Hospital Overview
Timing is crucial when applying to volunteer at hospitals. You must plan and always plan for the worst! SHC encourages potential members to apply to be part of the organization one semester before they would like to begin volunteering. Of course, the earlier you join, the sooner you will be able to get into the hospital!
COVID-19 Update: This timeline is ONLY applicable while hospitals are open for volunteers. Due to the recent rise of COVID-19 cases, hospitals have remained closed to new and current volunteers.
COVID-19 Update: This timeline is ONLY applicable while hospitals are open for volunteers. Due to the recent rise of COVID-19 cases, hospitals have remained closed to new and current volunteers.
first semester in shc
During this semester, you will be focusing on the application process and earning yourself what SHC deems a Good Standing. The early you begin your application process within the semester, the more time you have to accommodate for set backs. SHC will do our best to help you stay on track and support you throughout the process, but we also expect you to do to the same! If you need any guidance for the application process or choosing the perfect hospital, you can contact the Executive Board by emailing us at [email protected] or filling out our Contact form.
Below is a timeline you can follow if you join SHC in the Fall and want to begin volunteering in the Spring OR if you join SHC in the Spring and want to begin volunteering in the Summer! If you join SHC in the Spring, but would like to begin volunteering in the Fall, please follow the timeline in the next section. You are welcome to speed up the timeline, but we highly recommend you do not delay the timeline!
September/Mid-January to Mid-February:
October/Mid-February to Mid-March: (Keep Spring Break in mind when planning)
November/Mid-March to Mid-April: (Keep Thanksgiving Break in mind when planning!)
December/Rest of April-Early May:
Below is a timeline you can follow if you join SHC in the Fall and want to begin volunteering in the Spring OR if you join SHC in the Spring and want to begin volunteering in the Summer! If you join SHC in the Spring, but would like to begin volunteering in the Fall, please follow the timeline in the next section. You are welcome to speed up the timeline, but we highly recommend you do not delay the timeline!
September/Mid-January to Mid-February:
- Confirm with the SHC Hospital Coordinator the hospital you will be applying to.
- Familiarize yourself with the process and begin the initial steps!
- If you will like to participate in our RideShare program with a fellow SHC member and ride together to your volunteering shift the following semester, make sure you plan out times you both can volunteer! You will need to provide these times to your volunteer coordinator when asked when during the week you will like to volunteer. If you participate in the RideShare program, you will likely receive full reimbursement for trips you make to your volunteering shift if you use Uber, Lyft or an equivalent. At the moment, we are unable to accommodate for reimbursements during the summer months, but we aim to do so in the future!
October/Mid-February to Mid-March: (Keep Spring Break in mind when planning)
- Complete the next steps of the volunteering process and submit all required forms, if you haven't already.
- Confirm with the volunteer coordinator at your desired hospital if they have received your forms.
- Schedule your interview and complete your interview by the end of the month!
November/Mid-March to Mid-April: (Keep Thanksgiving Break in mind when planning!)
- Complete your Health Screening, if applicable, and if you did not complete it earlier in October.
- Attend orientation, apply/receive your badge and set your first date of volunteering with the volunteer coordinator!
- Purchase your uniform!
December/Rest of April-Early May:
- Use this time to tie up any loose ends!
- Ideally, you will want to be set to begin volunteering in the following semester!
FOLLOW THE TIMELINE BELOW IF YOU JOIN SHC IN THE SPRING, BUT WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN VOLUNTEERING IN THE FALL:
Mid-January to Mid-February:
- Confirm with the SHC Hospital Coordinator the hospital you will be applying to.
- If you are worried that you will forget your confirmed hospital, contact SHC's Hospital Coordinator for the information! You can contact the Hospital Coordinator by emailing at [email protected] or filling out our Contact form.
May:
- Familiarize yourself with the process and begin the initial steps!
- If you will like to participate in our RideShare program with a fellow SHC member and ride together to your volunteering shift the following semester, make sure you plan out times you both can volunteer! You will need to provide these times to your volunteer coordinator when asked when during the week you will like to volunteer. If you participate in the RideShare program, you will likely receive full reimbursement for trips you make to your volunteering shift if you use Uber, Lyft or an equivalent.
June:
- Complete the next steps of the volunteering process and submit all required forms, if you haven't already.
- Confirm with the volunteer coordinator at your desired hospital if they have received your forms.
- Schedule your interview and complete your interview by the end of the month!
July to Early August:
- Complete your Health Screening, if applicable, and if you did not complete it earlier in October.
- Attend orientation, apply/receive your badge and set your first date of volunteering with the volunteer coordinator!
- Purchase your uniform!
- Use this time to tie up any loose ends!
- Ideally, you will want to be set to begin volunteering in the following semester!
Second semester and so on... in SHC
If you are in Good Standing at the start of your next semester with SHC, paid the Transportation Dues during your first semester/past semester and during the current semester, then you are eligible for reimbursements!
Please use your future semesters with SHC to your advantage! Outside of assisting you through the volunteering application process, we offer more!
It is important that you maintain a Good Standing, so you can continue to receive the benefits that SHC offers to our members!
Please use your future semesters with SHC to your advantage! Outside of assisting you through the volunteering application process, we offer more!
- Other clinical opportunities (shadowing, training, internships, remote work, etc.)
- Other non-clinical volunteering opportunities outside
- Panels and workshops catered to your interests and what you want to learn about!
- Speaker events
- And more!
It is important that you maintain a Good Standing, so you can continue to receive the benefits that SHC offers to our members!
Maintaining a Good Standing
In order to be eligible to receive reimbursements for your trips you must:
- Acquire at least 3 participation points throughout the semester by attending events or other activities
- Pay dues for the semester (Please pay either Transportation Dues OR Regular Dues):
- $20 - Transportation Dues
- NOTE: You would pay this amount if you would like to receive transportation reimbursements when you are eligible. Please see the "Reimbursement Program" section below to see if you would be eligible. Reach out to the SHC's Treasurer via email ([email protected]) if you have any questions about your eligibility. If you are already eligible, you would pay this amount to receive reimbursements Spring 2023 semester. If you are a returning member and normally pay the $20 transportation dues each semester, but due to COVID-19 do not plan to volunteer non-virtually, you are welcome to pay the Regular Dues (below). You will still be eligible for reimbursement future semesters if you pay Transportation dues in the future.
- Will help SHC provide reimbursements to all eligible members to any non-virtual volunteer opportunity they travel using a RideShare service (Uber, Lyft, etc.). We ask that you request for reimbursements only for non-virtual volunteer opportunities that you were connected to through SHC!
- T-shirt included!
- $10 - Regular Dues
- T-shirt included!
- $20 - Transportation Dues
- Complete a total of 21 hours of volunteering at your hospital each semester (after your first semester on SHC)
- If you start volunteering at the middle of the semester AND this is not your first semester on SHC AND are worried you will not be able to make the 21 hours, please email SHC at [email protected].
- NOTE: Due to COVID-19, you only need at least 10 hours of volunteering each semester (after your first semester on SHC) during the Spring 2023 semester!
RIDeshare program
COVID-19 Update: RideShare will resume Spring 2023 Reimbursements for using RideShare services (Uber, Lyft, etc.) will still be in effect.
If you are a driver or a rider and would like to participate in RideShare, you MUST fill out this form. Fill the form out early!
If you are a driver or a rider and would like to participate in RideShare, you MUST fill out this form. Fill the form out early!
Once you fill out the form, riders and drivers will be matched by hospital as well as volunteering time. You will be placed in a groupchat and from there it is YOUR responsibility to coordinate pickup locations and times. There will be people depending on you! Do NOT hold up others and make sure that you communicate any short term alterations to your schedule. Failure to do so may result in removal from carpool and forfeiture of rideshare reimbursements. Please contact the Hospital Coordinator at [email protected] if you have any long-term alterations to your schedule in the middle of the semester.
Drivers: There will be no necessary changes to your schedule. The only difference is that you will take people to and/or from their shifts at the same hospital as you. If you provide rides 3 times in a semester, your dues will be reimbursed!
Riders: Try to accommodate your driver as best as possible! Be courteous of car rules, show up early to your pickup location, and be flexible! If there are no drivers available, we will try and match you up with other riders so that you can share an Uber, Lyft, or other RideShare service! You are more likely to be fully reimbursed if you share a ride!
Drivers: There will be no necessary changes to your schedule. The only difference is that you will take people to and/or from their shifts at the same hospital as you. If you provide rides 3 times in a semester, your dues will be reimbursed!
Riders: Try to accommodate your driver as best as possible! Be courteous of car rules, show up early to your pickup location, and be flexible! If there are no drivers available, we will try and match you up with other riders so that you can share an Uber, Lyft, or other RideShare service! You are more likely to be fully reimbursed if you share a ride!
Reimbursement program
COVID-19 Update: We highly recommend mask wearing when using RideShare services and taking all precautions! Only use RideShare services if you feel comfortable doing so! Please email the Hospital Coordinator if you have any questions or concerns!
What is the Reimbursement Program? The reimbursement program allows you to get reimbursed for rides to and from hospital shifts through transportation modes such as Uber and Lyft (there are separate directions for Marta and Drivers towards the bottom of this page)! This significantly reduces the cost of your rides as these companies charge for vehicles and not the number of passengers.
RideShare Eligibility: At the beginning of each semester, members have the choice of paying $10 dues for no transportation needed and $20 dues for transportation needed. You will ONLY be eligible for reimbursement if you pay transportation dues for AT LEAST two semesters. In other words, you will be able to enter the reimbursement program during your 2nd semester of paying the $20 dues.
RideShare Example: With RideShare, the amount you pay for transportation is fully reimbursed, whereas if you do not participate, it is cut in half. To help you understand this easily, we would like for you to consider the below example.
- WITHOUT RIDESHARE: You are volunteering at Grady and must take a round trip for your hospital shift that week. One trip to Grady is about 2 miles and costs you $6, so the round trip costs you $12. When you request a reimbursement from us, we are only able to give you $10 due to our policy of a $10 cap per person per week. You end up losing $2 to transportation.
- WITH RIDESHARE: You and another SHC member are volunteering at Grady at the same time and must take a round trip for your shifts that week. Again, the round trip costs $12. You request a reimbursement from us, and we are able to send each of you $6 to completely reimburse you for transportation (since it falls under the $10 cap). You do not lose any money.
If you are part of the reimbursement program and want to be reimbursed for a ride, be sure to do the following WITHIN ONE WEEK of your ride:
- Fill out the Reimbursements Google Form linked HERE in which you will include who and how many people you carpooled with as well as each person’s Venmo handle.
- In the form, you are also required to upload the official ride receipt and a picture of you and your RideShare group with each member identified.
Reimbursements Timeline: Please expect your reimbursements during the FIRST WEEK of the month AFTER you submit your reimbursement request. For instance, if you submitted your reimbursement request in August, expect your reimbursement the first week of September.
For Individual Drivers: Drivers (members with their own car) who make 3 full trips taking at least one other member will receive a reimbursement of $10. This is to pay for your gas AND reward you for your time in coordinating rides with other members. To request this reimbursement, please fill out the Driver Reimbursement Google Form linked HERE in which you will identify the members you drove and include a picture of you and your group with each member identified.
Marta Reimbursements: Martas rides are charged on an individual basis, so it is a slightly different process. To request a reimbursement, please fill out the Marta Reimbursement Google Form linked HERE by the end of the semester (Friday, November 27, 2020) in which you will provide a log of your hospital volunteer hours signed by the volunteer coordinator. Like regular reimbursements, the cap is $10 per person per week and you should expect them at the end of the semester (after finals). As Marta is relatively cheap compared to Uber, Lyft, and their equivalents, you will likely be fully reimbursed for all of your rides. Keep in mind that if you decide to use Marta reimbursements, ALL of your trips will be treated as Marta due to the system (despite using other transportation modes several times such as Uber or Lyft). You may use the Volunteering Hours Log Template provided by SHC to keep track of your hours to submit for Marta reimbursements.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: Reimbursements are regularly provided ONLY for rides to and from your hospital volunteering shifts. Due to the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital volunteering is temporarily on hold. Therefore, we are making an exception this semester and expanding the program (for RideShare, Drivers, and Marta) to other opportunities and locations TBD. For Marta, you will be responsible for logging your own volunteer hours throughout the semester with your signature confirming that everything written on it is true.
Please Note: Submit one Google Form for EACH ride. This makes it easiest for the treasurer to keep track of every member's rides and reimbursements. Again, we have a $10 reimbursement cap per person per week (besides for Drivers which is on the basis of 3 rides). In other words, we cannot reimburse you over $10 per week. Additionally, don’t forget that you are able to request reimbursements even though you are the only one riding (besides for Drivers) as long as you are eligible for the program!