One of the easiest, fastest, and most innovative ways to enter nursing is to join a volunteer program. Those who do this not only get the necessary experience that they can use later in their career, but they also become part of a valuable network that will be useful during their training and when they are looking for employment afterward.
Medical volunteerism has a long history. It goes back to the 12th century when volunteers manned more than 500 hospitals in Britain. Most people did it because they believed their good works would bring them closer to God, and they worked in hospitals run and maintained by churches and abbeys.
The practice peaked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when women in many parts of Europe offered their services to help wounded soldiers. This period saw the establishment of some of the most prominent volunteer organizations today, including the Red Cross, the YMCA, and the Rotary Club.
Numerous organizations use the services of medical volunteers across the world. Apart from meeting specific age requirements and having a high school education, most don’t require many qualifications. As long as the individual is older than 18, has a high school diploma, and is willing to offer their time to help the sick, they are welcome to apply.
Why is volunteerism important for those who want to become nurses?
For those planning to enter a nursing career, becoming a volunteer is an excellent way to get started. Most institutions favor applicants with this type of experience, and it also becomes easier to get employment after completing their training.
One way to transition from volunteering to nursing is to enroll in online nursing programs for non nurses, such as the program offered at Wilkes University. For example, the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) only requires applicants to have a bachelor’s degree with a 3.0 GPA, a statement of professional goals, letters of recommendation and several prerequisite courses. The program covers nursing principles, behavioral health, and preparation for nursing practice. Students also learn about adult health, informatics, and care across the lifespan. By the time they qualify, they are prepared to conduct holistic patient evaluations, provide evidence-based care, and understand acute and chronic patient care needs.
What are the benefits of medical volunteering?
There are many reasons why people choose to become nurse volunteers. Some feel compelled to offer their services because they want to help within their communities, work with the sick and restore them to wellness.
Many volunteers travel abroad to help communities impacted by war or natural disasters or with poor health systems that lack adequate staff.
Some people volunteer to understand better how nurses work and gain some essential experience, while others do it to see whether nursing is the right career for them.
The benefits of volunteering can be classified into two broad categories: benefits to the organization and the patient and benefits to the volunteers themselves.
Benefits for the organization and patients
Apart from filling staffing gaps, volunteers benefit institutions and patients in several different ways.
They provide comfort and companionship to patients
Most people who become volunteers don’t have any nursing experience, so they cannot provide medical care. However, institutions use them to provide comfort and companionship to patients, visiting with them as they recover, talking with them and encouraging them.
Many studies have shown that patients who have a positive state of mind tend to heal faster than those who feel despondent and lonely. By helping patients heal faster, institutions can keep down costs, and patients can return home sooner.
Many volunteers are given a list of patients who they visit every day. Their job is to get to know more about them, talk about their life circumstances and their illness, and encourage them.
Volunteers are often taken through a short training course when they sign up, where they learn the basic skills that are necessary to provide comfort and support. They are taught about communication, how to listen to patients, and how to be empathetic, offering comfort to patients and encouraging them to be positive.
They provide support to patients and caregivers
Many medical institutions cannot afford to pay enough support staff, and volunteers’ step in to fill the gaps. They can provide basic support, such as washing and moving patients, taking round meals, and doing other basic chores that are necessary to ensure that a hospital runs efficiently.
Volunteers also provide support to hospital caregivers, and they are on hand to perform any tasks the caregivers ask of them. This is an important part of volunteering because it provides participants with a chance to see qualified medics at work. They can pick up the basics of simple medical procedures, and by the time they enroll in a nursing course such as the ABSN at Wilkes University, they have some background knowledge.
It isn’t just medical knowledge that volunteers gather though. Many are enrolled into logistical roles where they are required to perform tasks such as data entry, sourcing of hospital equipment and supplies, organization, or timetables, or even greeting patients and overseeing waiting areas.
While these may not seem like important tasks for someone who aspires to become a nurse, they provide critical knowledge of how hospitals work. Also, by taking over basic tasks, they allow caregivers to spend more time with patients, and this keeps the cost of treatment low – patients heal faster and use up fewer hospital resources.
They help reduce the cost of providing medical care
Many medical institutions and health organizations recruit volunteers because it is one way to keep operational costs low. Big inner-city hospitals, for example, have hundreds of patients in their wards at any one time, and if they were to recruit paid staff to carry out all the necessary tasks, they would soon run out of money.
Organizations such as the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières also recruit volunteers because they rely on donations and must watch their budgets carefully. Recruiting volunteers allows them to keep operations running smoothly at lower costs, and they can provide medical assistance to more people.
This isn’t to say that volunteers aren’t paid at all. In many hospitals and medical institutions, they are provided with a basic stipend that takes care of their transportation and maybe a couple of meals every day.
Those working overseas are provided with enough money to pay for accommodation and basic living needs. However, anything they receive is just a fraction of what they would be paid if they were professional medics.
Volunteers help identify individuals who can be trained and recruited once qualified
Within many organizations, volunteers are a good place to tap for talent. They are familiar with how things are done and understand how doctors and nurses work together to provide healthcare.
It is easier and cheaper to hire from the volunteer pool because they don’t need training and orientation, and they can get to work as soon as they complete their training.
Within many institutions, there are funds set aside to pay for tuition for volunteers who excel. They are allowed to select a course that matches the institution’s staffing needs, and once they complete their education, they are recruited as full-time employees with remuneration and benefits.
These individuals do not require a training and transition period because they know how the organization works. They can report to work and immediately begin working with patients.
Benefits for the volunteer
As mentioned previously, medical volunteering is a smart and efficient way to get into the medical profession. It provides key insights into how institutions work, and those who end up becoming nurses can rely on the knowledge they gained as volunteers to navigate their careers.
There are other reasons why many people choose medical volunteering.
It provides a sense of fulfillment
Not all volunteers are young people who are looking for a career in the medical field. Some are mature individuals who have time on their hands and are keen to contribute their services to those in need.
Volunteering gives them a sense of fulfillment, and they can express empathy and show compassion. This can be especially useful for older individuals who have retired. Rather than stay at home with not much to do, they have something to do every day. It helps them live an active lifestyle, slows down aging, and keeps them mentally acute.
It is a good way to develop problem-solving skills
Those who are looking to become better problem solvers can volunteer within a hospital or medical organization because these environments require constant problem-solving. Decisions must be made quickly, and they have to be sound ones.
Even in an assistive role, volunteers are constantly required to act quickly, and everything they do has to consider the wellbeing of the patient and the institution.
Over time, they become excellent problem solvers, and if they choose to go into nursing as a career, the transition is relatively easy.
It promotes personal growth
Those who want to reflect upon their lives, and become more empathetic, stronger, and more resilient, can choose to volunteer. It is a good time for realignment, self-assessment, and self-improvement.
As they assist patients and caregivers, they learn more about their own strengths and weaknesses, and they see how others cope with challenges. Whatever they learn helps them become more self-aware, and they can use it to take their lives and careers in a new direction.
It is a chance to learn new skills
Becoming a volunteer is a great way to learn the basics of nursing. Those who sign up learn aspects of healthcare such as CPR and other basic life-saving procedures that are useful wherever they go.
Volunteering is also a good way to learn about organizational functions. By understanding how different departments interact and their contributions to the organization, it becomes easier to assimilate when they enter similar organizations.
It is a good chance to connect with others and build lasting relationships
Volunteering is an excellent chance to connect with other people. When volunteers are sent abroad, for example, they learn about new cultures, how people live in different parts of the world, and new ways of doing things. This is useful knowledge, especially for those who would like to practice medicine outside the US.
How do you become a volunteer?
There are many ways to get into volunteering. One way is to simply walk into a healthcare institution and speak to the administrators. It helps to know exactly why you would like to get into this line of work, and the better you can explain yourself, the easier it is to join the team.
International organizations are always looking for volunteers. They advertise online and in magazines and newspapers. Some may have a few basic requirements of volunteers, but these are not hard to meet. Many, for example, will require knowledge of a second language, a valid passport, and that you are 18 years or older.
Word of mouth is a good way to hear about volunteering opportunities. If you know anyone who works in a medical institution, talk to them about offering your services, and let them know that you don’t expect much – just a stipend to keep you going.
Some schools have volunteer programs where they coordinate with institutions to recruit students who are willing to work a few hours a day. It gives their students a chance to gain some real-life experience within a medical institution. Some students can transition directly from their courses into the institutions where they volunteered.
Becoming a medical volunteer has many benefits
There are many benefits to becoming a medical volunteer. Those who do volunteer help patients and caregivers and learn important skills along the way. It is also a great way to prepare for a career in nursing and other medical specialties. Why not investigate becoming a medical volunteer today?
