High School Volunteer FAQ
General Questions
Registration Questions
Requirements and Process
Opportunities
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. Our mailing address is Department of
Volunteer Services, 101 Manning Dr., Chapel Hill, NC.
27514.
Applicants need
to complete all of the following steps on our Application and Process website
in order to volunteer at UNC Health Care. Please note that the
steps needed to become a volunteer are listed in the order that they
must be completed.
The junior
volunteer program is open to high school students ages 14-18 that are
enrolled in the 9th grade or higher (NOT rising
9th graders).
For the academic
semesters, you must be committed to volunteering 1.5-2 hours a week
during the fall and/or spring semesters. For the summer session, you
must volunteer 7 out of the 9 weeks the session runs and complete a
minimum of 45 hours to remain in good standing.
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 to get the most out of your
volunteering experience. We also only offer orientation once at
beginning of the semester, which is mandatory before you may volunteer.
Because of the time and cost it takes to register/train volunteers,
commitments are long-term (for at least a semester/summer
session).
Volunteers commit to complete a minimum
number of hours each semester (1.5-2 in the academic year and 45 in the
summer) and to be prompt, courteous, and in good attendance each week
for the duration of the semester; you are not expected to work over
certain 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
-
Making new friends and developing job
skills
-
Opportunity to work in the
medical/healthcare field
-
Appreciation gifts and
events
-
Snack pass
-
Various discounts for movie tickets or
other entertainment
-
Scholarship opportunities for
seniors
High school
volunteers may park in the hospital parking deck and will be reimbursed
for the parking fee for the time they are volunteering.
I am graduating from
High School, should I be in the High School Volunteer Program or
College Program over the summer?
Graduating
Seniors are placed in the High School Program because the College
Summer Program begins before High School students finish school for the
year.
Registration Questions
For
the summer session: applications for new volunteers are accepted from
early January to early March, with rolling interviews in April, and
orientation the beginning of June. Be sure to check the main page for High School
Volunteers for exact deadlines and dates. For the academic
year, there are very limited spots available, but please check the
website for application information around July for the fall semester
and contact the volunteer office at 919-966-4793 in Nov. or Dec. about
the spring semester.
Applications and required forms (including
references) can be found on our website linked from
here. Be sure to double check the “check list” before turning in
your application.
Yes!
Mail your completed application including the Application,
Questionnaire and Reference Form to UNC Health Care, Volunteer
Services, 101 Manning Dr., Chapel Hill, NC 27514.
The
TB test is required of all volunteers before they may begin
volunteering. Once you are asked to come in for an interview, you will
need to get the test done and read (it will take 48 hours) and bring
the results with you either to your interview or, at the latest, your
first day of volunteering.
Yes,
proof of BCG Vaccine is not sufficient. Applicants must have a TB test
result or a chest X-ray within the past few years.
Requirements and Process
The dates are listed on our
website so you can plan ahead and arrange your schedule to be there. It
is important that you attend an orientation before you can begin
volunteering. If you know well in advance and tell us that you will not
be able to make a student orientation for a serious reason, we might be
able to work with you to attend an adult orientation.
We
ask that volunteers pay $10 to purchase the required uniform polo shirt
to help defray the costs to the Hospital. That is the only expense to
you.
Yes.
There is a required uniform polo shirt which you purchase in our office
for $10. Additionally, junior volunteers must wear khaki pants or
skirt longer than knee length and closed-toed shoes.
What about
training?
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.
This
is a popular program, and there are limited spaces available. The
interview gives us an opportunity to meet each other and for you to see
the medical center environment. It might help you decide if this
is the right place for you to volunteer, and we can be assured that we
are accepting students who will be well-suited and committed to the
program. Unfortunately, not everyone will be called in for an interview
due to the amount of applications we receive. If you don’t receive an
interview or position, we encourage you to reapply the next
term.
You need to make sure you are
available for at least 7 out of the 9 weeks during the summer session.
We expect a commitment for at least seven weeks in the summer session.
If you are planning a family vacation, trip to the beach, sports camp,
etc. that will not allow you to meet your obligation, please apply to
volunteer when you are able to make this commitment.
Yes,
Orientation is when we will go over important safety information and
policies and procedures that apply to all volunteers. You
will not be allowed to participate in the program if you do not attend
Orientation. It is a mandatory requirement of the Joint Commission of
Healthcare.
Opportunities
Although High School Volunteers are not given
the option of choosing which position they would like to have, there
are several areas available. The Volunteer Services staff will place
you in the position that we believe will best suit your interests and
also the needs of the service area. Some of our positions include: Gift
shop, Central Distribution, Info Desk, and Flowers and Mail
Delivery.
For new volunteers, we are unable to assign
more than 1 volunteer day (job). This allows us to let as many
interested young volunteers experience the hospital setting. For some
returning volunteers, if there is availability, we will make every
effort to place you in more than one position.
We will try our best to place you in an area
that you are interested in and hope that you are open to helping us out
where we need it most. While the position is assigned, we will take
into consideration your interests and preferences.
Our time frames are as follows: One day a week
(Monday-Friday) to volunteer with very limited weekend
opportunities.
- Academic Year Volunteers: Immediately after school until 6 pm.
- Summer Volunteers: Between the hours of 9 am and 4 pm.
Volunteer Services does not arrange
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 shadow guidelines. Forms and
guidelines can be found
here.
