Volunteer Opportunities

Make a difference in your community

When you become a volunteer at Newton-Wellesley Hospital there are many benefits. Volunteering is a great way to become actively involved in your community. It helps you develop your skills and experience and can help you explore career possibilities. You will help people who are sick or injured and as you do so you are meeting new people along the way.

Volunteers at Newton-Wellesley Hospital help us fulfill our mission of providing outstanding care to the people in the community. We depend on volunteers like you to help make it happen.

How do I become a volunteer?

We are currently accepting volunteer applications, but availability of positions may be variable. Late afternoon (after 4pm), evening and weekend positions are very limited. Acceptance into the volunteer program is contingent on satisfactory results of the interview, occupational health screening, criminal history check (CORI), and other information provided by the volunteer

• We are currently accepting applications from adults and college students on a rolling basis as positions are available. 
  • College students interested in general volunteer opportunities must commit to volunteering for at least 2 full semesters.
• Complete an NWH Volunteer Application
• Once your application has been submitted, call our Volunteer Office at 617-243-6048 to schedule a volunteer interview. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
• Volunteer interviews are scheduled from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and will be conducted via Zoom and last for 30 minutes.
• Applicants who are accepted into the program will need to show a government-issued photo ID (or school IDs + Birth Certificate) at the end of the interview.
• Required health documentation: MMR, Varicella, Flu Shot, Covid-19 primary series, and a TB Spot test or skin test within 90 days of start date

High school student volunteer program

• Thank you for your interest in volunteering at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. The minimum age to volunteer is 15. Due to an overwhelming response, the application process for our Summer 2023 High School program is now closed. Please visit our website in August of 2023 for information about fall placements for our high school volunteer program.

Our volunteers

Our volunteers come from all walks of life. We have volunteers from age 15 to over the age of 90. They include students, retirees, people with full-time careers, vocational work groups, and others who choose to spend their extra time serving their community.

What are the volunteer time requirements?

Our staff members and volunteers all make mutual commitments to provide quality service. Because of the time we spend to train our volunteers, we expect a minimum of 2-4 hours of volunteer service each week, depending on individual assignments., This is equivalent to a total minimum commitment of 100 hours per year for adults, 50 hours over two semesters for college students, and 50 hours per year for high school students (outside of our summer high school volunteer program).

Certain volunteer programs, such as the Patient Representative and Surgical Liaison programs, require a minimum commitment of one year of service.

Where do volunteers serve?

Volunteers work with us in nearly every area of the hospital. We depend on our volunteers to provide the high-quality care our community deserves. You may choose to serve patients and their families in inpatient or outpatient areas, assist our support services staff members, or provide administrative support. The following are examples of the many hospital areas, programs, and roles where you can volunteer your time and may not be reflective of current availability for volunteer placement.

• Ambassador
• Cafeteria
• Emergency Department
• Gift Shop
• Mailroom
• Patient Escort
• Cancer Center 
• Nutrition and Food Services
• Office Settings
• Ambulatory Clinics
• Outpatient Surgery
• Patient Representatives
• Patient Units
• Pediatrics
• Pet Therapy *(Certification required)
• Radiology
• Receiving/Storeroom
• Reiki *(Level 2 certification required)
• Surgical Liaison
• Transport Services