Volunteering at UW Medicine

Thank you for your interest in the UW Medical Center Volunteer Program. Since 1959, University of Washington Medical Center patients, families, guests and staff have benefited tremendously from the commitment of community members and individuals who volunteer at the UW Medical Center.

Volunteers add to the quality of care and service provided to our patients by supporting our "UW Medicine Patients Are First" culture and providing more than 60,000 hours of service each year in more than 70 roles throughout UW Medical Center and UW Medical Center - Roosevelt Clinics.

Opportunities are available in a variety of nursing units, specialty care areas, physical therapy, surgical services, outpatient clinics, and in frontline customer service roles. These positions are available on an as-needed, as-available basis. Volunteers are required to complete a one-month term (16 hours of service) pre-requisite as a patient escort before they are eligible for new assignments.

Patient Escorts

Be a part of our highly regarded team who transport, greet and welcome visitors and patients to UW Medical Center. Our patient escort volunteers are stationed in the dispatch area and work directly with resource team and patient transport staff to assist with the following tasks: Level Green wheelchair transport, specimen deliveries, wheelchair rounding, patient discharges, delivering patient flowers and mail, and creating a warm and welcoming environment for our patients and visitors.

Volunteers receive training on safe wheelchair handling and patient transport, customer service and patient confidentiality. The escort role provides volunteers with an opportunity to work directly with patients while also experiencing the hospital environment in a leading regional and metropolitan acute care facility. In these roles, volunteers become familiar with the diversity of care and services provided at the hospital while experiencing the highest level of patient contact of any volunteer position offered at UW Medical Center. This role provides excellent baseline training to prepare volunteers for other patient care volunteer opportunities.

Retired Adult Volunteers

Work closely with patients and families at the Information Desk, or the Surgery Waiting Room, or volunteer for a variety of tasks, among other positions. Call our volunteer manager, Cynnie Foss, at 206.598.4453 or fossc@uw.edu to discuss assignment possibilities.

Summer Teen Program

The program is currently closed. Please check back here for information about applying to the 2019 Summer Teen Program.

Thank you for your interest in the UW Medical Center Volunteer Program.  To get started, please complete our volunteer application (Step 1).

Once you have submitted the application (Step 1) you will receive a receipt confirmation email and then another email with links to two more required forms that you must print and complete (Step 2).

Your application will not be considered complete until we receive these two completed additional forms: Washington State Patrol Background Check and the Reference Form. Once these two items are received in our office, your application will be reviewed. Please remember that completion of an application does not guarantee placement in our program.

If you have any questions, please contact the UW Medical Center Volunteer Services office at 206.598.4218.

Volunteer application

Main phone: 206.598.4218 
Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday 
Room NN-303

Address 
University of Washington Medical Center 
c/o Volunteer Services 
1959 NE Pacific St. 
Box 356144 
Seattle, WA 98195

Adult/College Program: All applicants must be 18 or over and a high school graduate.  All eligible volunteers must complete an application, attend an interview, be screened by Employee Health and comply with all required immunizations, and complete all required training, both written and practical.   Volunteers are required to make a minimum commitment of four hours per week for three months.

Summer Teen Program: This is a summer only program that provides exposure to healthcare careers and service for our community high school students.

Please note: Our volunteer program does not accommodate job shadowing, internships, court ordered service, or job training programs.​ In addition, our program is not intended for those with medical training above a CNA.

Current and new volunteers must review the Annual Refresher Training Objectives and the UW Medicine Privacy, Confidentiality, and Information Security Agreement on an annual basis.

Learn more

Discover the answers to common questions asked about volunteering at UW Medical Center.

Learn more

Have you ever had to wait while a loved one has surgery? Then you know how comforting it is to have a volunteer keep you company in the waiting room. Have you ever gotten lost on your way to treatment or another area of the hospital? Then you know what a relief it is to see the friendly face of a volunteer who took the time to take you where you were going. Have you ever been hospitalized? Then you know how uplifting it is when a volunteer comes by with magazines, flowers or just a hello. 

Every day, everywhere in the hospital, volunteers add to the caring environment at Northwest Hospital, helping patients and their families at a stressful and sometimes frightening time in their lives. By volunteering your time, you help give back to your community and make Northwest Hospital a friendlier, more welcoming place to everyone who steps foot on our campus.

More than 150 active volunteers of all ages perform a wide variety of tasks at the hospital. For example, volunteers work in the hospital’s gift shop, bring the library cart to patients’ rooms, escort discharged patients and provide information and comfort to families of inpatients and those undergoing surgery. In fact, volunteers can be found in departments throughout the hospital.

While most volunteers work during the weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., some volunteers choose to work evenings and weekends.

Volunteering at Northwest Hospital & Medical Center requires a good match between a person’s interests and talents and the work available to volunteers at the hospital. While a match is usually a simple process, occasionally it is not possible. We schedule an interview with prospective volunteers to learn about specific volunteer opportunities available. 

You will be asked to complete a Volunteer Application and a request form for a Washington State Patrol Criminal Background Check, which is submitted by Northwest Hospital. You may also be asked to attend a second interview with a prospective department supervisor. Once an acceptable match is made, the new volunteer is scheduled to attend training.

VOLUNTEER APPLICATION

To schedule an interview to become a volunteer, call the Volunteer Office at 206.668.1822 or email arnoldb@uw.edu.

Adults and teens (15 years or older) are encouraged to volunteer at Northwest Hospital & Medical Center. We ask that volunteers be willing to work three to four hours per week for a minimum of four months.

All new volunteers must attend a volunteer orientation. This will help familiarize new volunteers with the policies and procedures that govern volunteers at Northwest Hospital & Medical Center. In addition, volunteers receive specialized training within their specific departments. Volunteers also receive ongoing support from other staff members.