Medical Services
The Medical Services Program is an opportunity for volunteers to combine invaluable community service with their educational experience, through human contact and support. Volunteers assist staff, patients, and families at medical facilities in Charlottesville: U.Va. Health System, Charlottesville Free Clinic and Martha Jefferson Hospital.
Medical Services is a year long commitment, beginning in the fall.
If you have questions, please look at our FAQ section and our different Program Sites on this page.
2012-13 Sign-ups are closed. Please try back in the 2013-14 School Year!
SUMMER VOLUNTEERING: U.Va. Hospital Summer Volunteering is organized through the UVA Health System. Please go to www.uvahealth.com/volunteer if you are interested in volunteering over the summer in the UVa hospital. If you are interested in volunteering with the Free Clinic or with Martha Jefferson Hospital, please contact them directly.
Program Sites:
Acute Pediatrics
What Will the Volunteers Do?
Volunteers at the Acute Pediatrics Unit at the UVA Children’s Hospital work with the pediatric patients, ranging in age from six months to the early teens, and their families. Volunteers work with patients either in the preschool or in bedside visiting, and volunteers engage in a wide range of fun, age-appropriate activities with the children, including playing games, reading, helping with schoolwork, coloring, and assisting the nurse and staff as needed.
When?
Monday-Sunday; 9 am - 6 pm.
Cancer Center (ECCCC)
What Will the Volunteers Do?
In the Cancer Center, Madison House volunteers serve hot drinks, juices, pastries, and cookies to patients and their families during infusion treatments and in the waiting areas. Volunteers also escort patients through the large cancer center facility and in the radiation-oncology clinic.
When?
Monday-Saturday, Mornings and afternoons.
Cardiac Procedure Support
What Will Volunteers Do?
Volunteers assist in preparation for Cardiology and Angio-Interventional Radiology procedures in the Cardiovascular Transition Unit or Interventional Radiology Unit. They escort patients and families to various destinations on the unit; stock patient rooms with supplies; run many errands; answer phones; help with administrative tasks; assist nurses and techs with various tasks.
When?
Monday- Friday, 8-11am or 2-5pm
Charlottesville Free Dental Clinic
What Will the Volunteers Do?
Volunteers have an opportunity to seat patients, set up operation rooms and clean after each patient, assist dentists during teeth extractions, sterilize instruments, and much more!
When?
Monday-Thursday & Saturday, 8:30am-9pm
Charlottesville Free Clinic
What Will the Volunteers Do?
Volunteers at the CFC take on various tasks (front desk, work at the pharmacy, screen, exit interview) to assist in the facilitation of the Free Clinic and to help patients be seen more efficiently.
When?
Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday, 5-8pm
ED Clinic
What Will the Volunteers Do?
Volunteers spend a significant portion of their shifts completing hourly rounding (visiting patients, conversing, offering comfort measures, etc). In addition, volunteers stock supplies in various sections of the ED, assist nurses and staff with errands, and transport wheelchairs.
When?
Monday-Sunday, 9am-9pm
ED Patient Representatives
What Will the Volunteers Do?
Volunteers help coordinate services to families/friends of patients receiving care in the Emergency Waiting Room, act as their liaison with the medical staff, provide patient location information, and generally assist these visitors and patients in any non-medical way possible to make their wait less stressful.
When?
Monday-Sunday, 10am-10pm
Escort and Wayfinding
What Will the Volunteers Do?
Escort and wayfinding vounteers help patients and their family members find their way around the hospital. They also can transport patients by wheelchair if the patients cannot walk.
When?
Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm.
Family Medicine
What Will the Volunteers Do?
Volunteers help out (read/play) with children who are in the FM clinic, help guide patients to their destinations, stock rooms, help out in the residency office, and conduct exit interviews.
When?
Every weekday 9-12 and 1-4, except Tuesday which is 9-12 and 1:30-4:30.
Kluge Children's Rehabilitation Center Outpatient Pediatrics
What Will the Volunteers Do?
Physical/Occupational Therapy: Volunteers work one-on-one with patients and a physical or occupational therapist in daily therapy sessions, being the therapist's assistant during many activities. Occasionally, patients will attend a Social Skills or Yoga class that the volunteer can also lead and participate in. The best volunteers are those who are comfortable working in situations with disabled children and their families.
Times: Monday 2:30-5:30 pm, Wednesday 3:15-6:15 pm, Friday 2:30-5:30 pm
Speech Therapy/Feeding Program: Volunteers work one-on-one with a graduate student in speech therapy at KCRC to help children who are uncomfortable with food or have aversions to food. Many of these children have been on feeding tubes or other devices, which have limited their food intake and they need help adjusting to the textures and tastes of many foods. Volunteers will work with children playing games with food, creating recipes, and exploring textures.
Times: Tuesday 9:30 am - 12:30 pm, Thursday 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Welcome Greeter: Volunteers are needed to greet and talk to patients and their families upon arrival at KCRC for treatment. Volunteers should be personable and enjoy talking to families about various topics unrelated to medical treatment. This position is key to make KCRC a more enjoyable and welcoming place to come for children and their families.
Times: Monday 12:30-3:30 pm, Wednesday 10 am - 1 pm, Wednesday 1 pm - 4 pm, Friday 9 am - 12 pm
Martha Jeff Clinical Nutrition
What Will the Volunteers Do?
Volunteers will assist with taking orders, delivering orders, shadowing dieticians, collecting feedback on menus and service, as well as participating in special projects. There is high patient contact and prospective volunteers must be meticulous and detail oriented.
When?
Monday-Friday, 9:30AM-12:30PM, 2:30PM-5:30PM
Martha Jefferson Cornell 2
What Will the Volunteers Do?
This unit is primarily an oncology unit, having mostly geriatric patients. Volunteers will visit with patients, fulfill basic requests of patients, answer the call bell, interact with nurses and aids, stock supplies, make beds, transport patients to hospital entrance for discharge, take specimens to lab, and act as general support for nurses on the floor.
When?
Monday-Friday, 8am-8pm.
Martha Jefferson Emergency Department
What Will the Volunteers Do?
Volunteers are responsible for preparing rooms for new patients, transporting samples to the labs, transporting patients to the imaging department, and making patients' stay at Martha Jefferson as comfortable as possible.
When?
Monday-Sunday, 9am-9pm
Martha Jefferson OR
What Will the Volunteers Do?
We help the staff change over the rooms in between surgeries. It's mostly keeping track of the schedule, cleaning up from the previous surgery and prepping for the next one.
When?
Monday-Friday, 9am-7pm.
Medical Mosaic
What Will the Volunteers Do?
Gift Shop: Monday-Wednesday, 5pm-8pm, Saturday, 10am-1pm, Sunday, 10am-1pm and 1pm-4pm. Volunteers will provide customer service, operate cash register, process charge and EPIC (ID badge) transactions, stock and sell merchandise, price new inventory, fill balloons, make flower deliveries, take phone orders, and perform general cleaning/dusting.
Every Woman's Life - Cancer Center: Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning/afternoon. The volunteer will deliver mail to 4th floor mailroom located at the Cancer Center and pick up mail, answer telephone and direct calls or take messages, process requests to mail applications and file papers, shred materials left in the shredding box, and contact patients to determine if they need an application mailed.
Patient Relations Department: Very flexible 8am-5pm throughout the week. The volunteer will be reviewing 5 years of confidential patient cases and putting them in a standard order, removing items that are no longer needed.
Emergency Department (clinic volunteer and patient rep. volunteer): Patient rep. coverage 10am-10pm 7 days a week, clinic coverage 9am-9pm 7 days a week. Volunteers will engage in hourly comfort rounding with patients, visitor assistance, staff support, and wayfinding.
Outpatient Pharmacy: Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm. Volunteers will compound solutions, restock shelves, run errands, fill prescriptions (technicians only), put scripts in order, and cap medications. (preference for pre-pharmacy students).
MICU
What Will the Volunteers Do?
Volunteers in the MICU mostly assist the staff in a wide variety of administrative tasks including answering phones and call bells, filing and putting medical charts together, restocking medical supplies and being a runner to the pharmacy and blood bank.
When?
Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm.
Outpatient Pediatrics
What Will the Volunteers Do?
Aquatics Program:
Volunteers work one-on-one with patients afflicted with various muscular disabilities in an aquatic setting implementing hydrotherapy skills, teaching swimming techniques and stretching patients to increase motor ability.
PACE Program:
Volunteers work with patients afflicted with various developmental delays by playing innovative games that aid in muscular development and develop each athlete's self-esteem and confidence. Volunteers will help organize and implement structured activities in a non-competitive environment during the program that will promote: cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, balance and coordination, trunk stability, upper and lower body strength, muscular endurance, team spirit, and self esteem.
When?
Aquatics Programs: Volunteers work Monday through Friday at various times beginning at 10:00 AM and ending at 7:30 PM.
PACE: Volunteers work on Tuesdays from 4:00 - 6:00 PM.
Outpatient Surgery
What Will the Volunteers Do?
Volunteers make rounds between the waiting room and the post operational room, assisting nurses in bringing the family members to see the patients. They also introduce themselves to everyone in the waiting room, explain how the patient tracking system works, make patient charts, and help the front desk with other tasks.
When?
Monday-Friday, 6am-6pm.
Patient Ambassadors
What Will the Volunteers Do?
Patient Ambassadors volunteers visit all newly admitted patients at the hospital and make sure that they are aware of all of the services and amenities that the UVA hospital has to offer patients. Hospitality Rounds volunteers also simply spend time of at the bedsides of newly admitted patients who would like some company.
When?
Monday-Thursday, 2-8pm
Surgical Admission Suite (SAS)
What Will the Volunteers Do?
Volunteers make blue/white packs for the SAS staff containing a blanket, gown, cap, socks and plastic bag for incoming patients, in addition to blood packs. General volunteer duties also involve picking up and delivering blood items for the OR, assisting in bringing patients and family members up from the waiting room, making stretchers with clean linens, and assisting the nurses' desks with any administrative tasks!
When?
Monday-Friday, 7am-1pm
SISI
What Will the Volunteers Do?
SISI volunteers mediate the language barrier between UVA hospital doctors/nurses and Spanish-speaking patients. Volunteers attend a 3-hour shift once a week. During the shift, volunteers are assigned to about 2-4 specific appointments needing medical interpretation throughout various departments in the hospital. Volunteers also complete inpatient rounds, call patients to confirm appointments, and help translate documents for patients/doctors. This volunteer opportunity involves high patient contact and is a great way to get clinical experience. Spanish fluency is required.
When?
Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm
Surgical Supply and MERCI
What Will the Volunteers Do?
Surgical Supply: Supply operating rooms at UVa Hospital with tools and equipment needed for operations.
MERCI: Package unused medical supplies to be shipped to various clinics around Charlottesville and worldwide.
When?
Surgical Supply: Monday-Friday, 7am-4pm
MERCI: Thursday, 9am-4pm
TCV-PO and 4 West
What Will the Volunteers Do?
TCV-PO is an intensive care unit for patients who have just undergone heart or lung surgery and are still in critical condition. On this unit, volunteers assist staff in a wide variety of tasks including transferring blood work and drugs, answering phones, stocking supplies, and interacting with patients & their families. 4-West is a much larger unit directly adjacent to the TCV. Less critical patients reside in this unit and may be waiting to go to surgery or have just been transferred from TCV-PO. Volunteers respond to patient call bells, and assist the unit coordinator with administrative tasks.
When?
Monday-Sunday 9am-3pm
Transitional Care Unit
What will the volunteers do?
Volunteers will be working as Friendly Visitors and HUC Volunteers. In the Friendly Visitor role, volunteers will provide support to patients and families during their long-term stay at TCH. Roles include companionship, reading to patients, and running errands for patients. In the HUC Volunteer role, volunteers will serve as assistants to the HUCs and help with chores on the unit such as paperwork, answering phones, and restocking. Both roles require infection control training and wheel chair training. All patients at TCH are on Contact Isolation, therefore all volunteers completed the Hepatitis B vaccination series, are trained as Level C volunteers, and wear isolation gowns and gloves as required for contact precautions.
When?
7 days a week
HUC Role: mornings
Friendly Visitor Role: afternoons/evenings
UVa CARE
What Will the Volunteers Do?
The University of Virginia Center for Addiction Research and Education (UVa CARE) conducts research on nicotine, alcohol, and cocaine abuse. Volunteer responsibilities include data entry, screening patients, and assisting UVa CARE staff with other activities.
When?
Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm.
UVa Dental
What Will the Volunteers Do?
Volunteers are able to viewdental procedures (with patient permission), escort patients to exam rooms,stock dental supplies, and assist the front desk staff as needed. Volunteersshould be able to independently circulate within the clinic and communicateeffectively with staff and patients. Scrubs are provided and must be wornduring each shift. Tennis shoes should be worn for each shift as well.
When?
Monday-Friday, 9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm.