volunteer nurses

[abiyhayil]

I've started looking for LPN jobs 3 wks ago and I've only gotten responsesto let me know I need a minimum of 1 yr of experience. I've been thinking about volunteering but have no idea where to start. I've tried calling the hospital, state mental health clinic and a nursing home with no luck. Any ideas?

[FourTrees]

here we have tiny free community health center for those who can't afford medical care. The majority of people on staff are volunteer... Also, what about places like pregnancy crisis centers? We also have "health departments" that are basically low-income clinics. When I worked there we would have many interns through schools. I'm sure if someone was qualified, they would have accepted a volunteer. Good luck!

[possum]

What about Planned Parenthood or other clinics with outreach missions?

Melinda

[abiyhayil]

thank you for the suggestions, I found a few medical type volunteer positions on the state website. They're like CNA type things,baths and feeding. Hopefully this will be a step in the right direction,and it will be nice to give time to patients that is hardfor staff to do

[lorijds]

Free health clinics. I volunteered for years at a free clinic, and I worked as a nurse--I took histories, drew blood, gave injections, did pt teaching on meds/diet/disease management, made referral appointments and follow up calls, etc.

Call the local health department and ask if *they* need nurse volunteers. If they do not, ask them for a list of places that provide free or sliding scale health care. Those places nearly always depend heavily on volunteers, and if you can commit to a regular volunteer schedule, they can provide you with some great experience.

Just make sure you are actually volunteering as a NURSE, and make sure you have malpractice insurance. I use NSO, it's cheap and comprehensive. It will cover you 24/7, and coverage includes volunteer work.

Good luck!

ETA: a lot of the free clinics are religiously based. If you aren't a member of an organized religion, or of that particular faith, it typically doesn't matter. The vast majority of places that put that much time and effort into running a free clinic are doing so because they want to meet a need. They couldn't care what sort of faith or lack thereof you have. I'm an atheist, and the clinic I volunteered at was run by a super right wing, conservative, evangelical church. They were doing great work, caring for all who requested assistance in a respectful, nonjudgemental manner, and I was proud to work with them.

[abiyhayil]

thank you for the replies. I called DHSS today and they suggested I call the state office of management and budget where I was transferred to the directors vm. Tomorrow I'll try to find # 's of clinics. How can I find a reputable insurance company?