For the last year and a half, USF St. Petersburg senior Courtney Thompson has been volunteering at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, working toward her career goal of becoming a pediatrician.
Working through the Pre-Med Pal program, created by the Pre-Med Club at USFSP, Thompson works with children suffering from cystic fibrosis, helping to make their time at the hospital more enjoyable by doing things like playing games with the children, taking walks around the hospital with them, or watching TV with them in their room.
“Volunteering at All Children’s has been the most beneficial experience I’ve had in college,” Thompson said. “Volunteering with kids who are very sick or suffering with terminal illnesses also humbles you a lot.”
Founded in 1926, All Children’s Hospital is a pediatric hospital, home to many innovative children’s health programs, and is known as a pioneer in the realm of pediatric research.
Like many hospitals and medical foundations, All Children’s has several volunteers who contribute from two to six hours of their time each week. Volunteers come from around the Tampa Bay area to spend time at All Children’s Hospital, including students who attend USF Tampa and USFSP.
There are currently more than 500 active volunteers at All Children’s Hospital, as well as at nine of their affiliate outpatient care centers located around Florida.
Many people believe that volunteering at All Children’s Hospital means that they will be interacting one-on-one with patients and their families. While that is the case for some, others can contribute their time and skills in another way.
“We tell volunteers it doesn’t matter if you’re directly or indirectly working with the patients. You’re helping to meet the mission of the hospital either way,” Ranetta J. Sumner, one of the hospital’s volunteer resources coordinator, said.
Volunteer opportunities include working at the front desk, volunteering in guest services, assisting medical specialists and helping patients with academic work.
Sumner and Brittany Circharo are the volunteer resources coordinators at All Children’s Hospital. They are in charge of interviewing and accepting volunteers for about 40 different departments within the hospital.
One of the first steps to becoming a volunteer is submitting an online application.
“Brittany and I will go through and review those applications and make some phone calls, do some screening, and if we feel like they’re a good fit, we’ll bring them in and interview them and take them through the process,” Sumner said.
The process includes background screenings for adults 18 and older, as well as health screenings looking for history of TB immunization and flu shots.
If the potential volunteer is accepted, they go through general orientation provided by the department where they are assigned. This educates volunteers on how to properly do their job in what, for many, is a new environment.
All Children’s encourages USFSP students to volunteer, especially those who may be looking for a career in the medical field, office jobs, guest services and more.
“We’ve heard back from many people that their volunteering experience actually helped them in making a choice for their future career,” Sumner said.
USFSP students can gain positive learning experience through the volunteer opportunities at All Children’s Hospital. Since patient care is not always an option, various office jobs are offered to develop work skills and experience for college students who may benefit from it the future, while still helping the hospital.
“I think people like being a part of something bigger than themselves. They feel like they’re making a difference and they feel like they’re being accepted into a huge population of people and appreciated,” Circharo said.
To find out more about volunteer opportunities, visit www.givetoallkids.org.
