Volunteering

In the central hall of Radboudumc, you welcome patients and visitors. You assist patients with using the self-check-in kiosks and provide explanations when needed. You also help patients with limited mobility and guide visitors who are looking for the right department. You do this together with other volunteers.

As a volunteer with the GIDZ team, you work on various nursing wards. You visit vulnerable elderly patients and help them remain as active as possible during their hospital stay. Each day, you are assigned patients who qualify for this support. Your role as a volunteer is unique and essential within the GIDZ program. You engage in various activities with patients and provide “normal” human contact within the hospital. This helps elderly patients remain more independent after discharge. More information can be found on the website of Network 100.

Volunteers who are successful in the GIDZ program share several characteristics:

• They have good communication skills when interacting with elderly people
• They are physically capable, for example pushing a wheelchair
• They can work independently and across different departments
• They are comfortable using email and the internet

For patients and visitors with limited mobility, covering long distances in a large hospital like Radboudumc can be challenging. As a volunteer, you transport patients and visitors to their destination using a golf cart. This may be at the request of the patient or visitor, or via the reception desk or a department. In this role, you provide a hospitable welcome and help people feel at ease. Recently, an outdoor shuttle service has also been introduced. You work as part of a team and coordinate tasks together. A valid driver’s license is required.

On the Intensive Care Unit, a special area has been set up for families and parents. From Monday to Friday, you are present as a host or hostess to help family members find their way on the unit. You provide general information about daily procedures on the ward and within the hospital.

At the Amalia Children’s Hospital, you work as a volunteer in the outpatient clinic or on the nursing ward. You help provide low-threshold entertainment for children and their siblings, for example by offering coloring pages, reading aloud, or playing games. As a volunteer, you make an important contribution to service, hospitality, and a child-friendly environment.
On the nursing ward, you offer play and interaction moments in the child’s room. For this role, we are looking for volunteers who:

• Can function well in a hectic environment
• Can work independently
• Are creative with children and comfortable using modern communication tools, media, and games

As a volunteer, you are involved in the process surrounding a child’s anesthesia. You assist parents with changing clothes, accompany the parent and child to the operating room, and remain present during the induction of anesthesia. You then guide parents outside the operating room and, where possible, keep them company during the procedure.

Despite clear signage, patients and visitors often find themselves wandering in outpatient clinic areas. As a volunteer, you provide extra service and support from the various information desks, helping people reach their destination. Every weekday, in the mornings and afternoons, volunteers rotate to guide visitors, assist with check-in kiosks, answer questions, walk with people when needed, and offer extra attention to those who need it.

Even in the Emergency Department, volunteers are active in the afternoons and evenings to make patients’ stays as pleasant as possible. As a volunteer, you act as a point of contact for patients and visitors. You are approachable and provide additional service. You may offer drinks, point out available coffee machines or meal options in the restaurant, offer a listening ear, and support family members in the family room. Sometimes you arrange a taxi for patients leaving the department or accompany patients to another department or the First Cardiac Aid unit, with or without a wheelchair. In this way, you support patients and visitors during their stay.

Key characteristics of an Emergency Department volunteer include:

• Being able to handle unexpected situations
• Remaining calm in emotional situations
• A hands-on attitude

In the lobby of the renovated Dentistry building, you welcome patients and visitors. You guide people, assist with the check-in kiosk, answer questions, walk with them when needed, and provide extra attention to those who require it.

You can also be active as a volunteer on various nursing wards. Common tasks include having a chat with patients, welcoming them upon admission with a cup of coffee or tea, being present in the day room for conversation or a game, taking a short walk, running small errands, caring for flowers, or accompanying patients to examination or treatment departments.

The Department of Meaning and Spiritual Care organizes two joint (ecumenical) services each year: one at Easter (on Easter Sunday) and one on Christmas Eve. During these special moments, volunteers help ensure everything runs smoothly. They assist by accompanying patients in beds or wheelchairs to the service area and bringing them back to their ward afterward. Thanks to their efforts, even less mobile patients can participate in these celebrations.