Volunteers are the heart of NGHS. They are integral to our team and have a positive impact on patients, staff, and community members alike. NGHS volunteers come from all walks of life, from high school students to retired nurses to former patients. But they all have one thing in common: their giving spirit and desire to connect with others in their community.
At NGHS, we understand the value that volunteers bring, so we take our time to ensure that all volunteers are matched with opportunities they find personally rewarding. We provide hands-on training to ensure our volunteers feel supported and confident in their roles. Whatever your interests, skills, or experience, there’s a place for you here at NGHS.
The NGHS Volunteer Program is open to adults, college students, and teens 15 years of age or older. Learn more below.
Our adult volunteers are compassionate, empathetic, and engaged individuals who serve in a variety of areas, including Patient Friends, Emergency Services, Nursing Units, Intensive Care waiting area, Women’s Imaging, golf cart shuttle, pet therapy, Window Shops, Hospice and information desks.
Our college student volunteers are eager to gain experience and are excited to volunteer with patients and alongside medical staff. Most college volunteers volunteer in Inpatient and Outpatient Rehab, Medical Research, the Window Shops, or as Patient Friends in the nursing units such as Mother/Baby, Emergency department, Pediatrics, Med/Surg, and Oncology.
We recommend our college student applicants start their application no later than mid-term before the semester they wish to begin.
Teen volunteers must be at least 15 years of age to volunteer. NGHS teen volunteers brighten spirits and prompt hope and healing with a smile, words of encouragement, or a listening ear. Teen volunteers perform non-clinical tasks and assist on nursing units or in departments such as:
- Orthopedics
- Med/surg
- Oncology
- In-patient rehab
- Emergency services
- Sterile processing and materials management
- Infection Control
They also assist on a variety of special projects, such as making cards for long-term care residents; making Window Shop patient gift deliveries; or unpacking gift merchandise.
Teen volunteers must be able to commit to volunteering a minimum of 30 hours during the summer. The application for the summer 2024 will be available February 2024.
Generally, volunteers serve four-hour shifts once a week or once every other week. Our goal is to work with your schedule and make sure your service aligns with your interests and skills. We ask that college student volunteers commit to at least one semester and that teen volunteers commit to at least 30 hours during the summer.
We are actively recruiting volunteers to volunteer in our Window Shops, patient care areas, and our Hospice program. Learn more about these essential roles:
The Window Shops in Gainesville and Braselton provide a much-needed respite from hospital life for hospital staff and patients’ loved ones. Window Shops volunteers have opportunities to connect with people from a variety of backgrounds and develop friendships with staff and frequent visitors. They also assist with delivering gifts directly to patients. Learn more.
If you enjoy comforting others, you may be a great fit as a Waiting Area volunteer. Serving in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) waiting areas, volunteers act as liaisons between medical staff and loved ones, freeing up medical staff to carry out clinical tasks and providing updates and information to loved ones.
Patient Friends are exactly what they sound like: a source of support to patients in our nursing units and alongside the Patient Experience and Emergency Services departments. Volunteers visit primarily the new patients and assist nurses with non-clinical duties. Volunteers also fill ice and water pitchers, deliver mail to patients, provide them and their loved ones with complimentary items from our “Comfort Cart,” and transport discharged patients.
The volunteer role is one of the most tender and significant parts of the NGMC hospice program, and our volunteers have served families in Northeast Georgia for more than 25 years. Volunteers help run our office, do community outreach, and keep vigil at the bedside of our patients. Learn more.
Other volunteer opportunities:
Be the friendly face people see when they arrive and depart from the hospital. Our shuttle drivers transport patients and their loved ones to and from the parking lots and hospital entrances.
Information Desk volunteers create a warm, welcoming environment for all who enter NGHS facilities. They greet incomers and guide them to where they need to go. Volunteers assist at the following information desks:
- South Entrance – Gainesville
- North Entrance – Gainesville
- Medical Plaza 1 – Braselton
- Medical Plaza 400 – Dawsonville
Those living with heart disease can offer encouragement to current heart disease patients through Mended Hearts, a nationwide support organization for individuals with heart disease, including persons recovering from heart attacks, angioplasty, or open-heart surgery. Volunteers provide hope and encouragement to patients by providing living proof that persons with heart disease can lead full, productive lives.
Nothing brings a smile to a patient’s face sooner than a furry friend. Pets must be certified through one of the following organizations:
Yes, NGHS volunteers are required to meet NGHS health requirements, which include IGRA (TB blood test), 2 MMR vaccinations or MMR Titers, and Varicella immunization or immunity.
Volunteers are required to follow masking guidelines as directed by NGHS and the CDC.
How to Apply
Interested in becoming a volunteer? Please complete the volunteer application form on the NGHS website and a volunteer services team member will be glad to review your application and help guide you with next steps.
