Volunteer Opportunities

Thank you for your interest in volunteering at The George Washington University Hospital. Through the generous donation of time and talents, our volunteers create a difference in the lives of our patients, visitors and staff every day. For volunteers, the GW Hospital volunteer program offers an excellent opportunity to give back to the community, express gratitude to the hospital, explore careers in healthcare and learn new skills in a dynamic environment.

GW Hospital volunteers provide support throughout the hospital by escorting patients and visitors, providing comfort items to patients on medical units, ensuring vital equipment and supplies are available to clinical staff, maintaining a safe environment for all and assisting with special projects. If you are interested in joining our volunteer family, we invite you to learn more about our program requirements.

Program Requirements

All volunteers must:

  • Be at least 18 years of age and have a high school diploma or equivalent
  • Be in good physical and mental health
  • Have a desire to serve the patients, visitors and staff at GW Hospital in a non-clinical role
  • Agree to a volunteer commitment of one 4-hour shift per week for a minimum of six months and 100 hours  
    • Exceptions may be made for college students who wish to volunteer during summer break. Please make note on your application if you wish to be considered for this exception.
  • Successfully complete all steps of the application process
    • As part of a health screening, you will need to provide proof of several vaccinations and immunities including COVID-19, flu and Hepatitis B, among others. If you are in need of vaccinations to meet requirements, GW Hospital will provide them at no cost to you.

Volunteer Application Process

GW Hospital online volunteer applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Please note that submitting your volunteer application does not guarantee placement. Due to the high volume of applications received, we are unable to accept every applicant. We thoroughly review and consider the preferences and availability of each applicant to find the best match with open opportunities based on hospital need.

*Our online application works best with Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

Application processing takes approximately four to six weeks. Please see below for a summary of our application process:  

  1. Complete the online application. Please note that you will need an email address to complete the application.
  2. Upload two letters of recommendation as a part of your online application.
  3. Upon receipt and review of your completed application with supporting documentation, select applicants will be contacted to participate in a general information session.
  4. Following the information session, a volunteer services representative will contact you to schedule an interview.
  5. Qualified applicants will then receive instructions on how to complete a background check, drug screen and employee health clearance.
  6. Volunteer applicants who have completed the interview and have successfully cleared the health screening, background check and drug screening process will then be invited for a hospital orientation.
  7. Accepted volunteers will be assigned a role and complete role-specific orientation and training on-site.

A member of the volunteer services team is available to answer any questions about the application process. Please email us at volunteers@gwu-hospital.com.

Thank you again for your interest in volunteering with The George Washington University Hospital. We look forward to receiving your volunteer application.