HonorHealth teen volunteer opportunities
HonorHealth’s teen programs provide high school students with valuable opportunities to engage with their local community while gaining an understanding of the healthcare industry. Summer volunteers work directly with patients, families, guests and staff. Explorer Club teens interact with a variety of healthcare professionals and have hands-on activities as they are introduced to health professions.
HonorHealth is seeking teens who are kind, mature, and able to provide excellent customer service. Prior to applying, teens are asked to carefully consider the required time commitment. Neither program includes job shadowing or internship opportunities.
Summer Teen Volunteer Program
The application for the 2024 summer will open in mid-January 2024.
The Summer Teen Volunteer program is for Arizona students who will be a sophomore, junior, or senior in high school. Teens in our program fill various volunteer roles that focus on providing our patients and their families with an extra layer of care and comfort while at HonorHealth.
The application deadline for the 2023 Summer Teen Volunteer Program has passed. Please check again in mid-January 2024 to receive information about the application for the Summer Teen Volunteer Program for the 2024 summer. If you would like to receive communication regarding our teen programs, please email Volunteer Relations Specialist Melissa Mahon.
The program is a seven-week session in June and July. The program requires a commitment of two four-hour shifts of service each week with a minimum of six weeks participation. If a teen misses 3 or more shifts during the seven-week session, they may be removed from the program. Volunteer shifts are available Monday - Friday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Our teen volunteers hold various roles in our hospitals and at Desert Mission Food Bank. In all roles, teens will interact with HonorHealth staff, patients, and their families. Teens will improve communication skills and build confidence while giving back to the community. Below are examples of volunteer titles and the roles they serve. Upon acceptance to the summer program, volunteer placement will be based on the needs of the campus.
- Information Desk Volunteer: greet visitors and patients arriving for care, escort family members to visit patients, support administration staff as needed, and answer questions of guests in the hospital.
- Supply Chain Volunteer: deliver important supplies to nursing units and various areas of the hospital, assist with stocking materials, and log data into the computer.
- Surgery Waiting Volunteer: greet patients arriving for their surgery, support families in the surgery waiting area, work with the staff in perioperative services to bring people back into pre-operation.
- Desert Mission Food Bank Volunteer: sort donated food, fill grocery carts to distribute to families and individuals in need, organize the warehouse.
Please note, there are not any positions that deal with direct patient care. Teens will not be in any patient rooms assisting medical professionals due to confidentiality regulations. HonorHealth does not offer shadowing opportunities. Rather, teens will focus on customer service and supporting patients and their families as well as HonorHealth staff.
Summer education opportunities through M.E.D. sessions
In addition to volunteering, summer participants take part in Meet. Explore. Discover. sessions (M.E.D. sessions) which provides health care related education and career exploration for our teens. We have over 20 M.E.D. sessions, which focus on career exploration through conversation with doctors, researchers, clinical staff, and tours of facilities.
Examples of previous M.E.D. sessions include, “Tour of the Sterile Processing Department,” “Exam of Forensic Nursing,” “Discussion of Pediatric Care,” and “Tour of a Trauma Facility.” Teens accepted into the summer program will learn more about these education opportunities through their onboarding process.
Medical Explorers Club
The application for the 2023-2024 academic year will open in late May, 2023.
If you would like to receive communication regarding our teen programs, please email Volunteer Relations Specialist Melissa Mahon.
The Medical Explorers Club is offered at HonorHealth’s Thompson Peak, Deer Valley and John C. Lincoln medical centers. The club exposes students interested in a career in healthcare to various hands-on events, learning opportunities, and the chance to interact with healthcare professionals. Meetings are held once a month and teens must be in high school, grades 9-12 to participate.
Each meeting is built upon club members interests and involves:
- Speaking with nurses, physicians and other medical professionals about medical education and career paths
- Visiting departments within the hospital
- Hands-on learning activities
In past club meetings, students have been able to:
- See live trauma simulations at HonorHealth’s Military Partnership Simulation Center
- Learn how to prepare for surgery with HonorHealth physicians
- Get advice on how to get ready for medical school
For new applicants, there is a non-refundable club due of $55 per year. For renewal applicants, there is a non-refundable club due of $45 per year. Limited space is available at each campus.
