Volunteer Companions serve on Maimonides Medical Center’s medical and surgical inpatient units. Working with the professional healthcare teams, Volunteer Companions help the Medical Center provide adult patients with compassionate and attentive care, assure their safety and comfort, and assist in their feeding. For patients with special needs for direct observation, Volunteer Companions provide constant and skillful attention.

The Department of Volunteer and Student Services is administratively responsible for the Volunteer Companions, including their orientation, scheduling, evaluation, and compliance with all applicable policies and regulations. While on duty, Volunteer Companions are directly responsible to and supervised by their Nurse Manager, Charge Nurse, or other designated nurses or licensed practitioners.

Volunteer Companions are required to abide by all rules and regulations established by the Medical Center, including wearing identification badges, conforming to the dress code, and refraining from soliciting employment or accepting gratuities from patients and their families.

Maimonides Medical Center provides Volunteer Companions with structured training and evaluation, developed by the Department of Nursing and the Department of Volunteer and Student Services. Training may include, but is not limited to, oral nutrition, fall prevention, prevention from wandering, and recognition of aggressive, self-injurious, and suicidal behaviors. In accordance with hospital policy, Volunteer Companions receive a general orientation, conducted by the Department of Volunteer and Student Services. Topics include HIPAA, corporate compliance, sexual harassment, environment of care safety, infection control, emergency management, and other information related to volunteering at the Medical Center. In addition to successfully completing training, all Volunteer Companions are required to successfully complete a probationary period, as well as periodic performance evaluations and in-service training sessions.

While on duty, Volunteer Companions are required to abide by the dress code established by the Medical Center and wear their identification badge and volunteer jacket. 

Requirements

A Volunteer Companion must be willing and able to:

• Provide compassionate and respectful care to patients with a range of backgrounds and needs
• Be attentive and responsive to a single patient or several patients throughout a shift
• Use good judgment in performing and prioritizing tasks
• Be comfortable in a medical environment
• Work well with a range of personalities
• Communicate effectively with patients, family, and other members of the healthcare team
• Follow specific instructions
• Maintain strict confidentiality
• Follow all Medical Center guidelines

A Volunteer Companion must:

• Be 18 years of age or older
• Successfully complete all required hours of training, a one-month probationary period and any annual evaluations
• Be available to work in eight-hour shifts (7:00 am–3:00 pm, 3:00 pm–11:00 pm, or 11:00 pm–7:00 am)
• Be able to volunteer a minimum of one eight-hour shift per week or four eight-hour shifts per month
• Be prepared to make a commitment of 250 hours following training and completion of a one-month probationary period
  • If a student, be prepared to make a two-semester (approximately eight-month) commitment including training and completion of a one-month probationary period

Position functions

• Under the supervision of the Nurse Manager or Charge Nurse, assist in the provision of compassionate and attentive care, safety and companionship
• In accordance with instructions from the Nurse Manager or Charge Nurse on the shift, provide:
  • Companionship to a range of patients that may include activities, such as reading to patients, writing letters and, with approval, walking with patients or leaving the patient’s room to purchase items from the Gift Shop
  • Direct observation of one or two patients, following strict guidelines, which include remaining at the bedside or in the room except while accompanying patients for diagnostic tests or having been replaced by an appropriate relief person
  • Perform specific duties related to patient oral nutrition and safety
• Maintain established departmental policies and procedures, including those related to confidentiality (e.g., HIPAA), safety, environment of care, and infection control
• Provide excellent service that is pleasant, caring, respectful, flexible, knowledgeable, helpful, patient, and confidential

View the Companion Program flyer

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 (ED) of the busiest hospital in Brooklyn. The ED 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 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 to 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 three-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

See full overview of the program.

Emergency Department (ED) volunteers assist ED personnel in creating a comfortable environment that respects and nurtures the dignity of our patients. Volunteers provide companionship to lonely and anxious patients; serve as a liaison among patients, families, and staff; greet patients and visitors in the waiting area; deliver messages; and explain visiting policies.

We partner with two community organizations whose involvement is significant in the ED: Pesha Elias D’Bobov Bikur Cholim and Bikur Cholim Chesed Organization.

The role of a Family Ambassador Volunteer is to provide respite to patient family members by relieving them from full-time care of their loved ones on nursing units (medical, surgical, ICU, and pediatrics).

The Family Ambassador’s duties include:

• Providing respite to patient family members and relieving them from staying with their loved-one
• Keeping the patient company in the absence of family members, engaging them in conversation, and providing emotional support
• Assisting in obtaining supplies, e.g., pillows, blankets, phone/TV turned on
• Reading to the patient, assisting with phone calls, walking with a patient who can and is allowed to walk independently
• Assisting patients in filling out daily menus and with their meals, e.g, opening containers, cutting up food (you may feed patients only after completing the Feeders Training conducted through the Department of Volunteer and Student Services)
• Communicating the patient’s needs and concerns to unit staff
• Working cooperatively with all employees on unit to ensure the patient is cared for courteously and promptly. Such responsibility may include assisting fellow employees from time to time in non-medical tasks.

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 may not volunteer outside the hours of 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Volunteers who want to volunteer during the school year must commit at least six 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

The role of a Hospitality Volunteer is to work as part of the patient care team as directed by Nursing to provide excellent customer service and increase patient satisfaction.

A Hospitality Volunteer is assigned by the Department of Volunteer and Student Services and while on duty is directly responsible to the Nurse Manager or designee and works closely with the unit’s Patient Representative.

The Department of Volunteer and Student Services gives general orientation including HIPAA, corporate compliance, sexual harassment, environment of care safety, infection control, emergency management, and other important information. Nursing and Patient Relations staff provide orientation to patient care and on-the-job instruction.

While on duty, a Hospitality Volunteer is required to abide by the Medical Center dress code and wear a valid volunteer ID badge and blazer provided by the Department of Volunteer and Student Services.

Position functions

• Make continuous patient rounds on assigned unit under the direction of Nurse Manager/designee
• Welcome patients following their admission and assist in obtaining supplies, e.g., pillows, blankets, phone/TV turned on
• Distribute amenities, as requested and appropriate, including daily newspapers, magazines, games, etc. to patients and at times family members
• Serve snacks, beverages, and meals to patients after consulting with appropriate healthcare staff as necessary
• Assist patients in filling out daily menus and with their meals, e.g., opening containers, cutting up food (you may feed patients only after completing the Feeders Training conducted through the Department of Volunteer and Student Services)
• Assist patient/family to make phone calls
• Communicate patients’ needs for transportation and other special services requested by patients by collaborating with a primary nurse
• Communicate concerns to unit Patient Representative, Nursing, and Environmental Staff
• Work cooperatively with all other employees on unit to ensure patients are cared for courteously and promptly. Such responsibility may include assisting fellow employees from time to time in non-medical tasks.
• Assist with the Follow My Health Patient Portal by distributing information to the patients and collecting patients’ email addresses as needed
• Maintain established departmental policies and procedures, objectives, quality improvement program, safety, environmental, and infection control standards. Promotes adherence to Patient’s Bill of Rights.
• Assimilate core values—compassion, dignity, integrity, service—throughout all processes
• Communicate effectively and efficiently with patients, family, staff and other members of the healthcare team
• Promote a cohesive work environment
• Report on duty as scheduled and on time
• Adhere to Maimonides Medical Center dress code for position
• Maintain confidentiality of patient information and patient’s privacy at all times

View the Hospitality Program flyer.

A doula, which is Greek for woman caregiver, is professionally trained to serve as a supportive companion to women in labor and provide assistance during and just after childbirth. Maimonides is the only hospital in New York City that provides volunteer doulas around the clock. Volunteer doulas provide non-medical services, such as advice during labor—breathing, positioning, and relaxation techniques. They may also accompany the patient in the delivery room if the partner of the mother-to-be is absent, and she requests a doula’s presence. After birth, doulas provide lactation counseling and serve as liaisons between the patient, family, and medical staff.

The volunteer Doula Program is operated by N’shei C.A.R.E.S., a division of Agudah Women of America. Doula volunteers are assigned to the Labor and Delivery area and are scheduled on a rotating basis, seven days a week.

The Mended Hearts is a peer-to-peer support group affiliated with the American College of Cardiology that provides support to heart patients, their friends, and caregivers. Volunteers are either survivors of heart disease or have cared for someone you love with this condition. At Maimonides, Mended Hearts volunteers reach out to other heart patients to give them the encouragement and information only another heart patient can offer.

NICU Cuddlers are volunteers who are trained to provide physical touch, hold, and comfort babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The role of a NICU Cuddler is to provide comfort by physical touch. The benefits of touch are well established. A baby in the hospital has unique emotional and developmental considerations and by normalizing human contact, Cuddlers can help meet some of the infant’s needs, reduce stress, and facilitate better growth.

The Department of Volunteer and Student Services and the NICU Leadership team provide joint oversight and administrative responsibility for the NICU Cuddler volunteers, and ensure that volunteers comply with all applicable policies and regulations. The NICU Cuddler volunteers are scheduled by the Department of Volunteer and Student Services according to the shifts established by the NICU Leadership team. While volunteering in the NICU, Cuddlers are directly responsible to the Nurse Manager or other designated RNs/LIPs.

Maimonides Medical Center provides general hospital orientation, conducted by the Department of Volunteer and Student Services, for all Cuddler volunteers. Topics covered include but not limited to safety, infection control, confidentiality, HIPAA, emergency management, and other information related to volunteering at MMC. Cuddler volunteers will also receive specific training for their role in the NICU, conducted by the NICU leadership. All NICU Cuddler volunteers are required to successfully complete a six-month probationary period, as well as initial and annual performance appraisals/competency tools.

While on duty, the Cuddler volunteers are required to abide by all rules and regulations established by Maimonides and to wear volunteer ID badges. Cuddler volunteers will also be provided with a new isolation jacket or gown to wear for each interaction with a baby while in the NICU.

Requirements

A NICU Cuddler volunteer must:

• Be between 25 and 70 years of age
• Commit to volunteer at least one two-hour shift per week (or longer by mutual agreement of the Cuddler and NICU) Shifts: 8:30–10:30 am, 11:30 am–1:30 pm, 2:30–4:30 pm, 5:30–7:00 pm, and 8:30–10:00 pm
• Be prepared to make a one-year commitment to volunteering as a Cuddler

A NICU Cuddler volunteer must be willing and able to:

• Provide compassionate support regardless of ethnic, racial, religious or social backgrounds of patients
• Refrain from projecting their own personal experiences/biases, values, and goals
• Be respectful and understanding
• Use good judgment
• Be comfortable in a medical environment
• Work well with members of the healthcare team
• Perform duties in a reliable manner in an intensive environment and under stressful situations
• Follow instructions specifically
• Maintain confidentiality 

Position functions

While each shift can be different, volunteers are expected to do the following:

• Upon arrival to the NICU, check in at the front desk with the Information Specialist and the Charge Nurse or Nurse Manager and introduce themself as a Cuddler volunteer. Ask which babies need or could benefit from being held.
• Check in with the Cuddler volunteer already on the unit to get a report of what happened during the previous shift.
• Proceed through the NICU and check in with nursing/medical staff offering assistance by soothing, holding, or providing therapeutic touch to babies.
• When a baby to cuddle is identified, remember not to pick up, transfer, or walk with babies in the NICU. After being comfortably and securely seated in a chair, ask the nursing staff to place the baby into their arms.
  • May offer a pacifier with permission from the nurse.
  • Speak with a baby in a soft voice and use soothing sounds. Babies are receptive to conversation and this may promote attachment and language development.
  • May choose to read a book to a baby who they are cuddling. Books are available throughout the NICU.
• Fill out a “Report Card” after each interaction with a baby. Leave the report card for parents by the baby’s bedside.
• If there are no babies to cuddle, ask the NICU staff if they can assist with other tasks on the unit such as restocking supplies or organizing areas.

Cuddler volunteers may not do any of the following:

• Pick up a baby to hold
• Walk with a baby
• Feed a baby
• Change a diaper
• Bath a baby
• Kiss a baby
• Offer a pacifier unless given permission to do so by the nurse caring for the infant
• Perform any clinical tasks related to the care of the baby
• Use electronic devices, including cellular phones, while on duty

Cuddler volunteer training

After attending general mandatory Maimonides Volunteer orientation, Cuddler volunteers must complete the training specific to the NICU. Members of the NICU leadership, or other designated NICU personnel, will provide a two-hour training session for all new Cuddler volunteers. During the training, the following topics will be covered:

• General orientation to the NICU, reasons for admission, unit policies and procedures related to visiting, hygiene, safety, and general workflow
• Confidentiality, HIPPA, and privacy concerns
• Infection prevention, surgical scrub, hand hygiene, flu prevention, gowning, universal precautions, and when Cuddler volunteers may need to defer a scheduled cuddling session due to their own illness/fatigue, etc.
• Interactions with parents, cultural awareness, and sensitivity. NICU parents are often under increased stress and Cuddler volunteers need to be aware that parents must be met with empathy and kindness at all times.
• Infant behavior, stress cues and how to respond to infants and alleviate stress through touch, quiet talk, swaddling, and reduction of stimuli

After Cuddler volunteers have successfully completed the NICU-specific training, they will shadow a current Cuddler for one shift before beginning their own shift independently. If a Cuddler does not feel prepared to independently volunteer after the shadowing experience, additional shadowing opportunities will be offered.

The NICU leadership team will provide education for the nursing staff about the roles and responsibilities of the Cuddler volunteers.

View the Cuddler Program flyer.

Read about Sandra Celentano’s experience as a NICU Cuddler.

Pediatric volunteers and students are an integral part of the Child Life, Creative Arts, and Education program, which complements the outstanding care provided in the fully accredited Maimonides Children’s Hospital of Brooklyn. Volunteers have the opportunity to brighten a sick child’s day by providing recreational materials at the patient’s bedside, play and work creatively in the playroom or teen room, encourage patients to play with games and puzzles, and facilitate social interaction among the patients.

Volunteers at the Children’s Hospital are assigned by the Department of Volunteer and Student Services and while on duty are directly responsible to the Child Life Supervisor/designee.

The Department of Volunteer and Student Services gives general orientation including HIPAA, corporate compliance, sexual harassment, environment of care safety, infection control, emergency management, and other important information. The Child Life Specialist or designee provides orientation to patient care and on-the-job instruction.  Volunteers attend an additional training orienting them to their designated areas and population.

While on duty, volunteers are required to wear a proper identification badge.

Child Life volunteers are prepared to function independently providing play, recreational, and supportive activities to children and their families on the pediatric unit they are trained to. These activities assist in making patients feel safe and comfortable. Volunteers serve in the playroom as well as at the bedside when requested.

Volunteers are requested to serve a minimum of four hours per week for a six-month commitment. Regular hours, appropriate to the unit, are scheduled with Child Life and the Department of Volunteer and Student Services. Special arrangements can be made for skilled volunteers offering to run groups on the inpatient units. Volunteer group leaders are requested to serve a minimum of two hours per week for a three-month commitment.

Position functions

1. Child Life volunteers in general pediatrics, intensive care unit, cancer center, emergency department, radiology, and ambulatory surgery:

• Serve a minimum of four hours a week for six months
• Follow instruction and accept supervision and suggestions from Child Life staff
• Plan and implement (along with the supervisor) age-appropriate play, and recreational and supportive activities in play areas and bedside if applicable
• Meet and invite participation from each patient and family, record services provided on daily census sheet
• Clean and maintain the playroom materials after use by the children as directed
• Promote socialization among children and families through group play and activities
• Assist children to and from the playroom (this does not include lifting)
• Follow and enforce playroom rules
• Report any unusual behavior observed to Child Life staff or child’s Nurse. Seek information from staff when necessary about a child’s special needs or restriction (such as special diet, activity level allowed, etc.)
• Log in Child Life census and sign out sheet noting pertinent observations and information

2. Inpatient group leaders:

• Group leader volunteers are required to serve two hours a week for three months
• Follow instruction and accept supervision and suggestions from Child Life staff
• Plan and implement (along with the supervisor) group activities in the playroom for one to two hours such as art activity, seasonal decorations, knitting, scrap booking, or any other activity volunteers are proficient in
• Meet and invite participation from each patient and family, and record services provided on daily census and sign out sheet
• Clean and maintain the playroom materials after use by the children as directed
• Promote socialization among children and families through group play and activities
• Assist children to and from the playroom (this does not include lifting)
• Report any unusual behavior observed to the Child Life staff or child’s Nurse

3. Infant care volunteers:

• Serve a minimum of four hours a week for six months
• Follow instruction and accept supervision and suggestions from Child Life staff
• Plan and implement (along with the supervisor) age-appropriate stimulation for infants and children with acute, chronic, and life-threatening physical illnesses and/or developmental disabilities at their bedside
• Record what services were provided on daily census sheet and in logbook
• Clean and maintain the playroom materials after use by the children as directed
• Seek information from staff when necessary about a child’s special needs or restriction (such as special diet, activity level allowed, etc.)
• Provide parents with a break from bedside
• Report any unusual behavior observed to Child Life staff or child’s Nurse
• Log in Child Life Volunteer Journal Book and census sheet, noting pertinent observations and information

4. Assist information specialist and provide administrative support:

• Greet pleasantly all incoming personnel and visitors
• Locate doctors and nurses on unit
• Answer telephone, and take and relay messages
• Answer intercom in person and seek immediate assistance for patient and family members if necessary
• Run errands to pharmacy, laundry, record room, etc.
• Assemble new charts and assist with filing, faxing, making copies, and restocking cabinets with forms
• Maintain the family lounge and restock the snack area (coffee, sugar, cups, etc.)
• Assist in the Family Resource Center: provide computer assistance, organize materials, create educational database, etc.
• Escort visitors if necessary

5. Participate in departmental research under the supervision of the principal investigator

Limitations to information and activity of all volunteers

• Volunteers do not perform medical or nursing procedures.
• Volunteers do not have access to patient charts and computer records.
• Volunteers preserve family privacy by refraining from questioning staff, children, or families about a child’s diagnosis or medical condition.
• Volunteers do not give medical advice but refer all medical questions to the appropriate staff promptly.

View the Child Life flyer.

Additional support

In addition to our individual volunteers, we greatly appreciate the support of two organizations. The Chai Lifeline (CLL) volunteers provide Maimonides’ diverse patients with services to help normalize a child’s routine during a long-term hospital stay. The Starlight Children’s Foundation brings joy and healing through songs, card tricks, clowns, puppeteers, magicians, and musicians.

Chai Lifeline services:

• CLL volunteers are trained and assigned by a partnership between Chai Lifeline and the Department of Volunteer and Student Services. They interact and provide specialized services to patients and families targeted by the pediatric social worker, nurse manager, and/or patient representative. CLL volunteers are discreet and confidential and provide all services free of charge.
• Visit with patient and family
• Refer to Chai Lifeline professionals for the following services:
  • Transportation to hospital and/or doctor appointments
  • Home-cooked Glatt Kosher meals for dinner and holidays
  • Access to disease and bereavement related support services
  • Negotiation with insurance claims
  • Registration of families for special programs, e.g., Camp Simcha, R’SIBs programs, Family Retreats, etc.
  • Assignment of Big Brother/Big Sister when appropriate
  • Referral for disease related school intervention
  • Home tutorials in Judaic studies
  • Sheindy Leffel Judaic Library (delivered to home or hospital)
  • Liaison with hospital personnel

Good Dog Foundation volunteers bring their dogs to visit patients in our pediatric and psychiatry departments. Pet therapy animals provide physical and emotional comfort and therapeutic benefits to patients.

N’shei C.A.R.E.S. of Agudah Women of America helps coordinate 34 trained postpartum volunteers to work with physicians and nursing staff to provide compassionate physical, emotional, and informational support for families after childbirth. Volunteers in this program must have significant experience caring for infants.

Along with a lactation specialist, postpartum volunteers assist with breastfeeding techniques and reinforce information from the nursing staff, including the importance of follow-up visits with the patient’s personal physician. Postpartum volunteers also transport babies to and from the nursery and act as liaisons between the families and medical staff.

Refreshment cart volunteers from Rivkah Laufer Bikur Cholim work with the departments of food and nutrition and nursing to provide a unique service that nurtures the physical and mental well-being of patients and families.

Every Thursday, volunteers from Rivkah Laufer Bikur Cholim light up people’s lives with Sabbath candles they deliver to Jewish patients.

Volunteers from Yad Ephraim Ezras Cholim pride themselves on extending care and compassion to the community. They cook and distribute kosher meals and snacks to patients and their familes throughout the hospital to lend support and reduce anxiety. Volunteers from the group distribute supper and Sabbath meals to patients’ families and maintain the Yad Ephraim Family Room at Maimonides.

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 Volunteer@maimo.org.

The Feeders Program is one 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 Summer Youth Program, call the volunteer office at 718-283-3980 or email Volunteer@maimo.org.

As part of the Patient-Centered Care initiative, the Department of Volunteer and Student Services implemented a welcome program in conjunction with the HASC Center’s Day Habilitation. Services provide people in need of intensive habilitation with programs that foster personal growth and opportunities for physical and social integration within the community. A dedicated staff of supervisors and counselors, along with 30 consumers from the HASC Center volunteer at Maimonides. Volunteers assemble Welcome Boxes (including tissues, toothbrush and toothpaste, a comb, and hand lotion) that are given to patients upon their admission to the hospital.

The Women’s Auxiliary provides a variety of services, including working with vendors to hold weekly fundraising sales, facilitating newborn baby pictures taken by Charley’s Angels at the hospital, and maintaining the Patients’ Library. Each day, library volunteers visit inpatient units distributing books, magazines, periodicals, and local newspapers to patients and family members.

The Women in Science Program at Maimonides Health is led by 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 Monday, July 1 to Friday, July 26, 2024. 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 2024.
• 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.
• Application deadline is March 28, 2024. No applications for summer 2024 will be accepted after this date. Please submit your applications in advance.
• Applicants chosen for the interview will be notified by email. Interviews with Dr. Rhee will be conducted during the second and third 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 Volunteer@maimo.org with Women in Science 2024 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 and in-person interview process with the Department of Volunteer and Student Services by May 23, 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. Rhee) by May 23
• Attending a mandatory orientation on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm

Students who fail to submit the required documents to the Volunteer office and schedule an interview by May 23 will not be able to participate in the program.

For more information, please call the Volunteer office at 718-283-3980.

Download Application Form

Download Parent Release Form