Volunteer Opportunities

WVU Hospitals accepts four types of volunteers: Adults, college students, high school students for the Junior Volunteer Program, and the Health Careers Academy.

Adults (18+ and no longer a student) may apply for volunteer service at any time. Graduate students can apply as an adult.

College student volunteers are accepted three times per year during the fall, spring, and summer. The spring 2025 enrollment dates are December 20th, 2024 – January 10th, 2025. College students can only apply during an enrollment period. Student applications will not be accepted after an enrollment period has ended.

Health Careers Academy applications are accepted during the month of January each year and applications for the Junior Volunteer Program are accepted April 1st – 30th each year.

Application Details

  • The first 125 college student applications will be accepted. Please do not apply as an adult volunteer unless you are a grad student.
  • If you were a college student volunteer within the past two years and you would like to volunteer again, you are not required to submit a new application. Please contact Volunteer Services at 304-598-4134 to request a volunteer return packet.
  • The Health Careers Academy is one week of exposure to various healthcare professions. Participants will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience not offered by traditional volunteering. Students must commit to the entire one-week session. Twenty-five applications will be accepted, and 20 participants will be chosen for the program.
  • Students interested in applying for the Health Careers Academy must be interested in a healthcare profession, provide their high school transcript with at least a 3.0 grade point average, provide two letters of recommendation from teachers or guidance counselors, and write a 500-word essay about why they are interested in participating in the WVU Hospitals Health Careers Academy.
  • Applicants will attend a group interview with a selection committee. If chosen to participate, applicants must complete all volunteer onboarding requirements.

Volunteer Hours

Shifts are available during mornings, afternoons, evenings, and weekends. Schedules vary depending on the department where you volunteer. Volunteers are expected to complete at least one shift per week.

Volunteer Orientation and Onboarding Session

Upon receipt of your application, you will receive an email with a link to the online volunteer orientation. Orientation must be completed prior to attending an onboarding session. If you are a student or an applicant for the Health Careers Academy, you will select an onboarding session date on your application. Adult volunteers will be contacted to schedule an onboarding session after completing the online orientation.

Required Immunizations

In order to provide a safe environment for both patients and volunteers, volunteers are required to provide documentation of the following immunizations. All volunteers will visit WVU Medicine Employee Health, and a clinician will grant approval to volunteer once all immunization requirements are confirmed.

  • Chicken pox: documentation of history
  • Flu: during flu season
  • Hepatitis B: series of three immunizations; at least one must be administered prior to start. (This is given in Employee Health and a titer to follow the vaccines.)
  • Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR): proof of two separate doses
  • Tetanus: within the past 10 years
  • Tuberculosis (TB) baseline assessment: documentation of a negative purified protein derivative (PPD) skin test within the past 30 days OR QuantiFERON/interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) blood testing OR a copy of the most recent chest x-ray in the event of a history of a positive TB test.
    • If you have not received a PPD skin test within the past 12 months, a two-step TB skin test will be administered seven to 10 days after your initial skin test placement.

We strongly suggest that you do not get any immunizations before seeing an Employee Health clinician.

Employee Health will only administer a TB test for the Junior Volunteers and the Health Careers Academy participants. All other immunization requirements must be obtained elsewhere.