Volunteer
Our volunteers make a difference in our communities through meaningful experiences.
Volunteers lend their time and talents in many areas of the health care system. You may choose what interests you. Volunteer shift hours are flexible, and positions are available in many areas.
Get Involved with the Friends of Bassett
Some areas where volunteer opportunities exist across Bassett Healthcare Network include:
- Information Desks (greeting & directing patients & visitors)
- Patient Companions (visiting with patients)
- Volunteer Hostess for Emergency Departments
- Fundraising Activities
- Delivering Meals to Patients
- Special Care Unit/Intensive Care Unit Volunteers
- Pet Therapy
- No One Dies Alone (NODA)
- Junior Volunteers (ages 14 -17)
- Bassett Cancer Institute
Bassett volunteers are people just like you – professionals, retirees, students, stay-at home parents, and more. All volunteers must be at least 14 years old and fill out an application.
For questions, email volunteer@bassett.org.
Volunteer Locations & Program Information
Bassett Therapy Dogs
The Bassett Therapy Dog program began in 2007 with four dogs: Jax, Zoya, Romeo, and Penny, and their owners, Vivian Beckman, Dr. Marina Bravin, Susan Miosek, and Susan Hughson. New owners and their hospital therapy dogs have come into the program and some have moved on, but the program remains an important part of our Patient Excellence program. Pet therapy is particularly beneficial in a health care setting where patients are often anxious, and the animals are a source of comfort and emotional support.
Pet therapy dogs are widely used in nursing homes and hospitals to visit inpatients and outpatients. Interaction with pets can help reduce a patient’s emotional pain and improve his or her well-being, as well as lower blood pressure, promote relaxation, relieve agitation, anxiety, and stress, and improve communication. Staff have also reported receiving many of the same benefits as patients when therapy dogs do their rounds.
What is the Bassett Junior Volunteer Program?
Learning and education has always been an essential element of Bassett Healthcare Network’s mission. Our Junior Volunteer Program is part of that legacy, providing junior volunteers with appropriate training and insight into healthcare careers. With some flexibility and accommodations, junior volunteers are expected to fulfill the requirements below to ensure we provide you with an excellent experience.
- The Junior Volunteer Program lasts for eight weeks during the summer.
- Typically junior volunteers volunteer for a minimum of two days per week, for a minimum of four hours each day.
- All junior volunteers will be required to attend an orientation and training session on service excellence, infection control, and confidentiality.
