Volunteer Services
If you desire to make a difference, touch a life, learn while helping others, or just to have fun, UNC Medical Center is the perfect place to volunteer your time and talents. The Medical Center includes UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, the Hillsborough Campus, and surrounding clinics. Our mission is to assist the hospital in its goals to provide comprehensive health care to the communities we serve and give a meaningful outlet for the human need to be of service to others.
Making a Difference
UNC Medical Center volunteers play an integral role in delivering first-class health care to the entire state of North Carolina. It is the everlasting dedication from our volunteers that allows us to provide great health care making an invaluable difference to our patients, families and staff.
Our program is organized into two groups including the Medical Center volunteers and High School Student volunteers. To best fit your interests, we offer a variety of volunteer opportunities that are available throughout the medical center.
Volunteer Opportunities
See full list of volunteer opportunities. Please remember not all opportunities listed may be available at this time. As part of the volunteer onboarding process you will talk with a volunteer coordinator about what placements may be a good fit for you.
Required Time Commitment
All UNC Medical Center volunteers are required to commit to a minimum of a 6-month placement AND 40 hours of volunteering. If you are not available to volunteer consistently (including summer months) for the next six months, we ask that you hold your application until you are available to fulfill this commitment.
If you are adding an additional placement (regardless of current length of time) you must make a 4-month commitment.
Shadowing
Volunteer Services does not arrange any shadowing. Interested parties must contact hospital departments individually to set up shadow experiences. Once a department agrees to work with a shadow visitor, the visitor must fill out a confidentiality form and read the guidelines for shadowing.
Tar Heal Paws
Tar Heal Paws is an animal assisted activities and therapy program that delivers support and companionship for patients and visitors at UNC Hospitals. The purpose of this program is to provide patients, family members and staff at the hospital opportunity to interact with animals, and reduce stress associated with hospitalization. Become a part of the Tar Heal Paws.
Group Volunteer Program
We welcome groups to volunteer their time by assisting our patients and staff in our Pediatric Play Atrium. Group leaders are encouraged to apply. Please be sure your group is able to comply with all requirements prior to completing the application.
Other Volunteer Opportunities
UNC Hospice volunteers come from various backgrounds and life experiences. Their reasons for joining our team are as varied as their lives, but they all share a strong send of compassion and desire to lesson the burden of others. The many skills they have to offer are matched to important work within our hospice program.
For more information, call UNC Hospice Volunteer Services at 984-215-2665 or email Marketta Williams.
Community Volunteer Organizations
If we cannot accept you into our program at the hospital during this time, we highly encourage you to explore other volunteer opportunities affiliated with the UNC Health Care system including:
UNC Chapel Hill Clubs affiliated with the Hospitals:
In case you forget to log in your hours at the Volunteer Services kiosk or if you volunteer off-site, you may submit your hours online.
