Volunteering at UW Medicine

Thank you for your interest in the UW Medical Center Volunteer Program. Since 1959, University of Washington Medical Center patients, families, guests and staff have benefited tremendously from the commitment of community members and individuals who volunteer at the UW Medical Center.

Volunteers add to the quality of care and service provided to our patients by supporting our "UW Medicine Patients Are First" culture and providing more than 60,000 hours of service each year in more than 70 roles throughout UW Medical Center and UW Medical Center - Roosevelt Clinics.

Opportunities are available in a variety of nursing units, specialty care areas, physical therapy, surgical services, outpatient clinics, and in frontline customer service roles. These positions are available on an as-needed, as-available basis. Volunteers are required to complete a one-month term (16 hours of service) pre-requisite as a patient escort before they are eligible for new assignments.

Patient Escorts

Be a part of our highly regarded team who transport, greet and welcome visitors and patients to UW Medical Center. Our patient escort volunteers are stationed in the dispatch area and work directly with resource team and patient transport staff to assist with the following tasks: Level Green wheelchair transport, specimen deliveries, wheelchair rounding, patient discharges, delivering patient flowers and mail, and creating a warm and welcoming environment for our patients and visitors.

Volunteers receive training on safe wheelchair handling and patient transport, customer service and patient confidentiality. The escort role provides volunteers with an opportunity to work directly with patients while also experiencing the hospital environment in a leading regional and metropolitan acute care facility. In these roles, volunteers become familiar with the diversity of care and services provided at the hospital while experiencing the highest level of patient contact of any volunteer position offered at UW Medical Center. This role provides excellent baseline training to prepare volunteers for other patient care volunteer opportunities.

Retired Adult Volunteers

Please contact Volunteer Manager, Cynnie Foss, at fossc@uw.edu to inquire about upcoming opportunities.

Summer Teen Program

Thank you for your interest in the UW Medical Center Summer Teen Volunteer Program. There will not be an official Summer Teen Program this summer at Montlake or Northwest Campus. Please check back in early June for the possibility of some limited summer opportunities.

If you are a former Summer Teen Volunteer at UWMC Montlake or teen volunteer at Northwest, and are interested in returning, please email the Volunteer Services Manager atfossc@uw.edu. Thank you.
We hope you stay safe and healthy.

Thank you for your interest in the UWMC Volunteer Program for Our Montlake and Northwest campuses. Our programs have been suspended since March 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. We are in the process of bringing back staffing for these programs and hope to open applications for volunteers by early June or sooner. Please check back here for updates. 

If you have any questions, please email the UWMC Volunteer Service Manager, Cynnie Foss at fossc@uw.edu. Thank you for your patience and we look forward to working with you all again soon! 

If you have further questions about the UWMC Volunteer Programs at Our Montlake and Northwest campuses, please contact UWMC Volunteer Services Manager, Cynnie Foss, at fossc@uw.edu . Thank you.

Adult/College Program: All applicants must be 18 or over and a high school graduate.  All eligible volunteers must complete an application, attend an interview, be screened by Employee Health and comply with all required immunizations, and complete all required training, both written and practical.   Volunteers are required to make a minimum commitment of four hours per week for three months.

Summer Teen Program: This is a summer only program that provides exposure to healthcare careers and service for our community high school students.

Please note: Our volunteer program does not accommodate job shadowing, internships, court ordered service, or job training programs.​ In addition, our program is not intended for those with medical training above a CNA.

Current volunteers must review the Annual Refresher Training Objectives and the UW Medicine Privacy, Confidentiality, and Information Security Agreement on an annual basis. Please follow the link below to complete the online Annual Refresher Training Objectives. When you get to the last page of the training, please print it and then write your name on it. Please print, read, and sign the UW Medicine Privacy, Confidentiality, and Information Security Agreement form. When these are completed, turn them in at the UW Medical Center Volunteer Services office. Questions? Please call us at 206-598-4218

Learn more

Discover the answers to common questions asked about volunteering at UW Medical Center.

Learn more

Have you ever had to wait while a loved one has surgery? Then you know how comforting it is to have a volunteer keep you company in the waiting room. Have you ever gotten lost on your way to treatment or another area of the hospital? Then you know what a relief it is to see the friendly face of a volunteer who took the time to take you where you were going. Have you ever been hospitalized? Then you know how uplifting it is when a volunteer comes by with magazines, flowers or just a hello. 

Every day, everywhere in the hospital, volunteers add to the caring environment at University Medical Center - Northwest, helping patients and their families at a stressful and sometimes frightening time in their lives. By volunteering your time, you help give back to your community and make University Medical Center - Northwest a friendlier, more welcoming place to everyone who steps foot on our campus.

More than 150 active volunteers of all ages perform a wide variety of tasks at the hospital. For example, volunteers work in the hospital’s gift shop, bring the library cart to patients’ rooms, escort discharged patients and provide information and comfort to families of inpatients and those undergoing surgery. In fact, volunteers can be found in departments throughout the hospital.

While most volunteers work during the weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., some volunteers choose to work evenings and weekends.

Thank you for your interest in the UWMC Volunteer Program for Our Montlake and Northwest campuses. Our programs have been suspended since March 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. We are in the process of bringing back staffing for these programs and hope to open applications for volunteers by early June or sooner. Please check back here for updates. 

If you have any questions, please email the UWMC Volunteer Service Manager, Cynnie Foss at fossc@uw.edu. Thank you for your patience and we look forward to working with you all again soon!

If you have further questions about the UWMC Volunteer Programs at Our Montlake and Northwest campuses, please contact UWMC Volunteer Services Manager, Cynnie Foss, at fossc@uw.edu . Thank you.

Adults and teens (15 years or older) are encouraged to volunteer at University Medical Center - Northwest. We ask that volunteers be willing to work three to four hours per week for a minimum of four months.

All new volunteers must attend a volunteer orientation. This will help familiarize new volunteers with the policies and procedures that govern volunteers at University Medical Center - Northwest. In addition, volunteers receive specialized training within their specific departments. Volunteers also receive ongoing support from other staff members.