The Johns Hopkins Emergency Department Volunteer Programs

The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) Adult and Pediatric Emergency Department Volunteer Programs (AED and PED, respectively), as well as the Emergency Department Volunteer Program at Bayview Medical Center (BED), are recruiting exceptional volunteers to help provide the best care for families and patients. Opportunities include directly supporting clinical research, involvement in public health initiatives based from the department, quality assurance rounding, networking with specialists, dedicated shadowing hours, and exposure to the field of emergency medicine and critical care while assisting physicians and nurses. 

Volunteers will serve patients and families from diverse backgrounds in either the AED, the PED or the BED. They will be expected to work in the high-pressure and fast-paced environment that is the Level-I Trauma Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital or Level-II and Designated Burn Center at Bayview Medical Center. Ideal candidates are proactive, flexible, emotionally intelligent, resilient, enthusiastic, capable, dedicated to patient care, and team players with strong communication and problem solving skills. 

Volunteers for this program are typically college students and have had prior experience solving real-world problems, volunteering in a hospital setting, or completed similar activities in a healthcare setting. Experience in a clinical setting is not required, but preferred. All applicants should have a passion for caring for patients and their families in an emergency setting. 

Shifts are 3 hours minimum per week* and accepted volunteers will be expected to serve for at least 1.5 years (applicable to fall volunteers only) with specific start and end dates that will be communicated after your interview if selected. The exact start and end dates will be determined in March 2020. 

After applications close, we will be thoroughly reviewing all applications. If you are invited for an interview, please be prepared to travel to the Johns Hopkins University campus in Baltimore for the interview. We can also accommodate for out of state applicants via Skype or Google Hangouts. Final acceptances will be released end of March 2020.  

 The application form will close on January 15th, 2020 at 4:59PM EST. No exceptions.

Volunteers accepted into the intensive summer program will work at least 9 hours per week for 8 weeks* beginning after the end of the school year and ending before the start of the fall semester. Candidates may apply to any of the three departments listed below. During summer shifts, volunteers may develop strong connections with the physicians they shadow and fellow staff members due to the amount of time working on the unit. Thus, a high level of professionalism is required from summer volunteers.

This kind of exposure to the field of emergency medicine is a perfect opportunity for students looking to combine their summer research experience with a more hands-on approach to patient care. Students looking to familiarize themselves with the inner workings of a clinical setting are also encouraged to apply. Please take note: we are not able to provide housing or cover travel expenses for any volunteers, including those from out-of-state institutions. 

This application form will close on January 15th, 2020 at 4:59PM EST. No exceptions.

Volunteers work closely with physicians, nurses, and staff to serve as patient advocates in the Adult Emergency Department. The high volume of patients requires volunteers to be proactive, empathetic, and creative in solving unforeseeable problems. Duties include streamlining workflow in the waiting room, assessing and assuring patient satisfaction, and rounding patient rooms in the department to ensure quality patient care. Additional opportunities include shadowing in the trauma bay, attending guest lectures from renowned physicians in other departments in the hospital, and serving on the department’s service committees. 

As there is a significant amount of patient contact in this role, volunteers are expected to have strong communication skills and emotional intelligence. Previous experience in a clinical setting is strongly encouraged, but not necessary. The Adult Emergency Department is located next to the front entrance of the Johns Hopkins Hospital at 1800 Orleans Street. 

Volunteers are highly motivated individuals with a strong sense of emotional intelligence. Candidates are strongly encouraged to have previous experience working closely with children in a clinical setting, but it is not required. PED Volunteers work closely with staff, nurses, and physicians in order to provide excellent patient-care experiences for children and their families. Duties include ensuring patient satisfaction by speaking with families, directing incoming hospital calls, answering nurse calls, and assisting nurses and staff with non-clinical patient needs, including beverages, blankets, food, and toys, transporting labs as needed. They additionally have the opportunity to receive direct patient contact though rounding. Volunteers pride themselves in knowing the unit is well-stocked and every family has their needs met and are expected to work autonomously and to uphold high professional standards.

The PED also offers volunteers opportunities for clinical shadowing, assisting with clinical research projects run by residents and physicians, brown-bag lunches with physicians, and being a part of a small group run by a senior volunteer to foster community within the volunteer program. The Pediatric Emergency Department is on the ground floor of The Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children's Center Building.

The Bayview Medical Center’s Emergency Department is often remarked as having a blend of a community hospital feel with state of the art care. Volunteers are now able to take a shuttle directly to Bayview from Homewood. There is also a city bus traveling between Bayview and Homewood for which fares are covered by the hospital. 

Volunteers comprise the Transitional Care Team, and duties require a high level of communicative competence, ingenuity, and motivation. BED volunteers are tasked with process improvement projects designed to better understand patients’ experiences within and outside the department. Volunteers also assist with quality assurance rounding, assisting patients with additional comfort measures such as blankets, food, and a helping hand. Volunteers are mindful of patients’ different cultural backgrounds to ensure every interaction communicates compassion and clarity. The BED also offers clinical research opportunities as well as direct patient contact through rounding. Spanish speaking volunteers can be evaluated to become ad-hoc Spanish interpreters, and conduct non-clinical Spanish interpretation for the transitional care study and for patient care and quality assurance rounding. Volunteer shifts incorporate both specific volunteer duties and shadowing. Volunteers regularly communicate with clinicians and other healthcare professionals. 

*subject to change