Volunteer Opportunities
Sat. - Sun: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Volunteer Opportunities
Sat. - Sun: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
At St. Joseph Hospital, our mission is to heal and serve the community and our volunteers play a vital role in that mission. Whether you’re interested in giving back to your community or exploring health careers as a volunteer, we have a place for you to lend a helping hand.
Volunteer screening process
- Application: The first step in becoming a volunteer is to complete an online application. Applicants selected from this initial screening will be invited to attend orientation. Selection is made based on open positions and volunteer availability.
- Orientation: You will receive an invitation to attend orientation. Orientations are held monthly (except for December) on a weekday morning or afternoon. Following orientation, a packet of forms will be provided for you to fill out.
- Interview: After attending orientation, an interview will be scheduled.
- Criminal background check: We will conduct background checks on those 18 years and older; Social Security number is required. Those under 18 years of age are required to submit two letters of recommendation.
- Health Screening: Will be completed at St. Joseph Hospital's Employee Health and Wellness Center.
- If you have any questions about the Volunteer Program at St. Joseph Hospital, please email SJHOrangeVolunteers@stjoe.org.
Volunteer application process
- Applications are only accepted the 1st through 7th of every month, with 24/7 online access. Please note: Applications submitted after the 7th day of any month will not be accepted or reviewed by our Volunteer Department. Applications are not accepted during the month of December.
- Applicants will receive an acknowledgment of application submission.
- When matched with an open position based on the applicant's availability, the applicant will be contacted to attend orientation.
- Apply online now
Volunteer standards
- Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age*.
- Due to the high volume of applications we receive each month, we limit the applicants we accept to those living in Orange County.
- The on-boarding process may take up to three months - please consider future availability when applying. If accepted as a volunteer, applicants 18 years of age and older must be able to provide a United States social security number at the time of the interview for our required background check.
- Volunteers must commit to a minimum of 150 hours of service. We do not offer short term, summer, internship or shadowing volunteer opportunities.
- Volunteers must be able to commit to a regularly scheduled four-hour shift once a week (pet therapy volunteers excluded).
- Volunteers must be able to abide by all patient confidentiality guidelines, customer service expectations and St. Joseph Hospital policies.
- Volunteers must have access to an email address. The Volunteer Services department utilizes email to communicate with volunteers.
If accepted as a volunteer, you will be asked to:
- Attend an orientation at St. Joseph Hospital
- Participate in an interview
- Complete a mandatory Health Screening
- Consent to a background check for volunteers 18 years of age and older (hospital provided). If you are under 18 years of age, two letters of recommendation are required
- Complete our initial training process
- Complete annual education on general hospital policies and procedures
- Complete annual competency validation for specific service descriptions.
- Follow the dress code guidelines. Volunteers must purchase uniforms (prices range from $15-30).
*There are a limited number of openings for college and high school students.
Weekdays - 5:30 a.m., mornings and afternoons)
- Provide assistance to patients, family members and visitors
- Assist Admitting Staff with visitor inquiries, paperwork and deliveries
- Escort patients and families to locations within the hospital
Outpatient Pavilion - Weekday mornings and afternoons
- Greet and direct patients, family members and visitors
- Excellent customer service skills required
- Bilingual volunteers are a plus
Weekdays
- Pre-Requisite: Must be fluent in Spanish and English
- Provide a warm welcome to new Spanish speaking patients
- Inquire about the patient's hospital stay and if they have questions or concerns
- Great opportunity for patient interaction
Weekdays
- Escort and discharge patients
- Assist with typical "messenger volunteer" tasks, such as specimens to labs, supplies from central, blood bank runs, etc.
- Assist with clerical tasks as well as restocking supplies and cleaning patient gurneys
Weekdays
- Front Desk
- Greet and direct patients and visitors
- Answer questions and escort as needed to destinations
- Assist staff with clinical and research database data entry
- Assist with clerical tasks and projects
- Mammography (Female Volunteers only)
- Front office clerical duties
- Escort patients to changing areas and assist those who request help
- Ability to listen empathetically to concerned patients
- Make rounds to ensure infusion patients have what they need: water, blankets, reading materials or a short visit
- Focus is listening to patients, not talking to them about personal experiences
- Escort and direct incoming patients and physicians
- Assist with clerical tasks as well as restocking supplies, cleaning patient chairs and folding linens
- Greet and escort patients
- Provide clerical support
- Assist staff with a variety of clerical tasks
- Provide research assistance to patients, family members and visitors
- Organize and maintain resources
- Assist staff with clerical tasks, such as answering telephones, data entry, making patient charts, filing, making follow-up calls and restocking supplies
- The Cancer Registry monitors all reportable primary cancer cases diagnosed or initially treated at St. Joseph Hospital
- Extensive data entry; requires high-level computer skills to support data collection
- Assist staff with special projects
- Research
- Assist staff with data entry and projects
Monday, Wednesday, Friday mornings
- Assist nurses during exercise classes
- Provide clerical support
- Help with coordination of wellness classes/events
- Greet and direct or escort patients and family members
- Assist with typical "messenger volunteer" tasks, such as specimens to labs, supplies from central, blood bank runs, etc.
- Provide clerical support
- Provide comfort items to patients and family members in waiting areas
- Greeter/Visitor Support
- Greet and direct or escort patients and family members
- Assist with visitor control
- Provide support with clerical tasks as needed
- Provide comfort items to patients and family members in waiting areas
- Round hourly and offer patients and family members comfort items such as blankets, water, etc. (with RN permission)
- Clean empty treatment rooms
- Stock patient rooms and carts
- Pre-Requisite: Must already be a Eucharistic Minister and have contacted the Spiritual Care Department
- Distribute communion to patients, family and staff on assigned units to those who desire to receive it
Main Hospital: seven days/week
Cancer Center: weekdays
- Required to have excellent customer service skills
- Assist visitors, patients and employees with their purchases
- Restock gift items
- Use cash register and credit card processing machines
Weekdays
- Data entry
- Insurance Verification
- Helps with special projects
- Restocking supplies
- Clerical tasks
Weekdays
- Front office clerical duties
- Greet and assist patients when they arrive for appointments
- Provide encouragement, companionship and feeding assistance to patients during meal times
- Varied patient-related errands, including patient discharges, delivering specimens to the laboratory and medical records, supplies and medications to the nursing units
- Physically active position
- Work with a team of volunteers
Weekdays and Saturday mornings
- Assemble patient charts and consent forms
- Price items, stock boutique and ring merchandise
- Help nurses set up patient rooms
- Sign in people for classes
- Answer telephones
- Provides calming music in lobbies and waiting areas of the hospital, Outpatient Pavilion and Cancer Center
Weekdays and Saturdays
- Provide a warm welcome and hospitality to patients, family members and visitors by greeting and escorting them to patient rooms or other hospital destinations
- General Surgery, Labor & Delivery, Medical Telemetry, Medical Intensive Care, Mother Baby, Observation, Oncology, Orthopedics and Pulmonary Renal
- Discharge patients
- Assist with typical "messenger volunteer" tasks, such as specimens to labs, supplies from central, blood bank runs, etc.
- Assist unit secretary by answering phones and intercom
- Make rounds to patient rooms to determine any pending patient needs
- Assist with clerical tasks
- Greet patients and family members
- Deliver armbands and paperwork to patients, assuring that they are correctly initialing and signing pertinent documents
- Help at Birth Records Registrar
Weekday mornings
- Shadow staff during patient therapy sessions
- Assist department staff with basic clerical duties and restocking supplies
One-year minimum commitment is required; Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays
- Visit and provide activities such as craft projects and games for pediatric patients undergoing dialysis
One-year minimum commitment is required; Tuesdays, Thursdays
- Primary responsibility is helping pediatric patients with homework
- Shampoo and dry patients' hair
- Excellent people skills required, compassionate and caring
Pet Therapy Dogs must be certified through organizations such as Pet Partners or Therapy Dogs International and have a minimum of four months experience visiting with their handler in a nursing home or hospital setting.
- Handler (owner) and dog visit with patients, visitors and staff throughout the hospital
- Deliver medications to nursing units
- Assist staff with clerical needs
- Assist with receiving and prioritizing physician orders
- Verifies and puts away new medication shipments, except for narcotics
- Restock medications
Cancer Center, Inpatient and Outpatient; weekdays
- Shadow department staff during patient therapy sessions
- Assist department staff with basic clerical duties and restocking supplies
Weekdays
- Greet and direct or escort patients and family members
- Provide support with clerical tasks as needed
- Assist staff with transporting patients
- Provide comfort items to patients
Weekday mornings
- Shadow department staff during patient therapy sessions
- Assist department staff with basic clerical duties and restocking supplies
In-patient; weekdays
- Escort/transfer patients to and from SPU
- Assist with typical "messenger volunteer" tasks such as specimens to labs, supplies from central, blood bank runs, charts, paperwork, etc.
- Assist family members as needed
- Provide clerical support, restock supplies, wipe down and make up gurneys
Weekdays
- Make rounds in patient treatment area to determine any pending patient needs
- Escort/ transfer patients to and from PACU
- Provide clerical support, restock supplies, wipe down and make up gurneys
How You Can Make a Difference
Volunteers provide valuable services that help the hospital serve the health care needs of our local communities. Learn more about the non-clinical volunteer services that support St. Joseph Hospital patients, visitors and caregivers.