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

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. The application is currently closed. Please continue to monitor this website for updates.

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

To apply for positions in Wisconsin

College students

College students who 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:

• Spring semester applications are anticipated to open in November, dates to be determine.

There are select opportunities available year round, which are open only to students studying occupational/physical therapy or pharmacy. If you are studying pharmacy or occupational/physical therapy and would like to volunteer in your area of study, please email volunteer.services@uwhealth.org.

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.

Teens

Teens, ages 16 and up, who can commit to at least one full semester are eligible to apply. Teens are placed on semester-based shifts. To accommodate placing volunteers for full semesters, please be sure to apply with the following timelines in mind:

• Spring semester applications are anticipated to open in November, dates to be determined

Non-students

Non-students who can commit to a minimum six-month consecutive volunteer commitment are eligible to apply.

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

If you are interested in volunteering with Organ and Tissue Donation or were asked by UW Health staff to be a Peer Mentor, please email volunteer.services@uwhealth.org to request more information on how to apply.

How to apply

The application is currently closed. We will not be accepting applications for new volunteers for the fall semester. Due to an abundance of interest, we are at capacity are not able to accept new volunteer applications at this time.

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

You must reside in the United States to complete the onboarding requirements.

Required health clearance needed for volunteers include: Seasonal influenza vaccine, MMR, Varicella, Tdap and a TB blood test. We are unable to accept waivers or exemptions. More details of these requirements and clearance process will be outlined during onboarding. Please only apply if you are able to receive these vaccines or are able to show written documentation.

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

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

Pharmacy or occupational/physical therapy opportunities

There are select opportunities open only to students studying pharmacy or occupational/physical therapy. If you are studying pharmacy or occupational/physical therapy and would like to volunteer in your area of study, please email volunteer.services@uwhealth.org.

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.

• In Wisconsin, email volunteer.services@uwhealth.org

• In Illinois, call (779) 696-4310

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:

• Caring Canines – assisted therapy program

• Greeting and escorting patients and visitors

• Providing office clerical help

• Emergency Department guest advocates

• Patient dismissal

• Wayfinding

• Support cancer patients and their families
  

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

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

Required health clearance needed for volunteers include:

• Seasonal influenza vaccine

• MMR

• Varicella

• Tdap

• TB blood test

We are unable to accept waivers or exemptions. More details of these requirements and clearance process will be outlined during onboarding. Please only apply if you are able to receive these vaccines or are able to show written documentation.

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.