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Patient Interaction Volunteer Opportunities

Available Opportunities

    Purpose 

    Medically interpret to facilitate communication between medical staff, patients, and family members 

    Days/Hours 

    Varying shifts as assigned: Monday–Friday 

    Qualifications 

    • Fluent in English and Spanish 
    • Successfully complete a language proficiency evaluation 
    • Volunteer interpreters are encouraged to attend Bridging the Gap, a 40 hour training for medical terminology and interpreter code of ethics. 

    Volunteer Duties/Responsibilities 

    • Interpret for patient in-person and over the phone for basic medical encounters 
    • Help with office phone calls and coordinate appointments of other languages 
    • Assist with note taking when doing a phone or a clinical interpretation 
    • Interpret colloquial phrases and technical medical terminology 
    • Be familiarized with the interpreter code of ethics 
    • Other office projects and tasks as assigned 

    Location 

    The University of Utah Hospital 

    Unavailable Opportunities

      Purpose

      To assist the staff on the Acute Medicine Pulmonary unit with patient, family, customer service, and nursing support.

      Days/Hours 

      • Four to six hours per week
      • Sunday through Saturday, between 8:00 am–10:00 pm 
      • Shift dates, and times are flexible 

      Duties/Responsibilities

      Volunteers provide essential support across multiple areas including patient care, staff assistance, and unit organization through tasks such as meal distribution, patient transport, communication aids development, and maintaining unit tidiness.

      Location

      University of Utah Hospital, area E, floor 4

      Days/Hours 

      • Four hours per week
      • Multiple shifts available  

      Volunteer Duties/Responsibilities 

      • Comfort Rounds: Visit patient rooms and offer warm blankets, demonstrate how to operate the TV, dim the lights, etc.  May provide comfort items for patient’s visitors. 
      • Radiology Transport: Transport patients to and from Radiology (CT, XRAY, MRI, Ultrasound) for imaging services. 
      • Support triage staff (intake) by walking patients to their room from the waiting room. 
      • Restock blanket warmers. 
      • Organize and sanitize wheelchairs.

      Qualifications/Requirements 

      No certification required, but you must complete PPE training. All volunteers will review the ED Volunteer Orientation Guide and then attend an in-person training (approximately 2 hours).  This training may or may not be during the volunteer’s regular shift. 

      Location 

      University of Utah Hospital 

      Purpose

      HELP is structured program of care for hospitalized older patients designed to prevent delirium and functional decline throughout hospitalization. HELP goals are to maintain physical and cognitive functioning by utilizing daily interventions administered by volunteers.

      Reports To

      Lauren Chamberlain, MS-GERON (they/them)
      Elder Life Specialist, Program Manager of HELP  
      Email: lauren.chamberlain@hsc.utah.edu

      Days/Hours

      Varies Monday–Friday

      Qualifications

      • Reliable and caring; enjoy working with older patients
      • Discreet, empathetic behavior and ability to exercise diplomacy in talking to patients, patient’s family and staff
      • Ability to work independently and assume responsibility while providing non-clinical care
      • Ability to refer questions to staff as needed
      • Complete 16 hours of HELP Volunteer Training

      Duties/Responsibilities

      • Daily visits to patients enrolled in HELP to provide support and orienting communication
      • Participate in the Therapeutic Activities program by providing mentally stimulating activities at the bedside such as trivia, current events, reminiscing, playing games on iPad, Wii, etc.
      • Assist in the Early Mobilization program by walking active patients and performing range of motion exercises with bedridden patients
      • Provide assistance and companionship during meals
      • Assist HELP staff members as requested

      Purpose  

      Provide assistance to the patients of Redwood ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ Center by navigating them through the process at the center from start to finish. Redwood serves patient populations from a wide variety of backgrounds in the University of Utah ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ system. We try to tailor our care to meet the needs of our surrounding community so we can be the community clinic they deserve. As a center, we want to ensure our patients have fulfilled their next steps in care and feel confident. 

      Days/Hours 

      Monday through Friday between 8:30 am–6 pm 

      Volunteer Duties/Responsibilities 

      • Assist patients to their next destination in the clinic 
      • Walk, push wheelchairs, and guide patients 
      • Help patients schedule follow-up appointments over the phone or in person 
      • Relay UTA transportation times and routes to patients 
      • Relay Medicaid hotline information 
      • Connect patients to billing services over the phone 
      • Round and perform comfort check-in throughout lobbies 
      • Flexibility to be as assigned by the clinic needs 

      Location 

      Redwood ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ Center, Salt Lake City