If you choose to re-register
after sitting out a semester, you will have to go through walk-in
registration.
Unfortunately, no. Our deadlines are set at
the beginning of the UNC-Chapel Hill school semester so that you will
have enough weeks to complete the required minimum hours. Mandatory
orientation is offered each semester.
What is the volunteer commitment?
Volunteers commit to complete a minimum number of hours each semester (25 hours) and to be prompt, courteous, and in good attendance each week for the duration of the semester (though you are not expected to work over breaks or holidays). Our volunteers are committed to being friendly, willing, and go-getters each shift, so we hope you are too!
-
Satisfaction of helping others
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Making new friends and developing job skills
-
Opportunity to work in the medical/healthcare
field
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Various discounts for movie tickets, amusement parks, theatre
tickets
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Scholarship opportunities for rising seniors
Parking (free
or otherwise) is not available to UNC Chapel Hill students in
the hospital parking decks as per the University’s regulations. Many
buses go to and from UNC Hospitals and walking or getting a ride are
always options. UNC students volunteering after 5:00pm may try to look
for parking in designated lots on campus. Students from other colleges
may obtain a free parking pass. More information about
transportation options can be found on this
site.
I am only here for part of the
summer or the first summer session, can I still volunteer as long as
I volunteer 25 hours?
Unfortunately, no. We ask that volunteers
commit to the whole summer (both summer sessions) so that volunteers
get the most out of their experience and can provide service for a
significant amount of time. The areas we serve count on a continuous
and consistent volunteer throughout both summer sessions. Though
you are welcome to volunteer past the second summer
session!
Registration
Questions
Walk-in
registration is a two or three day time period where hundreds of
students come in person to the Volunteer Services office to register in
person. The wait can be up to an hour or more as we place students in
an area/shift during registration. Students do not need to
come both days; just simply walk-in during the times listed on the front page and wait until we can process you with all your
paperwork and place you into a volunteer position. Orientation
occurs the week after and volunteering begins about two weeks after
registration.
Volunteer
applications can be found on our website under the
tab “College
Volunteers” near the end of the
page.
No,
applications for new volunteers need to completed and submitted online
(please see the Application Process
page) before the deadline, usually a few days prior to walk-in
registration. Returning volunteers will email in their
application.
No. All
volunteers must bring the TB test results with them to
registration. The TB test is required by the hospital and can be
obtained at campus health, some pharmacies, or your healthcare
provider. The test is read two days after it is administered, so plan
ahead! The test results must be read within a
year.
No, you must
bring the results with you before you can be registered. But hold on to
it for next semester! Results must be within the past
year.
Yes, you
still need a TB test; proof of BCG Vaccine is not sufficient.
Applicants must have a TB test result prior to registration, the
Quantiferon Gold TB Test or a chest X-ray result within the past
few years. BCG vaccine is not guaranteed to protect for a lifetime, so
UNCH requires all volunteers and employees to have medical
clearance regardless of having the vaccine.
In order to
be registered, you must have the Immunization Review Form filled out.
You can contact your healthcare provider, parent/guardian, or whoever
would have a copy of the information you need to complete the
form. The form can
be found here.
Unfortunately, no. Our deadlines are set at
the beginning of the semester so that you will have enough weeks to
complete the required minimum hours. We also only offer orientation
once at beginning of the semester, which is mandatory before you may
volunteer.
Requirements
and Process
Some areas require juniors and
seniors only, but I have experience in that field, can I volunteer in
that department?
Not until you
are a junior/senior! Our areas will sometimes have specific guidelines
like “only Jr./Sr.” to make sure that you fit their needs and we
respect their requirements by not making exceptions. All job criteria
are outlined in the College
Opportunities List.
The dates are listed on our
website so you can plan ahead and arrange your schedule to be there.
You must attend one of the orientations before you can begin. If you
know well in advance and tell us that you will not be able to make
orientation due to a class conflict, we might have options. Otherwise,
if you can’t make it, we will see you next
semester!
We ask that
volunteers pay $10 to purchase the required uniform polo shift in order
to defray the cost to us.
Yes, our
volunteers are asked to follow the same dress code as employees, in
addition to wearing their respective volunteer polos. ID badges must be
worn at all times, above the waist. The polo may be paired with khaki
or dress pants/long capris or skirts that fall below the knee. No
denim, shorts, or open toed-shoes are allowed during volunteer
shifts.
At registration you will receive a printout with information pertaining to your area, contact liaison, and any special training needed. Before you begin your assignment, you'll receive training at orientation for general hospital protocols, safety, and infection control. Each area has a job description that outlines the duties and expectations. Once in your area, you will be given further details about your job duties; some have a separate training and others are on-the-job.
If you sat out a
semester because you did not meet the minimum required hours of
service, you must come in through walk-in registration. If you are in
good standing, have volunteered within the last year, and did not sit
out a semester because you failed to meet the minimum hour
requirements, you may register with returning volunteers through an
email process. An email from the student coordinator is sent a month or
two prior to the start of the new semester of
volunteering.
Yes, at each
registration period, emails are sent to returners who volunteered
within the past year to register for the coming
semester.
All volunteers, new and returning, MUST
have the flu vaccine in order to volunteer during flu season/spring semester
(January-April) . Emails and notices are sent in advance
informing students of when and how to turn in documentation of
vaccination.
Opportunities
Each job is described in
the College
Volunteer Opportunities
List. Some entail direct contact
with patients; others, serving behind the scenes; and still others,
assisting families and visitors and providing staff support. There are
some jobs that are more clerical or office-related in nature, but there
are also quite a few that will give you the opportunity to be more
“hands-on” with patients and healthcare providers. Read through the
jobs and see which ones might interest you.
Students who are not taking a
full course load and whose schedules do not change by the
semester can volunteer under the College or Adult Volunteer
guidelines.
If you are a
full-time graduate student and your schedule is going to change each
semester, it is best that you apply with the college group. If your
schedule will not be changing by the semester and you will be able to
volunteer for at least 6 months, you can apply as an adult
volunteer.
Generally, we
only allow new volunteers to work in one service area their first time
volunteering. During the summer, if you are a new volunteer, since we
have less students, we are better able to accommodate requests for more
than one area from new volunteers. If you are a returning
volunteer and if it works with the available spots and your schedule,
you are allowed to volunteer in more than one area/shift throughout the
year. Please make sure though that you have enough time to properly
commit to both jobs. Also, there may be times when it works for you and
for us to split your shift over two days and that is perfectly alright,
though not common.
We will try
our best to place you in an area that you are interested in, but
understand that with the restrictions of your availability, the number
of volunteers, and the spots available in certain areas (sometimes only
a handful), you may not always get your first choice (or even second).
We ask that you put at least three choices on your application so we
have a higher chance of getting you in a place you want. Sometimes the
most satisfying positions are the unexpected; we have many volunteers
who tried something that wasn’t on their list and ended up really
excited about it. Be open!
There are a
few areas that can use volunteers after 5:00pm and/or on weekends, but
the more flexible you can be the better. If you sign up for one of
those areas think about how realistic it would be for you to come at
night or on the weekends every week. Please check out the opportunities
list for
options.
Volunteer
Services does not arrange any shadowing. Interested parties must
contact Hospital Departments individually to set up shadow
experiences. Once a department agrees to work with a shadow
visitor, the visitor must fill out a confidentiality form and read the
guidelines. The site for
this can be found here.
