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Volunteer Opportunities

 

  • Child Life - Play with children under the direction of a child life specialist.  Please Note:  We are not taking Child Life applications at this time.
  • Clerical - Perform clerical duties within various departments
  • Clinical Nutrition - Assist with the completion and collection of patients' menus
  • Emergency Room - Run errands
  • Escort - Escort visitors and ambulatory patients
  • Flower Cart - Deliver flowers to patients
  • Gift Shop - Sell merchandise to patients, staff, and visitors
  • Information Desk - Greet and direct visitors
  • Mail Services - Sort and deliver patient mail
  • Outpatient Services - Run errands in the outpatient clinic areas
  • Pastoral Services - Visit with patients under the direction of the Chaplain
  • Patient Care Evaluation - Conduct Patient Surveys
  • Pet Therapy - Dogs must be certified through K-PETS. (There are no openings for this volunteer opportunity at this time)
  • Ronald McDonald Family Room Host - Assist families in the Children's Hospital
  • Special Projects - Miscellaneous assistance with different projects
  • Therapy - Assist therapist in Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy
  • Tour Guide - Conduct tours of Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
  • Waiting Room Host - Support families in the various waiting areas

Volunteers are an integral component of the Child Life program of Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. They assist the Child Life Specialists by providing age-appropriate recreational activities to hospitalized children and teens. Many of our pediatric patients are facing life threatening illnesses and critical situations. Often these children spend a lot of time in the hospital. Because of this, consistent caregivers are an essential part of treatment. The following guidelines have been established to ensure our commitment:

 

  • Volunteers must provide a copy of their Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance report before they are interviewed for any available Child Life assignments. Instructions for completing the form, and the on-line form, are available at the link, above.
  • Volunteers must commit to at least 6 months or 1 semester of college. Many of our volunteers choose to stay much longer!
  • Volunteers must be able to commit to the same day and time period each week.
  • Volunteer opportunities in Child Life:
    • Daily 8:30a.m. to 12:30p.m.
    • Monday through Friday 1:00p.m. to 4:00p.m.
    • Monday through Friday, 6:00p.m. to 9:00p.m.
    • Outpatient Specialty Area
      • Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 9:00a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12noon to 2:30p.m.



If you are interested and able to commit to the above guidelines, please submit our volunteer application.

An orientation is mandatory.

Please contact us by calling 717-531-8278 at the Volunteer Office for more information.

Two interviews will be scheduled after the orientation. The first interview will be with the Manager of Volunteer Services and the second interview will be with one of our Child Life Specialist. This is a very popular volunteer assignment and positions are not always available. Please understand that our priority must always be the needs of our pediatric patients.

Certificates are awarded for the service you provide to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and our patients after 32 hours of service are completed.

 

  • Our program consists of an eight-week commitment during the summer only.
  • Each teen will be scheduled for one four-hour shift per week, unless additional hours are requested by the volunteer.
  • Our program does not include volunteering during the school year.
  • Teens must be 14 years old or older to participate in our program.
  • An interview for acceptance and placement will be scheduled after orientation. A parent or legal guardian must be present to sign documentation of understanding and consent.

 If you are a returning teen you do not have to attend orientation but TB testing is mandatory. Please contact the Volunteer Office at 717-531-8278 to let us know you are returning.