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.

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

Please contact Volunteer Services at uwmcvol@uw.edu to inquire about upcoming opportunities.

Summer Teen Program

The 2025 UW Medical Center Summer Teen Volunteer Program is now open for applications.

The 2025 Summer Teen Volunteer Program takes place July-August/early September . The program is open to teenagers aged 16 through 18, who have not yet graduated from high school. Teenagers who participate in the program build leadership, teamwork and customer service skills and gain valuable exposure to the hospital environment in a nationally recognized academic medical center. 

Summer Teen Volunteers greet and direct visitors, transport patients in wheelchairs, deliver specimens to the lab, deliver flowers and mail to patients, round up wheelchairs, and assist staff with special projects.

Due to the critical healthcare environment at UW Medical Center, candidates for this program must be mature, reliable, self-directed, motivated, confident, approachable, emotionally intelligent, and able to work independently. They must also demonstrate excellent customer service and communication skills and be comfortable working with diverse populations.

2025 Program Deadlines

Our application process contains layers of items that are due. All items must be completed and submitted by April 4th at 11:59pm. Please make sure all application materials are submitted by this deadline. No exceptions. 

To be considered for the program, all applications must be complete. The applicant must meet the age requirements, and all required documents must be received by the stated deadline. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Everything is required to be turned in electronically by April 4th at 11:59pm.

Step 1: Complete the online application 
The application is available online and will be delivered to us electronically upon submission. There are required written responses in this application, so please allow yourself time to complete it once you start it. You will not be able to save it and return back to it to complete it. Once the application is submitted you will receive automated email instructions with subsequent requirements that are due by the deadline.

Step 2: Turn in the Reference Form and Background Check 
In the automated email mentioned above there are two additional forms that are required to make your application complete. Applications will not be considered complete until these forms are received electronically via email on or before the deadline on April 4th by 11:59pm. These forms must be received TOGETHER, not separately.

All applications must be received by 11:59pm on April 4th. 

Please Note the Following:

• There are a limited number of positions available; an application does not guarantee placement in the program. We usually get four to six times as many applications than there are available placements. Priority placement will be given to Returning Summer Teen Volunteers and applicants that live in the immediate Seattle area.
• Participation in this volunteer program will not give you any preference for admission to the UW. If you live farther away than the immediate Seattle area, volunteering at your local hospital will provide you with the same level of experience and admission consideration as volunteering at UWMC.
• If you are 18 years old and graduating high school in June 2024, you can apply for summer volunteering as an adult volunteer after graduation.

Returning Summer Teen Volunteers

Please complete the new online application. Under 'Demographic Information' returning Summer Teen Volunteers can select 'Yes' that you are a returning volunteer.

Returning Summer Teen Volunteers DO NOT have to complete another reference form or background check. Please ignore the email that asks you to submit these two documents (it is sent automatically to any new applicant). All returning volunteers will receive instructions in a few weeks that will tell you what your next steps are. Returning Volunteers also need to get your application in by the deadline of April 4, 2025 by 11:59pm.

Requirements for Summer Teen Volunteers

• Minimum age requirement: 16 at the time of application. No exceptions. You will be required to show identification in person as part of the onboarding process.
• Commitment: Must be available to attend required interviews, orientations, and trainings in May/June. Minimum total of 30 hours of service completed during the summer months (July/August). Minimum of four hours of service per week, with a maximum of 12 hours per week (Per extra shift availability).
• A minimum of five weeks participation is required within the seven-week run of the program.
• No break in service longer than two weeks during the duration of the program. No exceptions. Please do not apply if you know you will be gone for longer than two weeks this summer.
• Pass Washington State Background Check (provided by UW Medical Center, if accepted).
• Purchase and wear volunteer uniform polo shirt and follow UW Medical Center Professional Image Policy. 
• Follow and abide by UW Medical Center Service Culture Guidelines.
• Ability to work independently with confidence.
• Ability to demonstrate excellent critical thinking skills and emotional intelligence.
• Must provide required documentation of immunization history.

Required immunizations prior to application (responsibility of volunteer): 

• Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR).
• Varicella (Chicken Pox) - completed 2 shot series.
  If you have had Chicken Pox and no Varicella vaccine, a blood titer to confirm is required. 
• Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Acellular Pertussis (Tdap) within last 10 years.

Please note: 
Your application will not be considered unless you have official documentation of the immunizations, tests and/or a blood titer for immunizations required BEFORE application.

You will be asked to provide medical records for these specific immunizations as part of the application process, and these documents will be reviewed by our Employee Health Department.

How to Apply

SUMMER TEEN VOLUNTEER APPLICATION

• To apply as a UWMC Montlake Summer Teen, you would need to apply via this link.
• Upon submission of the application, you will receive 2 receipt confirmation emails. The first email will confirm that you have submitted the application to us. The second email will have two attachments (Reference Form/Background Check Form).

Reference Form/Background Check Form

• Who may complete the Reference Form?
  • Teacher/Counselor
  • Supervisor/Boss
  • Neighbor or adult family friend that can speak to your character (not a peer)
  • Coach or group leader (i.e. from an organization such as Boy Scouts), church leader or community leader
• Who may not complete the Reference Form?
  • Relative
  • Peer / Friend
• Please remember that the completed Reference Form and the Background Check Form must be submitted by the deadline. Your Reference Form should be emailed in with your Background Check form, not separately. All forms must include the original signature and the reference’s contact information.
• Please note that space is limited. Application does not guarantee placement in the program.
• Late paperwork will not be accepted.
• Submit all documents through uwmcvol@uw.edu with your name and “Summer Teen”  in the subject.

Applicants will be informed of application status within two weeks after the deadline.

Questions? 
Please contact UW Medical Center Volunteer Services at uwmcvol@uw.edu

Thank you for your interest in the UWMC Volunteer Program at Montlake. Applications are temporarily closed until further notice. Please check back in the Winter for availability. Thank you for your patience.

Questions? Please email the Volunteer Services Team at uwmcvol@uw.edu

If you have further questions about the UWMC Volunteer Programs at Our Montlake and Northwest campuses, please email us at uwmcvol@uw.edu and a Volunteer Services team member will respond to you. Thank you.

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.

 Look for updates here soon.

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 University Medical Center - Northwest, 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 University Medical Center - Northwest 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.

Thank you for your interest in the UWMC Volunteer Program at Northwest. Applications are temporarily closed until further notice. Please check back in the Fall for availability. Thank you for your patience.

Questions? Please email the Volunteer Services Team at uwmcvol@uw.edu

If you have any questions, please email uwmcvol@uw.edu and a Volunteer Services team member will respond to you. Thank you for your patience and we look forward to working with you all again soon!

More information coming soon.

More information coming soon.