UNC Hospitals feel impact of student volunteers

Every Tuesday from 6-8 p.m., sophomore psychology student Caroline Vanke sits at the front desk of the Short Stay Unit in the UNC Children's Hospital. While on the clock, her duties range from buzzing in hospital employees to answering the phone to directing families and visitors. During those two hours, Vanke is there to help wherever she is needed.

“I have guided a few lost parents to the cafeteria at night,” Vanke said.

Vanke is one of UNC Hospitals’ almost 800 student volunteers, volunteer coordinator Leslie Wilhoit said.

Volunteers work a weekly 2-3 hour shift in one of the over 150 areas available with UNC Hospitals. So far this year, their work has totaled 33,000 hours, Wilhoit said. 

The hospital employs students in a wide range of positions — from interns to Certified Nursing Assistants to scribes. Junior human development and family science student Amelia Heide works at UNC Children’s Hospital as a child care attendant in the hospital play atrium, a recreational space for pediatric patients.

“The playroom is kind of a safe space for them to just go in and have fun and be a kid,” Heide said.

In her position, Heide works to provide engaging play to patients, but she also delegates tasks to volunteers. She said the role of student employees and volunteers is to support hospital staff.

Chelsea Wilson, the patient service manager for the Perioperative Services, Post Anesthesia Care and Short Stay units at UNC Hospitals Ambulatory Surgery Center, has worked with volunteers to provide support in a number of ways. UNC ASC Volunteers restock supply rooms, man the waiting rooms and bring families back to see patients after surgery. 

“Our students and volunteers really just fill the gaps and make us feel better supported,” Wilson said.

Volunteers perform tasks that would otherwise take nurses and nursing assistants away from patient care. That work is impactful, Volunteer Coordinator Beth Bailey said, because it lightens the burden of short-staffed full-time employees.

“It has made my day when I've had a bad day and the Volunteer Services came around and offered hot tea,” Wilson said.

But student volunteers don’t just help hospital employees, Bailey said. They help those receiving care, too. 

From small gestures like a friendly smile to larger ones like sitting and talking with patients who don’t see frequent visitors, volunteers have the unique ability to build personal relationships. They give patients a connection at the hospital with someone who doesn’t just take their vitals or ask about their pain level. 

“They're that safe person,” Bailey said.

One volunteer student organization that aims to improve the experience of patients in the UNC Hospitals Pediatric Hematology Oncology Clinic is Carolina Pediatric Attention, Love, and Support.

“It's just kind of a psychosocial support and making the hospital a little more welcoming for these kids,” senior and CPALS President Rachel Hodakowsi said.

Through a 1:1 pal program, CPALS members who have volunteered in a pediatric setting at the hospital can be matched with a pediatric hematology oncology patient. 1:1 pals attend appointments together, but they also build Legos and play Uno — or any other activity that makes the hospital a less scary place for young patients, Hodakowsi said.

CPALS Vice President Aaren Capilitan has three 1:1 pals who she visits at the clinic. She said that volunteering with patients has influenced her desire to go to medical school so she can be a professional care provider.

“The love that they give and the love that they shine on me especially, has definitely changed my life,” Capilitan said.

Vanke agreed that this type of personal interaction with patients is the most rewarding part of being a hospital volunteer.

Last semester, she volunteered at the UNC Hospitals Ambulatory Care Center, and often helped children who were nervous about receiving physical therapy by playing with them in between exercises.

Recently at the Short Stay Unit, Vanke brought a toy to a child who was feeling restless ahead of his surgery the next day. These are the experiences that she said stay with her the most.

“You can see the impact that you're making immediately,” Vanke said.

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