I did this twice a week for about 6 months until someone pointed out that I could get occasional work as a nursing auxiliary on the hospital’s nursing bank. This hospital (in England) didn’t ask for any experience but others might, I’m not sure. The volunteering experience and the work as an auxiliary encouraged me to go for my nurse training, which I’m due to complete next year. A new career and a lot of new friends all started form volunteering so I would definitely say it’s worth it!
Another area I’ve had experience of is the hospital chaplaincy service. The chaplains in my hospital rely heavily on volunteers to visit, chat to, pray with, patients on a daily basis as well as helping people get to the hosiptal chapel for services. I’m an atheist myself but this makes a huge difference to those patients who do have a faith and is something I’d encourage people to get involved with.
