Volunteering | Advocate Lutheran General Childrens Hospital

Medical Specialties
at Advocate Lutheran General Children’s Hospital

Cancer/Oncology

Critical Care

Emergency Services

Pediatrics

Heart Care/Cardiology

Neonatology

Surgery

Other Medical Services

Doctors

Classes and Screenings

Volunteering
At Advocate Lutheran General Children’s Hospital

Volunteering at a children’s hospital is a challenging yet rewarding experience. Volunteers touch children’s lives and make invaluable contributions. In return, volunteers receive the personal gratification of knowing they’ve made someone’s day a little brighter.

At Advocate Lutheran General Children’s Hospital we believe emotional care is an important part of a patient’s treatment plan. Volunteers are therefore trained to provide activities that help patients and family members adjust to hospitalization and cope with the stress and anxiety associated with a hospital stay.

Volunteers assigned to the inpatient care areas of the hospital are coordinated through the Child Life department. The Child Life department focuses on providing therapeutic play and activities for children, teens and young adults. Child Life services are supported by community contributions and volunteers who generously donate their time.

To learn more about volunteering at Lutheran General Children’s Hospital, click on the links below:

Volunteer duties

Criteria for volunteer placement

Application and training

Volunteer Duties
As a Child Life volunteer at Lutheran General Children’s Hospital, you will bring comfort and support to hospitalized patients and their families. Some of the general services you may offer as a volunteer include:

Holding and rocking infants
Playing games (board games, cards, video games, etc.)
Offering art and craft projects
Participating in “pretend play” with young children
Comforting distraught patients
Setting up video movies
Distributing toys and activities to patients on bed rest
Supervising activities in the playroom or teen lounge
Reading to children
Providing companionship to patients
Talking with teens
Listening to patient or parent concerns
Offering parents much needed breaks
Providing attention to visiting siblings
Assisting with special events
Cleaning toys
Keeping play areas neat and organized
Assisting staff
Involvement in special projects
Sharing unique talents (storytelling, art, music, computer skills, clerical assistance, etc.)

Criteria for Volunteer Placement
Volunteering in a hospital is not for everyone. It is not enough to just want to “help others”. Volunteers must be well matched to their assignment and comfortable with their assigned duties. They must also behave appropriately when interacting with patients and family members.

The staff at Lutheran General Children’s Hospital provides an extensive orientation and an individualized training session. To be suited to the role of a volunteer, an individual should possess certain personal attributes, such as:

Genuine interest in children
Ability to relate to others, both children and adults
Sensitivity toward others (empathy not sympathy)
Ability to function in a responsible and dependable manner
Willingness to make a commitment
Ability to function independently
Flexibility
Positive attitude
Ability to adhere to all hospital regulations

In addition, volunteers must:

Be at least 16 years of age to be assigned to the pediatric and adolescent patient care units.
Make a commitment of providing service hours once each week, at a regularly scheduled day and time, for a period of at least six months.

If you are younger than 16 years of age or cannot commit to a regular schedule, please consider participating in a service project. Or, if you would like to help, but do not feel comfortable with direct patient contact, please consider supporting our program in the following areas:

Office help
Computer assistance
Special service projects
Service League

Application and Training
If you are interested in volunteering, please complete the following application and training process:

1) Contact the Service League office at (847) 723-7470, or click here for information and an application.

2) Complete and return the application to the Service League to begin the process of becoming a registered volunteer.

3) Meet with a Service League representative for an interview and an overview of the position and specific responsibilities. At this time, you will be provided with a volunteer manual. It is your responsibility to read this material in its entirety before attending the Child Life portion of the orientation.

4) Attend an orientation conducted by the Service League to familiarize yourself with general hospital information, including policies, procedures and conduct.

5) Attend a Child Life orientation specific to your assignment on the pediatric and adolescent units. Sessions are held in February, June and October of each year. Orientation is generally held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., on the second Saturday of the month. Attendance of the entire session is mandatory for placement to begin.

6) Complete an individual training session with a Child Life team member. This allows you to become comfortable with providing services on the patient care units. These sessions are scheduled according to your availability.

Contact Us
For more information about becoming a volunteer at Lutheran General Children’s Hospital, please call us at:



	1675 Dempster Street • Park Ridge, Illinois 60068 • 847.723.KIDS (5437) • TDD