Volunteer

Ideal candidates for a volunteer experience are outgoing and friendly, want to make a meaningful contribution, and have reasonably good mobility as most services require walking and/or pushing wheelchairs.

Due to the time associated with screening and training our volunteers, we ask that individuals be willing to serve a minimum of three hours per week for a minimum of six months, or 70 hours.

The volunteer opportunities at Grady are rich and varied, and currently exist in the following primary support areas: Customer Service, Patient and Family Support, and Way finding and Wheelchair Transport.

Possible activities include, but are not limited to: Transporting, escorting and helping patients with way finding, visiting and encouraging patients, assisting and supporting patient families, helping at the information desks.

• Be at least 18 years of age or older
• Agree to volunteer for a three-hour shift per week for at least three months
• Pass a criminal background check
• Provide proof of immunization for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) (two dates) and immunization or immunity for chickenpox
• Receive an annual tuberculosis (TB) screening
• Receive an annual flu vaccination
• Follow Grady’s Volunteer Services policies and procedures. Review our Volunteer Handbook for more

Volunteering is not an internship, shadow program, or opportunity to get clinical experience.

1. Fill out online application form
2. You will receive a “Next Step Packet” in your email. Download, complete, and submit
3. Attend in-person interview

Provided you have met the requirements based on Step 2 above, a volunteer coordinator will contact you to schedule an interview. At this point, Volunteer Services will make an appointment for your flu vaccine and two-step PPD Skin Test at Grady. However, vaccinations can be completed externally and proof can be submitted with Next Step Packet.

Do not complete another volunteer application. If you’ve volunteered with Grady within the last 6 years and want to return, contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Rhonda Shannon at [email protected] to schedule a Returnee Interview. Background check, PPD Skin Test & Flu Shot will be applicable.

Grady requires all volunteers provide documentation of the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine and recent TB test results (from within the past 30 days). You can generally find this information on your childhood vaccination records.

If you have not fulfilled these medical requirements, the Volunteer Services Department can schedule an appointment for you with Employee Health at your follow-up interview. There is no charge for an Employee Health appointment.

If you prefer, you may see your own primary care provider. However, it is important to note that costs for MMR vaccinations and TB testing will vary among medical providers and can be costly. Insurance plans often do not cover these tests. These charges will be the responsibility of the new volunteer and not the responsibility of the Volunteer Services Department or Grady Health System.

We do! Teenagers ages 15 – 17 can volunteer with Grady during the summer months of June & July. The program is closed for Summer 2019. Please check back in January 2020 for information.

Yes, volunteers are required to wear a volunteer jacket and badge at all times while working in the health system. Dress code prohibits blue jeans, sweatpants, exercise pants, shorts, hats, sunglasses, T-shirts and open-toed shoes.

On average, it takes four to six weeks to be completely processed and ready to volunteer.

Volunteer Assignment Areas are decided based on the needs of the hospital, individual unit’s hours of operation and the availability of the volunteer. Some units are only available during normal business hours, some have slightly extended business hours, and limited units operate during nights and weekends.

Office Hours Only (Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.)

• Outpatient Volunteers – Assist with managing flow, administrative tasks, transporting lab samples, picking up prescriptions, escorting patients and transporting patients in wheelchairs. One volunteer needed per shift. Services are offered Monday – Friday between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
  • Outpatient Clinics
  • Senior Services
  • Behavioral Health
• Non-Clinical Volunteers – Assist with various duties as assigned. One volunteer needed per shift. Services are offered Monday – Friday between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
  • HR
  • Supply Distribution
  • Materials Management
  • Public Affairs

Extended Office Hours (Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.)

• Navigators –Stationed near the Information Desk and help to greet visitors, answer easy questions, escort visitors and provide wheelchair transport throughout the hospital (Bilingual is a plus). Three Volunteers needed per shift. Services are offered Monday – Friday, between 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Wheelchair Transport Volunteer – Escort patients and their belongings to/from their rooms at admission and discharge. Provide wheelchair transport, retrieve stretchers and provide directional and way finding support to visitors. Three Volunteers needed per shift. Services are offered Monday – Friday between 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Family Waiting Room Volunteers – Assist staff to monitor security access, outline amenities, walk families to and from unit, restock supplies and perform basic clerical tasks. Two volunteers needed per shift. Services are offered Monday – Friday between 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
  • Cancer Center
  • Stroke Center
  • ICU Units
  • Burn Center
    • Child Life Volunteers – Assist Child Life Specialist with pediatric patients
  • Warm Cookie – Bake & distribute cookies for the visitors of our surgical patients, assist staff to monitor visitor waiting room

No, we do not accept volunteers who are court ordered to perform community service.

No. Volunteering is not an internship or a shadow program. It is also not an opportunity to get clinical experience. As a volunteer you are not allowed to participate in direct patient care. However, other educational opportunities outside of volunteering include:

• Internship Opportunities with Human Resources. Contact Rosalind Sanders at (404) 616-1906
• Clinical Observerships with Medical Staff Services. Contact Jenee Henry at (404) 616-5385
• Nurse Shadowing

Volunteering at the hospital does not guarantee employment.

Applications are held for 90 days. If you do not complete the process within 90 days your application will be discarded (unless otherwise approved by the Volunteer Services Department).

Volunteer records are kept for six years, and then destroyed.

Grady is located at 80 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE, Atlanta, GA 30303. For detailed directions on reaching Grady by car, parking information, public transit and more, click here.