The role of volunteer work in the healthcare industry is to take on. While nurses are in the business of caring, many often choose to volunteer with organizations to help support their cause. Healthcare volunteer work allows nurses new and old to use their knowledge and skills in unique ways to keep them sharp and fresh.
Healthcare staff is at high risk for work burnout. When staff feels as if they are incapable of fulfilling their work duties, patients may suffer.
Nurses feel compelled to branch out and help that outside of the workforce. New nurses doing volunteer work boost their experience and knowledge, as well as improve their chances of admission. Volunteer work has proven to improve the quality of patient care and satisfaction. This reduces the anxiety for the families and increases patient satisfaction. Regardless of the type of activities you perform, there are many benefits to healthcare volunteer work.
The Benefits Of Volunteering as a Healthcare Worker
Volunteering in the healthcare industry is rewarding for many reasons. When you volunteer, you’re improving the community and enacting positive change. Healthcare students will gain and learn new knowledge and experience. Volunteering also broadens your networking opportunities, allowing you to find better jobs in the future.
You will get to work with a diverse workforce, and meet people from all around the globe. Working with patients of different cultural and religious backgrounds is important for healthcare professionals to provide Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS). CLAS improves health equality and creates positive outcomes for patient care. Experience another culture, understand it better, relate it to your own, and broaden your horizons.
When you volunteer, you also benefit physically and emotionally from the service you perform. Volunteering can help to combat depression, decrease chronic pain, lessen the symptoms of heart disease, and may help to renew creativity. Those who volunteer have lower mortality rates and better overall health than people who don’t volunteer.
For those new to the healthcare field, volunteering allows you to test the waters. From what you can observe as a volunteer, you’ll find new passions and interests at the start of your career and might want to go on to do even bigger things in the healthcare industry.
How Can I Volunteer As A Nurse, And Where Do I Find These Opportunities?
You may think volunteering plays a simple small role within healthcare, but in reality, you can contribute so much and leave a large impact on communities across the globe.
One of the largest volunteering organizations, the American Red Cross, allows nurses to take on the big leadership role within the organization. They can assist in blood drives, and help provide food, shelter, and other medical services. They can teach CPR, and assist with fundraising. The American Red Cross works abroad, working in communities to help improve and save lives.
Other organizations such as Project Hope, and Doctors Without Borders are large organizations that nurses can get themselves involved in. With their numerous projects around the globe, these organizations strive to help those in need of disaster relief, emergency care, rehabilitation, maternal care, and even mental healthcare.
You may find a chance to volunteer at homeless shelters, or even animal shelters. The number of possibilities is endless when it comes to volunteering in the healthcare field. Whether you want to help your community or build your career, you’re making a huge positive impact on your community and many other communities. An excellent place to start is VolunteerMatch. VolunteerMatch helps narrow down volunteering choices based on the nurse's interests as well as the desired location. Volunteering is extremely rewarding and benefits both the charitable organization and the nurse.
