Individual Volunteer Opportunities

Becoming a Cincinnati Children’s volunteer is a serious commitment. There are several steps that must be completed before you can volunteer. 

All volunteers must submit an application, come to campus for an in-person interview, fulfill various medical requirements, pass a background check, and complete an online orientation. Volunteers must also be able to fulfill annual health and safety requirements.

All of these requirements are in place to ensure that our patients and families are surrounded by a safe, knowledgeable team of volunteers during their hospital experience.

Medical Requirements

Working closely with patients at Cincinnati Children’s requires thorough medical screening for the safety of everyone. Medical requirements, which will be discussed at your interview, include the following:

• Tdap vaccine, unless able to provide proof of previous Tdap vaccination
• Two MMR vaccines OR proof of immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella
• QuantiFERON blood test (tuberculosis screening)
• Two varicella vaccines (if you have not previously had chicken pox)
• Flu shot (during flu season)

Before You Apply to Volunteer

Before you consider taking the necessary steps to become a Cincinnati Children’s volunteer, we suggest that you ask yourself these questions.

Issues to Consider Before You Apply

Part 1: Ask yourself these questions:

• I want to gain clinical experience by practicing the skills I have learned at school.
• I hope that by volunteering I will be better able to work through my grief at the loss of a loved one.
• I have a story to tell and want to share my experiences with others.
• I have a month or two of unexpected free time and would like to volunteer on a short-term basis.
• I hope that volunteering will lead directly to employment at Cincinnati Children’s. 
• I need to be busy all the time.

If you answered yes to any of the questions, Cincinnati Children’s may not meet your goals as a volunteer. 

If you answered no to all of these questions, please continue.

Part 2: Consider these statements and decide if they are true for you:

• Have I carefully and realistically considered my schedule to make sure that I am able to commit to a weekly volunteer time for six consecutive months?
• Am I comfortable in a clinical environment where I will see children who are sick or in pain and parents under stress?
• Will I be able to treat my commitment to volunteer similarly to the seriousness with which I treat work or school obligations?
• Am I comfortable submitting personal references and having a background check? 
• Do I enjoy new situations and the challenges of a large and dynamic hospital campus?
• Am I willing and able to maintain professional boundaries with patients and families?

If you answered, “no,” to any of these questions, Cincinnati Children’s might not be the best volunteer experience for you.

If you answered, “yes,” and would like to move forward, please continue to the Adult Volunteer or College Volunteer section.

Volunteer Opportunities for Adults

Volunteers over the age of 18 who are not enrolled in high school or college and who are able to make a long-term commitment may be a good fit for the adult volunteer program. 

Time Commitment

All volunteers must commit to a 2 to 3 hour weekly shift for at least 6 consecutive months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Need more information? Please scroll through to see if your question is addressed below:

I work for a company that encourages community involvement. My co-workers and I would like to come to the hospital for a group service day. What kinds of things will we be able to do?

We are not able to arrange group opportunities through Volunteer Services. Please visit our Corporate and Foundation Giving to find out how your group can get involved at Cincinnati Children’s.

I have seen in the news that there is a tremendous need for baby cuddlers in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU). How do I go about becoming a volunteer in that area?

We do place volunteers in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, but it is the most requested volunteer assignment. Because of this, volunteers who are interested in the NICU start out in other areas of the hospital and move to NICU when we have openings. This requires additional training, and because turnover is low, the wait might be significant.

I am teaching my young children the importance of giving back. Do you have volunteer opportunities at the hospital that we could do together, like visiting patients or reading to them?

The minimum age for volunteers is 15 years old. There are no exceptions made for children younger than 15 even if a parent is offering to accompany them. Due to patient safety and privacy concerns, we are not able to accommodate one-time visits, so all volunteers must be able to commit to a weekly shift for an extended period of time. All volunteers, including those in our teen program, are trained to a specific role and work closely with a supervisor.

I have free time around the holiday season. Will I be able to visit the hospital to pass out gifts or treats to the patients?

While we are not able to accommodate one-time visits, the hospital welcomes donations at the holidays and year-round.  Please visit our Gifts in Kind page.

My dog is a certified therapy dog. Where can I find information about scheduling him to visit Cincinnati Children’s?

You will find everything you need to know on our Volunteer Dog Program pages.

Steps for Becoming a Hospital Volunteer

1. Thoroughly read and consider the information on the Volunteer Services web pages.
2. Complete your application and email it to: volunteerservices@cchmc.org.
3. We will contact your two references, using the email address you provide, so please make sure they know to expect an email from us. If you have not heard from us within a reasonable amount of time, it is because we have not gotten a reply from one or both of your references. Our recommendation would be to follow-up with them to ensure the email did not get filtered to junk / spam. Please feel free to call us with updated contact information or the name of a new reference.
4. After hearing back from both references, we will call or email you to schedule an interview. This is our chance to get to know you and discover whether we have an opening that would be a good match for you.
5. If you are scheduled as a volunteer, you will be given instructions to complete your medical requirements, background check and online orientation.

Download the Cincinnati Children's volunteer application. 

Volunteer Opportunities for College Students

Volunteers over the age of 18 and enrolled in a college/university may be a good fit for the College Volunteer Program if:

• You are able to commit to 6 consecutive months or 2 full consecutive semesters (fall / spring or spring / summer)
• You are able to commit to a weekly shift of 2 to 3 hours

Frequently Asked Questions

I am required to complete service hours as part of my senior capstone project. I would like to do my capstone service hours by volunteering at Cincinnati Children’s. How can I arrange this?

We are unable to facilitate capstone projects through Volunteer Services. However, there are ways to get involved in supporting the hospital that might satisfy the requirements of your program.  Please visit our Host a Fundraiser page for ideas.

One of my classes requires that I document my experiences as a volunteer.  If I volunteer at Cincinnati Children’s, is it possible for my supervisor to evaluate my performance and communicate directly with my instructor?

No.  While we are happy to verify hours, we do not have the capacity to evaluate your performance or communicate with your instructor.  If you are volunteering for course credit, this is likely not a good fit. 

I’m able to commit to volunteering for both Fall and Spring Semesters, however I will be traveling out of town for the holidays. Will my application still be considered?

We understand that college students might not be available during winter break. Holiday travel plans would not affect eligibility.

There is a chance that my schedule will need to change with the change in semesters. Are you able to work with me when I have a schedule change?

We make every effort to accommodate changes in availability with the new semester.

I am interested in a career in medicine. Can I come to the hospital and shadow a nurse or doctor?

Job shadowing is an academic pursuit, and therefore is not coordinated through Volunteer Services.  To learn about the job shadowing program at Cincinnati Children’s, please visit the Job Shadow Program.

Steps for Becoming a Hospital Volunteer

1. Thoroughly read and consider the information on the Volunteer Services web pages.
2. Complete your application and email it to: volunteerservices@cchmc.org.
3. We will contact your two references, using the email address you provide, so please make sure they know to expect an email from us. If you have not heard from us within a reasonable amount of time, it is because we have not gotten a reply from one or both of your references. Our recommendation would be to follow-up with them to ensure the email did not get filtered to junk / spam.  Please feel free to call us with updated contact information or the name of a new reference.
4. After hearing back from both references, we will call or email you to schedule an interview. This is our chance to get to know you and discover whether we have an opening that would be a good match for you.
5. If you are scheduled as a volunteer, you will be given instructions to complete your medical requirements, background check and online orientation.

Download the Cincinnati Children's College students volunteer application. 

Volunteer Opportunities for High School Students

The deadline for the Summer 2024 Junior Volunteer Program has passed. Look for our Summer 2025 application in January 2025.

The high school program strives to provide volunteers with a rich, well-rounded experience. It offers the opportunity to develop team-building and leadership skills, while encouraging personal growth and improved self-awareness. Our teen volunteers experience an introduction to the pediatric environment as they complete meaningful tasks under the supervision of hospital staff.

The program is competitive, with only the highest scoring applicants being accepted, and requires that students commit to strict standards of conduct and exhibit the professionalism required of anyone wearing a Cincinnati Children’s badge.

All volunteers must be at least 15 years of age and have completed the ninth grade. A weekly commitment of two to three hours is required.

Teen volunteers who score high enough on their application packets to proceed to the next round are required to attend an information session with their parent or guardian in addition to scheduling an in-person interview and attending an in-person orientation session. Specific details regarding the important dates for each session are included in the application packet. Due to the competitive nature of the program, no exceptions are made for those who are unable to attend any of the mandatory events.

Frequently Asked Questions

Need more information? Please scroll through to see if your question is addressed below:

How long is the process to become a Cincinnati Children’s high school volunteer?

Because of all that is involved in our onboarding process and the large number of applicants we are working with it takes a significant amount of time. We typically post the application 5-6 months before the start of the session, so you can expect to see the link to the summer application, in January. You would then have approximately two months to complete your packet before the due date. Because of the competitive nature of the program, we will not accept applications that arrive in our office after the posted due date.

I am required to complete service hours as part of my senior capstone project. I would like to do my capstone service hours by volunteering at Cincinnati Children’s. How can I arrange this?

We are unable to facilitate capstone projects through Volunteer Services. However, there are ways to get involved in supporting the hospital that might satisfy the requirements of your program.  Please visit our Host a Fundraiser page for ideas.

I am a senior in high school and will be graduating in May. I would like to volunteer this summer. Should I fill out the high school summer application or the adult / college application?

Because you are still in high school when you apply in the spring, you are required to complete the high school application packet to be eligible for the summer program.

I am interested in a career in medicine. Can I come to the hospital and shadow a nurse or doctor?

Job shadowing is an academic pursuit, and therefore is not coordinated through Volunteer Services.  To learn about the job shadowing program at Cincinnati Children’s, please visit the Job Shadow Program.

I would like to volunteer but I will have to miss the mandatory information session due to a school requirement. Will I still be able to volunteer?

No. All teens must attend the information session with a parent or guardian in order to be eligible to volunteer. There are no exceptions made for trips, sports, or school events.

I would like to volunteer but I know that I will miss multiple shifts due to other commitments. Can I volunteer twice a week instead to make up for the times I will miss?

No. If you have other commitments that will cause you to have poor attendance, this program is not a good match. We require that our volunteers complete no fewer  than 80% of their scheduled shifts in order to stay in the program, and we do not have the ability to schedule you multiple times during the week so that you can achieve that marker.

Sewing Room

Are you an experienced sewer who is interested in supporting the hospital’s Volunteer Sewing Room?

Our sewing room volunteers fulfill requests from staff for our patients, units, and clinics. 

Items made in the sewing room include reusable clothing and quilts, insulin pump bags, medical play dolls and many specialty items designed to meet patient needs. 

Volunteers in the sewing room commit to one weekly shift of 5 hours a day. 

Ideal qualities of a sewing room volunteer, include:

• Experience with a sewing machine
• Open to helping with sewing requests of all kinds, hand stitched or sewing machine stitched
• Able to work in a busy group setting and team up with other sewers for special projects

Sewing room volunteers must complete the same medical requirements as our college / adult volunteers. Please see the Individual Volunteer Opportunities Section for more information.

Steps for Becoming a Hospital Sewing Room Volunteer

1. Thoroughly read and consider the information on the Volunteer Services web pages.
2. Complete your application and email it to: volunteerservices@cchmc.org
3. We will contact your two references, using the email address you provide, so please make sure they know to expect an email from us. If you have not heard from us within a reasonable amount of time, it is because we have not gotten a reply from one or both of your references. Our recommendation would be to follow-up with them to ensure the email did not get filtered to junk / spam.  Please feel free to call us with updated contact information or the name of a new reference.
4. After hearing back from both references, we will call or email you to schedule an interview. This is our chance to get to know you and discover whether we have an opening that would be a good match for you.
5. If you are scheduled as a volunteer, you will be given instructions to complete your medical requirements, background check and online orientation.

Download the Cincinnati Children's volunteer application.