Help make the world a better place
We have 1 of the largest volunteer departments in New York City. We appreciate our volunteers and community partner organizations, who are committed to our vision of bringing compassionate, warm, and exceptional care to our patients. Ranging in age from 14 to 90, our volunteers reflect our community’s rich ethnic and religious diversity, speak more than 45 languages, and work in various settings, such as nursing units, the emergency room, administrative offices, and support service departments.
Our volunteer opportunities
We have a wide range of volunteer opportunities, including:
- Child Life, Creative Arts, and Education
- Emergency Department Volunteer Program
- Hospitality Program
- Labor Coach Support (Doula) Program
- Mended Hearts Program
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Cuddler Program
- Pediatric Volunteers
- Pet Therapy Program
- Postpartum Support Program
- Refreshment Cart Volunteers
- Sabbath Candles
- Sabbath Meals and Family Room
- Welcome Box Program
- Women’s Auxiliary
Learn more about these volunteer positions
Volunteering is a commitment
The minimum volunteer time commitment is two 4-hour shifts per week; however, certain programs have more specific commitment requirements. Being consistent matters more than how many hours you volunteer. Because we must coordinate many volunteers’ schedules, we must be able to depend on your attendance. Also, please understand that volunteer service does not lead to paid employment at Maimonides. We happily provide a letter of recommendation for volunteers who have given at least 150 hours of satisfactory service.
If you are interested in volunteering, please see the instructions below to download and return an application form and questionnaire or call us at (718) 283-3980 to receive forms by mail. All volunteers must have medical clearance, provide personal references, undergo an interview, background check, orientation, and any necessary specialized training. Volunteers will receive a meal voucher for the hospital cafeteria and discounted parking garage privileges.
We appreciate our volunteers! Our Department of Volunteer and Student Services holds 5 volunteer recognition ceremonies every year
Thank you, community partners
We have strong relationships with generous community agencies and organizations:
- Bikur Cholim Chesed Organization
- Chai Lifeline
- Ezras Cholim Yad Ephraim
- Federation of Italian-American Organizations of Brooklyn
- HASC
- N’shei C.A.R.E.S. Agudah Women of America
- Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services
- Pesha Elias Bikur Cholim D’Bobov
- Rivkah Laufer Bikur Cholim
- Starlight Children’s Foundation
- Sunrise on Wheels
- The Good Dog Foundation
- Women’s League
College affiliation
Maimonides is a major teaching hospital and plays a crucial role in training healthcare professionals in our region. Students from more than 40 New York State colleges, universities, and health career schools are assigned to Maimonides every year to complete their internship programs and clinical rotations.
Volunteer Programs
High school volunteer programs
Maimonides’ Department of Volunteer and Student Services collaborates with many New York City high schools and community-based youth institutions to create volunteer youth internship programs. Students younger than 18 years may not volunteer outside the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Volunteers who want to volunteer during the school year must commit at least 6 hours per workweek.
Maimonides partners with:
- AHRC High School
- Al-Noor High School
- Brooklyn-Queens-Long Island Area Health Education Center
- Brooklyn International High School
- Edward R. Murrow High School
- F.D.R. High School
- Fontbonne Hall Academy
- Fort Hamilton High School
- Futures and Options
- Gotham Professional Arts Academy
- Horizon’s Academy
- International High School at Lafayette
- International High School at Prospect Heights
- John Dewey High School
- Magen David Yeshivah High School
- New Utrecht High School
- Origins High School
- Pathways to Graduations
- Peter Rouget Middle School 88
- Roy Campanella OTC
- South Brooklyn Community High School
- Sunset Park High School
- The Cobble Hill School of American Studies
- The Expeditionary Learning School for Community Leaders
- West Brooklyn Community High School
- Xaverian High School
- Xavier High School
- Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School
Summer youth programs
Maimonides is the largest site for the Department of Youth and Community Development Summer Youth Employment Program and 1199 SEIU Child Care Corporation Youth Mentoring Program among all other healthcare facilities. Almost 400 youth from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds participate in the Maimonides’ summer program every year. Participants assist in all aspects of Maimonides’ operations, from business and medical offices to patient care areas and support services. They also attend workshops on workplace readiness, résumé building, and budget planning to help them succeed in the workplace.
To learn more about the Summer Youth Program, call the volunteer office at (718) 283-3980 or email [email protected]
Volunteer Feeders program partner schools
The Feeders Program is 1 of our longest-running and most recognized programs. Each year, more than 100 Volunteer Feeders from Jewish girls’ high schools in Borough Park and Flatbush are trained to assist with feeding the incapacitated.
These young women dedicate their time before and after school, making breakfast and dinner rounds on designated units and working closely with the nurse managers to help patients in need.
We partner with the following schools:
- Bais Brocho Stolin Karlin High School
- Bais Yaakov Adas Yereim High School
- Bais Yaakov D’Chasidei Gur High School
- Bais Yaakov D’Rav Meir High School
- Bais Yaakov High School
- Bet Yaakov Orot Sarah High School
- Bnos Bobov High School
- Bnos Zion of Bobov High School
- Bnos Yaakov High School
- Machon Bais Yaakov Hilda Birn High School
- Mesilas High School
- Tomer Dvora High School
- Yeshiva of Brooklyn High School
To learn more about the high school volunteer programs, call the volunteer office at (718) 283-3980 or email [email protected]
Women In Science Program
The Women in Science Program at Maimonides Health is led by Dr. Donna-Marie Manasseh, Director of the Maimonides Breast Cancer Program, and Dr. Rebecca Rhee, Chief of Colon and Rectal Surgery. The program provides a unique opportunity for qualified female applicants to intern in the hospital under the guidance of an assigned physician and experience life as a surgeon.
The internship will take place from Wednesday, July 5 to Friday, July 28, 2023. The participants will be involved in a wide array of scientific and medical experiences, including research, viewing a surgery, assisting at a medical office, and working with an assigned mentor. This experience will help the students understand about a career in medicine and science. The program encourages high school students to work diligently in order to achieve their goal of becoming doctors and scientists in the future.
The program’s objective is to inspire young women by providing a hands-on learning experience, during which the students will
- be paired with a mentor, who will provide one-on-one guidance to the students;
- be assigned their own research projects, leading to a presentation upon completion of the program;
- assist surgeons in an outpatient setting, learning more about direct patient experience;
- join surgeons in the operating room to view firsthand the process of surgery;
- use the simulation equipment to “operate” on a patient;
- join resident-led lectures and discussions;
- read and discuss articles written by female surgeons and about female surgeons.
The program’s curriculum will improve young women’s confidence in their abilities in the fields of medicine and science, and provide their first exposure to patient care, surgery, research, and medicine.
Only the most motivated students will be accepted to the program. The initial application process includes an essay and interview.
Requirements:
- Students must identify as female.
- Students must be entering their senior year in high school in the Fall of 2023.
- Essay quality will be a major factor in the admission to the program. It is strongly suggested that you proofread your essay for proper grammar prior to submission.
- Women in Science Application deadline is March 24, 2023. No applications for Summer 2023 will be accepted after this date. Please submit your applications in advance.
- Applicants chosen for the interview will be notified by email. The Women in Science interviews with Dr. Manasseh and/or Dr. Rhee will be conducted during the third and fourth weeks of April. There will be no make-up time for the interviews.
- Decisions will be made by the end of April.
- The application and essay should be submitted as a PDF attachment to [email protected] with Women in Science 2023 in the subject line.
- Parental waiver form must be submitted along with the application and essay.
- Women in Science participants must be available for the duration of the program without any exceptions. No vacation or summer classes are allowed at that time.
After initial acceptance to the Women in Science program, all candidates must also complete the application process with the Department of Volunteer and Student Services by May 19, which includes:
- Completing a volunteer application (including Parent Permission and School Evaluation forms). Please note that this is a different application from the Women in Science application.
- Submitting a medical packet completed by private physician (annual physical, PPD within 6 months, an official lab report for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella immune titers, and a copy of the COVID Vaccination card)
- Completing online CITI research training
- Personal interview in the Volunteer office (in addition to the one with Dr. Manasseh and/or Dr. Rhee)
- Attending a mandatory orientation on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Students who fail to submit the required documents to the Volunteer office and schedule an interview by May 19 will not be able to participate in the program.
To learn more about Dr. Donna-Marie Manasseh, please visit https://www.maimonidesmed.org/find-a-doctor/find-a-doctor/donna%20marie-manasseh
To learn more about Dr. Rebecca Rhee, please visit https://www.maimonidesmed.org/find-a-doctor/find-a-doctor/rebecca-rhee
Download Application Form Parent Release Form
For more information, please call the Volunteer office at (718) 283-3980.
Emergency Department Internship - Health Scholars
The Health Scholars at Maimonides Medical Center offers an opportunity for high school students in 11th and 12th grade, as well as college students who are interested in a career in healthcare to spend time as an unpaid team-member in the Emergency Department of the busiest hospital in Brooklyn. The Emergency Department cares for over 120,000 patients each year. This internship is aimed at students considering a future in healthcare such as physician, nurse, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, physical therapist, psychologist, social worker or paramedic. Selected individuals will be part of a corps of interns who will interact with and help patients from tremendously varied cultural and ethnic backgrounds. They will spend time working along side a team of healthcare providers and observing the roles of various medical professionals who interact with patients in the Emergency Department (ED). Additionally, they will be introduced to fundamental principles of clinical medicine.
The primary goals of this program are to assist in patient care and to support staff members who are caring for patients, while also receiving an in-depth introduction to healthcare. Interns will spend time rotating through various areas of the ED, including the main adult ED and the pediatric ED.
Upon satisfactory fulfillment of the requirements of the program, a certificate of completion from Maimonides Medical Center will be awarded. In order to receive the certificate, the intern must turn in their hospital ID and complete the exit paperwork.
Requirements
A complete application for the program includes submission of all required forms, a brief essay explaining one’s interest in the program (not to exceed 500 words), documentation of vaccination status including COVID and Flu, and two brief letters of recommendation. A virtual interview lasting 15-20 minutes will be scheduled upon submission of the essay and application form.
Those who have been accepted to the program will be informed by email and will have to be processed as volunteers through the Department of Volunteer and Student Services. The process includes completing volunteer application and medical packets, in-person interview, and a 3-hour mandatory orientation in the Volunteer office.
- Intern Application
- Over 18 Release and Indemnification Agreement
- Under 18 Release and Indemnification Agreement
Schedule and Application Deadlines
Rotation Dates | Deadline for Submission of All Materials |
Block 1: August 1-October 31 | June 1 |
Block 2: November 1 – January 31 | August 1 |
Block 3: February 1 – April 30 | November 1 |
Block 4: May 1 – July 31 | February 1 |
Please see full overview of the program in the attached file.
Help your community by donating blood
Apply to become a volunteer
To become a volunteer, please complete the following applicable forms:
All volunteers including adults and high school students are required to complete the Medical Clearance Forms. These forms will be provided after receipt of your volunteer application.
Accepted formats for submission include PDF and Microsoft Word Documents (as attachments). If you mail your application, it should be printed single-sided.
Please complete and return by email to [email protected] or mail to:
Maimonides Department of Volunteer and Student Services
5014 Fort Hamilton Parkway,
Brooklyn, NY, 11219