Volunteer Opportunities

Welcome and thank you for your interest in volunteering.

As a volunteer, you provide your time, passion, talents, and dedication throughout our hospital and offer an extra dimension of care to our patients, their families, and other visitors. Our volunteers are an integral part of the hospital team!

We are looking for people who are committed, kind, and have a history of going above and beyond. We want proactive, responsible applicants who are seeking a rare opportunity to improve the patient experience. Whether you’re interested in greeting and directing visitors, bringing your certified therapy dog for regular visits, or assisting with various non-clinical tasks, we can match you with the right opportunity.

Contact Us

Mount Sinai West
1000 Tenth Avenue
Volunteer Services, Room 1G-49
New York, NY 10019
Tel: 212-523-7155
Fax: 212-523-6480
SLRHC.VolunteerServices@mountsinai.org

Volunteer Programs

We offer special volunteer programs for our patients. Some of these are:

Lobby Ambassadors help visitors, patients, and their families feel more comfortable in our hospital. Ambassadors greet patients and visitors with a friendly smile and a great attitude; they are often the first face seen by guests who enter our facilities. By proactively addressing questions, concerns, and requests, ambassadors complement the work of our staff. They offer directions, escort patients, and provide information to those looking for a little help.

Rounding Volunteers provide friendly visits, fulfill small requests, and help orient new patients to the hospital and the unit. The main focus is to make sure we meet patients’ non-clinical needs.

Our Therapy Dog Program allows volunteers, whose dogs are qualified with an approved therapy dog organization, to engage with patients and staff throughout the hospital. Volunteers must be 18 years or older to participate in this program and must be able to commit to at least two visits per month.

Junior Ambassadors are teens from the community who support our mission to provide compassionate patient care. Junior Ambassadors work with hospital staff and become hospital representatives. Opportunities include assisting in the lobby and helping with clerical work.

Our Summer Junior Medical Program, or JuMP, enables students, ages 15 to 17, to learn from health care professionals, in both clinical and nonclinical areas, about the day-to-day responsibilities of a hospital. It is an eight-week program and volunteers must commit to 100 hours.

Additional Volunteer Opportunities

Other ways you can help include:

Donating current magazines, for distribution to our patients.
Knitting lap blankets. If you are interested, please contact us for requirements.
Sharing your musical talents at patient bed sides. Musicians are accompanied by volunteer guides who are familiar with the facilities and serve as liaisons between musicians and patients, enabling the performers to focus on the performance. If interested, please contact Musicians on Call.

Requirements and Expectations

All applicants must have a U.S. social security number.

Volunteers must be 18 years old to participate, except for our Junior Ambassador program and JuMP, both of which are geared to teens ages 15 to 17.

We ask our Junior Ambassadors to complete a minimum of 120 hours at the hospital. All other volunteers are scheduled for at least one three-hour shift per week and are expected to complete a minimum of 150 hours.

Our eight-week JuMP opportunity is geared to students interested in healthcare. We ask JuMP volunteers to commit to 100 hours of service. Application and process are the same as other volunteers except that we can only accept application packets between January 1 and March 31. We have limited spots available.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit the following documents:

A completed Application Form
One letter of recommendation or completed reference form (someone not related to you)
A resume (not required but highly recommended)

You may submit these items by mail, fax, email, or in person. We cannot accept or consider an incomplete application.

Mount Sinai West
1000 Tenth Avenue, New York, NY 10019
Room 1G-49
Tel: 212-523-7155
Fax: 212-523-6480
MSWVolunteers@chpnet.org

Application Process

Once you submit an application, the process is as follows:

We review applications every two weeks to determine fit and availability.
We notify applicants by phone or email regarding the status of the application.
If we determine that you would be a good fit, we interview you to discuss possible volunteer placements. Interviews do not guarantee placement.

This process typically takes between four and six weeks. If we invite you to join our volunteer team, you will need to complete the following:

Pre-Placement Medical Evaluation. Please note, you must have medical paperwork completed by your own physician. This medical evaluation is required by New York State Public Health Law to promote the safety and well-being of our patients and our staff.
Orientation: You will need to review the Volunteer Handbook and complete a quiz. In addition, you will attend an in-person orientation that covers hospital guidelines, regulations, and policies and procedures as they pertain to your volunteer placement. We will also train you within the area you’ll be working.