Our youngest volunteers are high school students who are at least 15 years of age. With that said, there are very limited opportunities for young people to volunteer in a hospital given school schedules and hospital and laboratory needs. Students who volunteer during the academic year tend to attend school and live near campus; otherwise a summer experience is best. (Some past assignments have been in Rehab with Recreation Therapy groups, Ambassadors to welcome visitors at hospital entrances, and administrative support.)

Volunteers typically serve a minimum of 4 hours per week for 6 months. Please be mindful not to expect a volunteer to fill the role of an employee. Some volunteers can have special circumstances that allow them to be more flexible or give additional hours, but a volunteer should not serve in a full-time capacity. Schedules should be arranged from the outset and include a minimum half hour lunch break, with a Mount Sinai meal voucher provided.

Please create a profile in our online VSys Request Portal here. After your account is created, you will be prompted to submite a request and elaborate on the specific duties the volunteer will carry out under your supervision. Once your request is submitted, a Department of Volunteer Services (DVS) staff member will follow up with you regarding the next steps.

If your teenager is 15 years of age or older, please have them complete this application: here.

Since volunteer opportunities are very limited for high school students, it would be best if you could identify the placement for your child, preferably not in your area. A parent may not supervise their own child as a volunteer, nor have a direct report supervise the child.

The VSys system enables the applicant to manage their own clearance process via their portal. Once you have approved the applicant's placement in your area, then the Department of Volunteer Services (DVS) releases the required clearance items to the applicant in VSys for their completion. Once all items have been submitted and approved, we will invite the incoming volunteer/observer/intern to schedule ID badge pick-up, and you, the supervisor, are ccd on that notification.

Returning volunteers will be asked to provide updated clearance items depending on the amount of time since they were last cleared. We will review their file and determine what items are needed in order for them to be re-activated in the system.

Yes. Non-ISMMS medical students may come to Mount Sinai to do a volunteer research year in a department. They would be sponsored by the host PI as a Visiting Research Student after receiving approval from Medical Education. Please complete this form to request Med Ed approval. Once Med Ed approves the placement, the Department of Volunteer Services (DVS) will manage the clearance process for the student.

It depends. Please contact VolunteerDept@mountsinai.org or call (212) 241-0478 to review your particular situation. We can help review options with you or your department's administrator.

While the Department of Volunteer Services (DVS) does not provide life numbers or email access for volunteers, the volunteer's supervisor can request an E-life number and Outlook access through SailPoint if these privileges are central to the volunteer's role.

Volunteer access to PHI is extremely limited and is typically reserved for clinical research volunteers who receive specialized CITI training. Please consult the Office of Corporate Compliance for guidance if you have a particular question.

No. Administrative support volunteers may not have EPIC access. If you would like a volunteer to make appointment reminder calls, however, it may be possible to print out phone numbers if the list is thrown in a grey bin afterwards. Please email VolunteerDept@mountsinai.org for further guidance.

Yes. First, the Department of Volunteer Services (DVS) arranges for the volunteer to receive a Mount Sinai ID badge from Security. Next, swipe access can be arranged by the department. You need to send your volunteer to Security with a letter from your department, on departmental letterhead, requesting swipe access to your area(s).

Volunteers can DO things, while Observers only may WATCH. Observers remain suspended at this time.

Basic science research volunteers who are 15 years old may work in a dry lab and complete computer-based tasks.

Basic science research volunteers who are 16+ may assist with basic laboratory techniques, maintenance of laboratory equipment and supplies, data entry and compilation, and searching medical databases for scientific references.

Clinical research volunteers can work with aggregate data sets that are de-identified; assist with patient recruitment, greeting and directing study subjects; interviewing study subjects, confirming and scheduling new appointments, chart review, data collection (at Mount Sinai Hospital or surrounding communities), compiling and submitting essential documents in accordance with PPHS guidelines, and updating study files. Volunteers are not authorized to obtain informed consent, process specimens, or transport or prepare specimens for shipping.

No, definitely not. A volunteer may not be responsible for unaccompanied children or childcare. While a volunteer can provide support to staff in a supervised setting, they may not be assigned primary responsibility for childcare at any time.