Volunteer at UW Health: Make a difference in the lives of our patients and visitors

Volunteers at UW Health are valued members of our health care team offering assistance each day to our patients, families and staff at various locations throughout our organization.

Overview

About volunteering at UW Health

How do I become a volunteer?

UW Health offers volunteer opportunities at its facilities in Wisconsin and Illinois.

Please refer to the information below for the state in which you wish to volunteer.

In Wisconsin

Thank you for your interest in volunteering for UW Health. We are currently accepting applications for new volunteers with summer availability. At this time, we can onboard a limited number of volunteers each month.

The volunteer onboarding process can take about 2 months to complete. Once onboarded, we require a minimum 6-month consecutive volunteer commitment (non-students) or one full semester (students).

Interested volunteers must be out of high school and at least 18 years of age to apply.

We appreciate your interest in volunteering and look forward to connecting with you!

To apply for positions in Wisconsin

Students

Students who are at least 18 and have graduated high school and can commit to at least one full semester are eligible to apply. Students are placed on semester-based shifts. To accommodate placing volunteers for full semesters, please be sure to apply with the following timelines in mind:

  • Summer application open between March 6 and April 1

    • Volunteer applicant must fully complete onboarding by May 31 to be placed for a summer volunteer role.

  • Fall semester application open between April 8 and June 28

    • Volunteer applicant must fully complete onboarding by August 30 to be placed for a fall semester volunteer role.

  • Spring semester application will be available in October, specific dates to be determined

    • Volunteer applicant must fully complete onboarding by January 20, 2025, to be placed for a spring semester volunteer role.

Application availability dates are subject to change depending on the number of applications received.

If a volunteer applicant does not complete onboarding by the required completion date for a semester, they will be eligible to be placed in subsequent semesters once they have completed onboarding in full.

Non-students

Non-students can apply to volunteer year-round. If the application is not currently available on our website and if you are not a student, at least 18 years age and can commit to 6 consecutive months volunteer placement, please email volunteer.services@uwhealth.org for more information on how to apply.

How to apply

To apply, fill out our online application.

If you have applied for a volunteer role in the past, you do not need to reapply. Email volunteer.services@uwhealth.org to resume the onboarding process or for information on how to reactivate your volunteer status.

Periodically we will remove the application if we are not accepting student applications. If the application is not available here, please continue to monitor the website for future updates.

In Illinois

To apply to become a volunteer for UW Health locations in Illinois, please use our online form to begin your application process.

Apply to be a volunteer in Illinois

Questions about volunteering?

Please reach out to the Volunteer Services team if you have any questions about volunteering.

Opportunities

Opportunities

In Wisconsin

We have volunteer opportunities throughout UW Health, including East Madison Hospital, University Hospital, American Family Children’s Hospital and clinics throughout the Dane County area.

In Illinois

In Illinois facilities, volunteer opportunities can be found in:

  • Gift shop

  • Mail and flower delivery

  • Patient care assistants

  • Patient dismissal

  • Wayfinding

Additional opportunities

Patient and Family Advisor Program

Patient and Family Advisors are volunteers who have received care or who have had a family member who received care from UW Health in the last two years. Through participation in a council or a project, they play a meaningful role in helping to shape the patient experience.

Learn more

Organ and Tissue Donation

Volunteers help share the message about the importance of registering as an organ and tissue donor to increase the number of registered donors.

Learn more

Current or returning volunteers

What you need to know

Thank you for volunteering with UW Health. We appreciate the time and commitment that you provide to our patients, visitors and staff. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

Annual health assessments and trainings

Current volunteers are subject to regulatory requirements for annual health assessments and trainings each fall. These requirements must be completed and documented with the Volunteers Services department to continue volunteering with UW Health.

In Illinois

For questions, please contact (779) 696-4310.

To schedule TB or flu shot, please contact Associate Health Services at (779) 696-4112.

In Wisconsin

If you are not sure if your annual requirements are up-to-date, please contact the Volunteer Services office at (608) 263-6046 or volunteer.services@uwhealth.org.