Want to Volunteer?

So you've got time on your hands and want to do some volunteer work. Congratulations! I have been volunteering in a literacy program operated by the local Children's Aid Society (Child Protective Services) for one night a week for about six years now, and it has been a wonderful experience – more later. Before you get too gung ho, however, consider a few things:

Do you really want to volunteer or is it just some glamorous idea?

A two-week overseas posting, which comes and goes, is usually manageable, but it is not a vacation. And if you're looking at doing something locally, which requires several hours each week, make sure that you can fulfill your commitment and are not spending more time calling in with reasons (valid or otherwise) why you can't make it, than helping out. I think of the children I work with at Children's Aid: The last thing they need is for another adult to be mostly absent from their lives and to make promises they don't keep.

Do you want to volunteer at home or abroad?

Volunteering at home is, of course, a very different time commitment and a different experience than volunteering overseas, where most volunteering is done in impoverished areas in developing, sometimes unstable, countries. These are definitely not easy postings, and there is some risk to the volunteer's life and/or health.

How long do you want to volunteer?

Generally, the shortest volunteer stint is a medical mission overseas (which takes staff such as surgeons, anesthesiologists, and OR nurses) lasting about two weeks. Other volunteer commitments can stretch into months and years.

If you are looking into overseas postings, are you free to take off?

If you have a family, are you expecting to be able to bring them? Not every volunteer program allows this, for reasons that may include safety, location, availability of accommodations, and cost. If you can bring your family, do they want to go? Is it best for them to go?

Do you need to have an income and/or have some expenses paid?

Some volunteer situations, particularly short-term overseas positions, require volunteers to pay for everything (e.g., airfare and housing) and so can cost the volunteer several thousand dollars. Please note that having to pay to volunteer does not necessarily mean that the program is a scam – this is not uncommon. Also, some missions are like working holidays or working treks (e.g., Helping Hands in Nepal). On these working holidays, your time is usually half vacation/trekking and half volunteering (e.g., on a surgical mission) at the location. Some volunteer positions provide basic accommodations and a small stipend – don't expect it to be a lucrative position financially! Educationally, emotionally, and spiritually, however ….

Are you high maintenance?

Face it. Some of us are. Can you handle the differences that you will experience professionally and personally such as not having everything up to your usual hospital standards; not having the latest equipment; not having enough supplies; not having all of your favorite modern conveniences; and not having your favorite junk food?

What is it that you do?

The most frequent volunteer positions, and, therefore, those with the most options, are for physicians, surgeons, OR nurses, RR nurses, and public health nurses. This does not mean that everyone else is out of luck. There are some groups specializing in other fields, such as Pharmacists Without Borders, and there are groups that use other healthcare professionals, such as:

Are you still a student?

Though most organizations require fully registered/certified practitioners, your school may have programs, and there are a few overseas volunteer opportunities for medical, nursing, and physician assistant students. One example is Child Family Health International, whose programs usually last four weeks.

Are you fluent in a second language?

Some volunteer positions require fluency in another language, usually Spanish, sometimes French or Portuguese.

Do you have serious health concerns of your own?

Some organizations may not take you.

Don't have time to go on a mission yourself, but want to help?

In addition to taking volunteers, programs accept financial donations and some (e.g., Emergency International) accept other types of donations such as frequent flyer miles, which will be used by those actually travelling to the mission location.

Do you want to start something?

You can create a new charity or start a branch of an established group such as Remedy Inc., which recovers open but unused surgical supplies for use in overseas hospitals.

Below are some clearinghouse websites, which list a wide range of healthcare volunteer organizations. Most include links to the volunteer organization's website or provide an email contact.

Think seriously about volunteering. In my experience at Children's Aid, it's not just our kids that benefit from an evening session with the literacy group. After a session, volunteers regularly say things like, "I had a [add expletives] terrible day at work, but now I feel better." And this is said even when our kids have had a bad day – usually prompted by experiences at home or school. Yes, volunteering is another responsibility to add to your life, but it is rewarding on many levels, both for you and for the people on the receiving end of your time and effort.

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