Hospital volunteering

<p>Does anyone know what kind of work you do if you volunteer at a hospital as a high school student?</p>

<p>I volunteer at Georgetown University Hospital in DC. So far I've worked in two inpatient units (medicine and neuroscience) answering the phone, answering patients' call bells and helping with any requests that aren't off-limits (like bringing water or a blanket), taking patients in wheelchairs down to be discharged, to tests or appointments, or between units, distributing dinner trays, feeding patients who can't feed themselves, talking to them and asking how they're feeling, and so on (some patients have been there for months, and a lot of the time they're happy just to have someone to talk to). I've also worked at the information desk answering questions, looking up patients in the census and directing family members to their rooms, delivering gifts and other items to patients' rooms, taking patients in wheelchairs to wherever they need to go, answering the phone, and distributing parking validation stickers. Some days there is more downtime than others, and when that happens I feel pretty useless (I usually bring a book, just in case), but overall I've found it to be an incredibly rewarding experience.</p>

<p>i volunteered at Inova Fairfax Hospital, and did pretty much all that cameliasinensis did.</p>

<p>there are so many jobs you can do. i work in the neonatal intensive care unit/birth center. i fold towels, pillow cases, baby clothes, washclothes, blankets, etc. stocked the cribs in patients' rooms, made files, sticker things (i don't recomend putting the stickers on your arm so that you don't have to keep pulling them off the sheet; they rip arm hair out), make a lot of trips to the pharmacy downstairs, go to send messages in the tube system (my fave thing to do cuz the tube just gets sucked up), and just do w/e the nurses wanted (i've even gotten them lunch and coffee). they love me. apparently a lot of old women work in my unit, and they work at about 1/4 my pace. so in two hours i complete what they do in 8.</p>