Volunteer

Patients and visitors need you!

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MercyOne volunteers play an important role in the delivery of excellent customer service and care to our patients!

Our volunteers help patients and visitors feel welcome, find their way and provide comfort while they are waiting. Some volunteers even help provide retail therapy at the hospital gift shop and cancer center boutique!

At MercyOne North Iowa, we have plenty of volunteer opportunities; you will be able to find the role that fits your schedule and interests!

Explore volunteer opportunities

How to become a MercyOne Volunteer

• Complete application (Link to the application page)
• Complete brief health assessment, HIPAA agreement, background checks
• Health screens – TB test, flu shot is required (at no expense to volunteer)
• Agree to a minimum of six months of service or a minimum of 100 hours per year (this requirement may be adjustable depending on situation or need)
• Attend orientation and training
• Participate in continuing education and training

If you would like more information, please contact Stephanie Duckert, Volunteer Services Manager at duckerts@mercyhealth.com or 641-428-7753.

Why volunteer at MercyOne?

• You are needed! Many people coming to the medical center need physical or emotional support. Our volunteers provide a much-needed service for them.
• Flexible schedule – you decide when you volunteer and how often. You can choose to have set schedules or flexibility based on your availability. Some volunteer multiple shifts each week and some help two shifts per month.
• Many opportunities – if you start a volunteer role and find out it isn’t for you, there are many other areas to try so you can find the right fit.
• No worrying about substitutes! If you can’t make it to a scheduled shift, just let us know and we will find a substitute for you.
• Active volunteers receive a 20% discount on gift shop and purchases. Exclusions include: MercyOne clothing, candy, food, magazines, fresh flowers, live plants, items already discounted.
• MercyOne volunteers are invited to participate in medical center activities such as the annual hospital picnic, department open houses, educational presentations, etc.

For more information about MercyOne Volunteer Services or to set up an interview please contact:

Stephanie Duckert


Volunteer Services Manager


641-428-7753


duckerts@mercyhealth.com

Volunteer positions

Services with an asterik (*) are areas with the greatest need.

If you want some physical activity…

*Forest Park Information Desk/Escort

The Forest Park Information Desk/Escort volunteer greets patients and visitors, gives directions and escort patients in the Forest Park building. Some patients need help figuring out the correct location of their appointment. This volunteer can also get wheelchairs for those needing assistance.

Front Lobby Escort

The front lobby escort volunteer provides a warm welcome and helps patients, families and guests find their way to almost anywhere within the hospital. Front lobby escorts get a lot of steps in every day and push patients in wheelchairs.

Surgery Waiting Room Escort

The surgery waiting room escort greets everyone as well as escorts patients, and visitors to various locations on the surgery floor. Once the patient is off to surgery, the surgery waiting room escort assists families with receiving updates about their loved one. This is a great opportunity if you love helping people and want a moderate level of activity.

Are you an early riser? The surgery waiting room has shifts starting as early as 5:30 a.m. But later times are also available.

*Cardiovascular and Pulmonary (CV&P) Escort

The CV&P escort helps patients find their way from patient registration at the front of the hospital to the CV&P department near the emergency room. Once there, the volunteer lets colleagues know that the patient has arrived. Like the surgery waiting room escort, this position provides a moderate level of activity.

If you love serving others…

*Baking Cookies in the Birth Center

Every afternoon we bake cookies and deliver them to the new parents in the birth center! The cookies are baked in a small convection oven right in the birth center kitchenette, delivering the sweet aroma of freshly baked cookies throughout the unit (YUM!!) The total time for baking and delivering the cookies is about one hour. Volunteers can commit to as many or as few days as they would like.

Medical Center Gift Shop

Gift shop volunteers help customers select gifts and clothing, operate a cash register, credit card reader and handle money. They also spend some time on their feet and are the first ones to know when new merchandise arrives! If you like working with the public, this is a fun volunteer role.

*Cancer Center Boutique

The Cancer Center Boutique is a very special volunteer opportunity! The boutique just opened in December 2021 and sells non-toxic skin care products, wigs, headwear and other helpful products. The boutique accepts credit cards and checks for payment. There will be some standing as you help customers or use the cash register, but you can sit and rest in between customers. The shop isn’t too busy, so this is also a great opportunity to catch up on reading while you are serving others.

*Eucharistic Ministry 

Volunteers in the Eucharistic Ministry program bring Communion to Catholic patients during their stay in the hospital or in the skilled nursing unit on West Campus. The volunteers will not go into rooms of patients with isolation precautions. This is a great help to Father Paul Lippstock and the spiritual care staff. Anyone who is a commissioned Eucharistic Minister in their home Catholic parish is qualified for this role.

*Population Health - Care Management

The Population Health Care Management volunteer visits Medicare patients within the first 2 days they are in the hospital and shares with them the hospital discharge rights of Medicare patients. This is a great opportunity for one-on-one interactions with patients and sharing important information.

*Spiritual Care Initial Visitors

The Initial Visitor volunteers visit patients on their first day in the hospital to share spiritual literature, clarify their religious status and ask if they would like us to notify their religious community about their hospitalization. They may also pray with patients who are interested. Volunteers of any denomination can serve as an Initial Visitor.

SHIIP/SMP Volunteer Counselor

Counselors provide one-on-one assistance to help Medicare beneficiaries, caregivers or representatives with questions and concerns related to Medicare and related health insurances. Counselors also assist with awareness of SHIIP/SMP services with informal discussions with partners or group presentations about Medicare fraud.

SHIIP provides excellent training and resources to assure SHIIP/SMP volunteers are prepared and have the tools and support they need for the counseling and for community education. SHIIP services are free and unbiased.

For more information about becoming a SHIIP / SMP volunteer counselor go to: SHIIP.iowa.gov, email SHIIP@iid.iowa.gov, call 800-351-4664 or MercyOne North Iowa SHIIP Coordinator at 641-428-6609.

If you love that feeling of accomplishment…

*Volunteer Support Services

Some hospital departments have little (and not-so-little) jobs that need some extra hands. Volunteer support services helps with projects like mailings and labeling tubing, providing an important safety measure for patients. These volunteers work at an off-site location and get to park very close to the door. This is a great opportunity for someone who likes completing tasks or who doesn’t want much physical activity.

Embroidery Team

Embroider tea towels in your home at your own pace. The blank towels are provided by the gift shop. Completed towels are sold in the gift shop.