Volunteer Services

The greeter/ambassador volunteer provides a warm welcome and escorts patients, families, and guests to various locations within the hospital. Patients and families have one less stressor to their visit knowing our escort volunteer will personally take them to their destination. The volunteer enjoys interacting with people and understands how important their role is in making a positive first impression! 

Requirements:

• Possess an adequate hearing ability with or without accommodation to effectively understand and communicate with others
• Strong communication skills
• Strong listening skills
• Willing to learn the layout of the hospital and clinics
• Welcome patients and visitors with warm, friendly smile and gregarious personality
• Enjoy helping others and focus on providing exceptional customer service.

The gift shop volunteer performs general store clerking duties. Most importantly, the shop volunteer provides a warm, sincere welcome and genuine desire to assist our guests with their shopping needs. 

Requirements: 

• Willing to learn and use computer-based cash register
• Able to stand for moderate periods of time
• Stoop, bend and reach at moderate levels
• Adaptable to the ever-changing inventory and display of goods
• Possess a hearing level with or without accommodation to effectively understand and communicate with others
• Enjoy meeting the public and possess effective communication skills
• Provide exceptional customer service.

(Flexible scheduling available) Volunteers provide for the physical comforts of patients by filling the blanket warmer, giving patients a warm blanket, hand out nourishments, stock supplies, providing a listening ear and other tasks deemed appropriate. While the task list seems short and simple, the time these activities take away from chair-side patient care is great. Volunteer support frees up nurses to do more of the work they are skilled to do. 

Requirements: 

• Demonstrate effective communication skills.
• Listen, understand, and follow directions
• Work effectively with others and have a positive attitude.

Counselors provide one-on-one assistance to help Medicare beneficiaries, caregivers or representatives with questions and concerns related to Medicare and related health insurances. Counselors also assist with awareness of SHIIP/SMP services with informal discussions with partners or group presentations about Medicare fraud. 

SHIIP provides excellent training and resources to assure SHIIP/SMP volunteers are prepared and have the tools and support they need for the counseling and for community education. SHIIP services are free and unbiased. 

For more information about becoming a SHIIP/SMP volunteer counselor go to: SHIIP.iowa.gov, email SHIIP@iid.iowa.gov, call 800-351-4664 or reach out to the MercyOne Northeast Iowa SHIIP Site Coordinator at 319-272-7858.

(Flexible scheduling available) We have 3 different positions offered in our spiritual care area. 

1. Spiritual Care Visitor: a volunteer visitor provides comfort and support to those in need. For an individual in spiritual distress, the volunteer refers the person to a Chaplain. This individual would have a faith background and comfortable praying with the patient. 
2. Communion Minister: This volunteer requires a Catholic background as a Eucharistic Minister. 
3. Night Chaplin: this volunteer would be on a schedule rotation where, if necessary, would come in as a Chaplin on an as needed basis to assist patients and families. Special certification is required. 

All these positions require pre-screening and training by our Spiritual Care Department.

Volunteers work with our scheduler to provide safe and efficient transportation (vehicles provided by MercyOne) for patients going to and from MercyOne for scheduled appointments. All patients must have the ability to get in and out of the vehicle on their own. No wheelchairs are allowed. 

Requirements: 

• Valid driver’s license
• Must be at least 21 years of age
• Demonstrate an acceptable driving record

Volunteers work to ensure that wheelchairs are adequately stationed at each of our primary entrances. 

Requirements: 

• Learning the layout of the hospital and departments
• Moving chairs from one location to another 
• Walking for prolonged periods of time

The volunteer is responsible for assisting the staff in ambulatory surgery by performing a variety of tasks for staff and patients including, but not limited to, prepare and serve drinks/snacks after surgery, stocking items, cleaning equipment, and escorting patients and families.

The OR Escort is responsible for assisting staff with transporting patients to and from cataract surgery. 

Requirements: 

• Physically able to push patients in bed with assistance of staff.
• Physcially able to withstand prolonged periods of walking
• Must be 18 years or older

This volunteer will deliver mail and records throughout the hospital following a regular route. This individual must have the ability to walk throughout the hospital visiting various departments and have a high degree of responsibility.

This volunteer is responsible for supplying the emergency department rooms with necessary supplies. This position provides support for our colleagues and allows the volunteer to experience how the hospital works in a fast-paced environment.

Every afternoon we bake cookies and deliver them to the new parents in the birth center! The cookies are baked in a small convection oven right in the birth center kitchenette, delivering the sweet aroma of freshly baked cookies throughout the unit (YUM!!) The total time for baking and delivering the cookies is about one hour. Volunteers can commit to as many or as few days as they would like.

The volunteer will assist with greeting and assisting patients/visitors to specific imaging departments. 

Requirements: 

• Must 18 years or older 
• Welcome patients and visitors with warm, friendly smile and gregarious personality
• Enjoy helping others and focus on providing exceptional customer service
• Physically able to withstand periods of walking

Are you part of a group that enjoys sewing or making different types of quilts to donate to others? You can join our volunteer team and have your volunteer hours recorded without going through the onboarding process. Your gifts make a huge impact on our patients who receive them!

For those who want to help from home, this is for you! We recycle sterile instrument fabric for our home health colleagues when they visit patient homes. This would require cutting the mats into squares. We will provide the tools necessary to complete this project.