Volunteer at Children's Minnesota
Volunteer opportunities
Long-term volunteer opportunities are available at Children’s Minnesota. Dedicating your time, skills and passions will have a positive impact on the care of Children’s Minnesota patients and families.
Volunteer areas and departments
Please note: Some departments may be at capacity. Check which areas currently have openings.
Round with the activities cart on inpatient units and offer art activities to patients and siblings. If applicable, work directly with patients, siblings and families by encouraging play and providing normalization to the hospital setting.
Provide hospitality door to door to all inpatient families including offering beverages, snacks, activities and hygiene items. Connect families to the Family Resource Center when necessary. (Locations: Minneapolis and St. Paul)
Distribute books to patients via our book cart. Help kids pick out a book to keep according to their interest and reading level. (Locations: Minneapolis and St. Paul)
Oversee clinic playroom and waiting areas by entertaining patients and siblings. Provide appropriate developmental play through board games, activities, imagination, arts and crafts, reading and other play. (Location: Minneapolis)
Assist Child Life staff in playroom events and activities with patients and siblings. (Location: St. Paul)
Provide a pleasant, welcoming and safe Emergency Department waiting room environment. Connect with families, facilitate play with patients and siblings as appropriate, escort families as needed, provide updates as appropriate, and support staff behind-the-scenes with tasks as assigned.
Provide a warm welcome by greeting, escorting, and directing visitors throughout the hospital, making deliveries, and assisting with customer service needs as able. (Location: Minneapolis)
Spend one-on-one time with patients and siblings of all ages – from birth to young adult. This volunteer position floats to different hospital units (depending on need) and serves patients of all diagnoses. Activities may include taking toddlers for stroller rides, reading to kids, playing video or board games with teens – anything to offer a diversion from the hospital stay by allowing kids to play and simply be kids. (Locations: Minneapolis and St. Paul)
Musical Playground (MP) volunteers will serve patients ages 6 months through 24 months in facilitating 25-30 minute developmental and experiential music times using recorded MP programs and the MP instrument bundles.
Want to brighten the days of Children’s Minnesota patients, along with your animal? Become a Pets Assisting With Healing (PAWH) volunteer. Animals in the PAWH program help patients with development and rehabilitation and brighten their stay in the hospital.
Students studying pre-physical therapy, occupational therapy and/or speech-language pathology can volunteer at Children’s Minnesota to help supplement their education. These volunteer roles assist rehabilitation therapists by maintaining treatment areas, therapy materials, and other tasks.
Provide information regarding amenities and resources to families in an equitable, service-focused manner. Volunteers round to inpatient units to answer questions regarding resources available at Children’s Minnesota, and connect families with the appropriate staff for follow-up, focusing on newly admitted families.
Engage and offer special attention to the siblings of patients through activities including painting, drawing, reading, indoor/outdoor games and general play. (Location: Minneapolis)
Assist with our live, in-house TV show that is broadcast throughout the hospital. Advertise the show of the day by handing out flyers to patients, assisting behind the scenes during live shows, and helping deliver prizes to patients. (Location: Minneapolis only)
Support clear communication between families and staff and ensure that families receive the support they need. Help with sibling care while parents tend to patients, escort parents to the Surgery Family Waiting Room, and assist staff with errands. Minimum age 18. (Locations: Minneapolis and St. Paul)
Help ease the anxious waiting time for families while a child is in surgery by greeting, assisting with directions, and providing other resources. Serve as the liaison between the surgery staff and families, offering communication and updates as they come in, bringing families to consultation rooms, etc. Minimum age 18. (Location: Minneapolis)
For common questions about volunteering at Children’s Minnesota, visit our FAQ page.
Eligibility and requirements
- Be a minimum age of 16 years old.
- Important information if you are under 18 years old: Due to the ever-increasing medical complexity of patients at Children’s Minnesota, we will be accepting volunteer applications from those under 18 beginning in March for a potential position over the summer months. If you are under 18, please apply in the spring. Please email us if you have any questions.
- Commit to a minimum of 40 volunteer hours – a three-hour shift once a week for at least one semester (approximately 4 months).
- Complete a personal interview.
- Complete online volunteer orientation.
- Pass a background check through the Department of Human Services, which includes fingerprinting, to be done at an off-site location.
Apply to volunteer
If you are eligible to volunteer and are able to comply with the immunization requirements, complete an application for your preferred location or interest:
After you apply
- Submit your immunization records: Send your immunization records to volunteer services via fax: 612-813-6147 or email: [email protected]. Applicants have 30 days to submit complete immunization records to our offices. Applications without immunizations will not be kept after this 30-day period. Download immunization requirements here.
- Interview: The Children’s Minnesota volunteer services team will contact you for an interview when your availability matches our current needs. Please note that an interview offer does not guarantee placement.
- Orientation: Orientation information is provided at the interview.
Volunteering FAQs
