Before applying to volunteer - The ideal volunteer placement requires some exploration on your part to make the best investment of your time. The hospital setting can be a challenging environment. As a volunteer, you must be willing to serve patients and families with integrity, accountability and ethical behavior. We ask that you take the time to ask yourself the following questions to determine if this is a good fit:

• Have I reviewed my schedule and can firmly confirm that I am able to volunteer for four consecutive hours per week with a set schedule?

• Am I comfortable making repeated trips to Boston Children's during the orientation process to complete the necessary requirements? 

• Am I comfortable submitting my information to complete a background clearance process?

• Am I comfortable working with children who may be in some physical, mental, or emotional discomfort?

• Will I treat my volunteer commitment with the same respect that I would my school or work environment?

• Am I willing to maintain professional boundaries with patients and families?

If the majority of the above statements are true, please continue.

Next, please also ask yourself the following:

• Am I in the middle of a life transition i.e. moving, applying for a job, determining one's class schedule?

• Do I hope that my volunteer placement will lead to employment at Boston Children's?

• Do I have a family member or friend who is currently ill or receiving treatment? Am I currently grieving the loss of a loved one?

• Do I hope to shadow a doctor or get hands-on training by medical staff?

If the above statements are true, our hospital setting may not be a good fit for you.

Please read and carefully consider the commitment required of Boston Children's Hospital Volunteers.

• I agree to make a minimum commitment of one year with a set four-hour weekly schedule.

• I understand that if I do not meet this minimum commitment, Boston Children's is not obligated to report hours to my school/organization, complete any letters of recommendations, or complete any official forms.

• I understand that volunteers who are repeatedly absent will be asked to discontinue volunteering so that the shift can be filled.

• If I cannot attend a scheduled shift(s) for any reason, I will notify my supervisor and cc the Volunteer Office as soon as possible.

• To the best of my knowledge, my other commitments such as work, school and personal responsibilities will not conflict with my scheduled volunteer shift(s).

• I understand that the volunteer program depends on volunteers completing their scheduled shifts and when a volunteer misses a shift, it may cause activities and services for patients and families to be delayed or cancelled.

Please carefully consider if you have the time to be a committed and engaged volunteer and are willing to be a positive addition to our volunteer program. If you feel you currently cannot meet our expectations as a volunteer, please feel free to re-apply again in the future.

Below, please confirm that you have read each of these bullets and feel that volunteering at Boston Children’s Hospital will be a good fit for you.

All required information is necessary for your onboarding process and will only be used if you are accepted as a volunteer. All personal data will be properly destroyed if you are unable to volunteer for any reason.

You must be 18 or older to apply.

If you are a student, please put your current local address and keep it up-to-date using VicNet, our online volunteer portal.

NOTE: * = Required information

Please include your current employer. Enter N/A if you have no past work experience.

Also, please let us know if you have any current/previous involvement with Boston Children's. If YES, provide us with your area of employment and BCH ID number in the comment field below. Per hospital policy, one must be employed by Boston Children's hospital for at least 6 months and be in good standing with the hospital to volunteer.

Our current volunteer needs are:

• Monday 8am-12pm
• Tuesday 8am-5pm
• Wednesday 8am-5pm
• Thursday 1pm-5pm
• Friday 8am-5pm

We ask that volunteers work one 4 hour shift per week for a calendar year. Please provide us with all information regarding your current availability. Your schedule will be discussed in detail during the interview process. Once the schedule is set, we ask you keep this schedule as each area only has a certain number of volunteer needs per shift. 

Please Note: Our current volunteer needs are within the hours indicated above. If your availability does not match with our volunteer need, we ask that you please refer to our website for future opportunities (bostonchildrens.org/help).

Please provide a short description explaining why you want to be a volunteer specifically in the Liaison role. What makes you a good fit for this type of assignment? Seeing this role will involve direct contact and communication with families, please share current/past experiences you have with interacting with guardians.  This can be a highly stressful, emotional environment for families as they wait for their child to come out of surgery, and we want the applicant to be aware of this.  How have you handled any challenging/stressful situations that you’ve encountered in the past?  Finally, please describe all relevant volunteer experience as well.

A one-on-one Zoom interview is required as part of your application process. Please note that a completed application includes a submitted reference sheet within a week of applying, and a completed application is required to interview. 

• Please list your regular availability for when you can Zoom for an interview. These times must be between 7:30am and 2:30pm, Monday through Friday. Interviews are scheduled for 45 minutes.

If you live in the area, are you willing to be contacted by the Volunteer Department staff in the event of an emergency? You will assist the hospital answering phones, taking trays to patients, delivering messages, and playing with children. You always have the option of saying no, and you will not be called in if your life could be in danger.

There are EXTERNAL disasters which may involve but are not limited to:

• Major transportation accident

• Large building fire, Structural collapse, explosion

• Hazardous materials accident

• Terrorism

• Earthquake, hurricane, flood, blizzard, tornado, wild fires

• Need to evacuate another health-care facility

There are INTERNAL disasters which occur in the hospital and might affect patients or families. Such emergencies as phones not working, computers not working, or general electrical failures are examples.

HEALTH SCREENING:

All volunteers must be cleared through Occupational Health Services (OHS) to participate in any Volunteer Services program. Please DO NOT submit your health records with your application. Once you are processed, we will send you an email with information on how to book an appointment. Bring your records to your appointment with OHS. Please note that the COVID-19 vaccine is required, as well as the flu shot during the winter months (10/31-4/1).

BACKGROUND CHECK:

A volunteer position at Boston Children's Hospital is contingent upon a satisfactory background check and criminal history check. Background screenings are required for all volunteers 18 years of age and older.

- You will need to complete and sign a CORI Authorization Form. This authorizes Boston Children's Hospital to request a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check by the MA Department of Criminal Justice Information Services.

- You will also need to complete a federal background screening. This portion of your background check will be conducted by Sterling Talent Solutions. You will receive an email from them with instructions on how to complete this form online.

NEW HIRE PAPERWORK:

All volunteers must complete their new hire paperwork, which is hosted on the Equifax website. If you run into technical difficulty with this step, please email our office directly.

ONLINE TRAINING:

All volunteers must complete their online training curriculum, which is hosted on the NetLearning platform. If you run into technical difficulty with this step, please email our office directly.