Emily Luo

Senior Emily Luo snapping a picture of her uniform before volunteering

As volunteering during high school becomes more popular than ever, a hands-on type of volunteering is expanding the horizons of Mounds View students. Hospital volunteering allows students to learn about the medical field, gain experience and build a medical field resume. 

Many students see hospital volunteering as an opportunity to explore the healthcare industry and learn about the medical field. “I decided to start doing it because I knew I wanted to look into medicine… I thought that it would be a good opportunity to familiarize myself with hospital environments,” said senior Lucas Brady. He started working his sophomore year and since then has amassed over 150 hours volunteering. Other volunteers have dedicated similar or more hours, with senior Emily Luo having volunteered for over 275 hours. 

Some students use it to get a headstart into their chosen profession. “I’m going to be a nursing major next year, so I kind of wanted to familiarize myself with the hospital setting and stuff like that,” said senior Rachel Durand. Volunteering at a hospital prepares students for future careers in the medical field and gives them an opportunity to discover a passion for working in a hospital setting. 

Students can make a difference through the hands-on experience of volunteering in a hospital right now, especially in a career where higher education can take up to a decade. “Realistically, I could go to medical school and study to tell people what to do, but I want to have a job where I feel like I’m making a difference,” said Brady. 

Students get to see the influence they can have on patients, which can be really rewarding. “I would definitely say [seeing] the impact that [volunteering] has on other people and the ways that I can connect with so many different people [has most influenced me to follow nursing],” said senior Lucy Krzmarzick. “I think the most I’ve helped [was] over 100 people within four hours. So being able to have that big of an impact at a hospital, even just as a volunteer, was very inspiring.” 

At United Hospital in St. Paul, there are a few different kinds of departments students volunteer in. “[I have been] an emergency department volunteer, a main lobby volunteer or a cancer clinic volunteer,” said Luo. Other roles include escorting patients, working in the office and helping in the physical therapy department. At Regions Hospital, where Durand and Brady volunteer, students can find even more opportunities in the medical volunteering field, like in the family birthing center, burn center and pathology lab.

The abundance of roles present in hospital volunteering makes it easier for students to specialize their volunteering experience, leading to many opportunities and new experiences. However, generally, hospital volunteers assist in tasks outside of direct patient care, like helping out in the main lobby and creating a comfortable environment for the patients and families that walk through the doors. “When the people who are actually working [there have] to focus on treating the patients, I can make sure they have all the supplies they need, make it more hospitable and make sure the environment of the waiting room is good… So it just makes a better experience for the people there,” said senior Shreeya Pavani.  

More specifically, volunteers get a chance to form lasting relationships which can help patients going through a hard time. “There’s a woman I worked with for like, five months. She came in consistently every Sunday for chemo, so I was able to form a relationship with her, and be able to check up on her every Sunday, even as a volunteer, and even though my job was as simple as just bringing her up to where she needed to go, I felt like I actually could make a difference with her for treatment,” said Krzmarzick. These interactions not only enhance the patient’s treatment, but also lighten the burden of healthcare workers.

While assisting healthcare workers on the floor and carrying out tasks, the hospital floor can become very hectic. “Sometimes you’ll be swamped—the only volunteer doing everything. It’s low-key really fun, better than just waiting for something to happen,” said Luo. The hospital workplace can be exhilarating and even chaotic at times, but can be equally as supportive. “All of the healthcare staff that I’ve worked with are all super helpful, the community uplifts you, and if I need help with anything, I can go up to any nurse, ask them, and they’ll be welcoming,” she said. Building strong relationships among staff, patients and families is an important part of a hospital’s functionality.

Being a volunteer does not exempt these students from the harrowing and high-pressure situations. “Someone got shot and they were brought in through an ambulance. It was a super busy day, a bunch of cops were there, they were talking to the person as the doctors were trying to work on them. It was really crazy,” said Pavani. The skills and background that these volunteers get is authentic to the work and situations that nurses and doctors face. Brady shared a story about a woman in labor, where he pushed her up to the maternity ward himself, proving to be a high stress situation. 

Similarly, Krzmarzick has a story about a mother who gave birth in the hospital parking lot. She also has faced other stressful situations, having to act quickly. “I was helping transport a patient after he was having some sort of — I want to say — chemotherapy… He was on blood thinners, but they didn’t know. And then when he was exiting the hospital, there was blood everywhere. So that was a quick trip to the ER,” she said.

Between dealing with high pressure situations and the more everyday activities of directing patients and visitors, volunteers also give the hospital a spark of life. Durand says that she sometimes gets to deliver gifts or flowers that people drop off for hospital patients. Brady uses his musical talents to make the sometimes dispiriting environment of the hospital more welcoming and uplifting. “Since I play the piano, whenever I have time I will play in the atrium for visitors,” said Brady. These hospitality roles are only a small part of what hospital volunteers can do to serve their community. 

 From building relationships and gaining experience to meeting new people and exploring the medical field, hospital volunteering offers stellar opportunities for students. With such determination and enthusiasm, the future of hospital volunteering continues to thrive.