Volunteers

Volunteering for a health care facility or organization is an excellent way to learn more about the variety of health careers. Through supervised, hands-on experience in a health care setting, individuals can gain valuable knowledge and skills that are useful when choosing a career. Intangible benefits of volunteering include learning more about people, building self-confidence, and enjoying the satisfaction of helping others.

Many health care facilities in New Mexicohospitals, clinics, and nursing homesutilize volunteers. Other agencies, such as hospices and community or public health programs, also rely heavily on unpaid staff. Many of these organizations offer the opportunity to work alongside highly skilled professional personnel, giving volunteers a unique opportunity to see firsthand what a health career involves. Health-related programs often utilize volunteers in a number of non-hospital settings. Some of these are clinic attendants or receptionists, child care aides, food services volunteers, volunteers for AIDS-related service organizations, home-visit volunteers for the disabled or home-bound, or long-term care aides. Most community health programs rely heavily on volunteers to do a variety of tasks ranging from fundraising to paramedical services.