SUNNYSIDE HOSPITAL SUMMER VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

ABOUT:

Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center Volunteer Summer Program is an excellent fit for high school or college students who are only available during the summer break to volunteer.  Our goal is to provide an opportunity to give you meaningful experiences in many different areas of the hospital that are valuable to the overall satisfaction and needs of our members and visitors.  These roles will give you an opportunity to fulfill your volunteer needs based on course requirements, pre-requisites for programs or scholarship needs. Our summer program asks you to commit to two weekly (weekdays) and regularly scheduled shifts with each shift being four hours.  We require 25 shifts to complete the summer program.  Based on the length of time you will be on summer break; this may mean you need to pick up extra shifts in addition to your regularly scheduled shifts. In this program you will get the opportunity to see how everything we do to support the members, patients and staff makes a difference and helps to provide a positive experience.  Specific programs for summer volunteers include:

  • Lobby Volunteers: Rotunda volunteers assist members and visitors as they enter the hospital, providing check in assistance, wayfinding, discharge wheelchair escorting and answering questions for visitors.  Volunteers in this role will be primarily assigned to weekday, morning or afternoon shifts. Volunteers in this role will gain valuable experience in listening to members (patients) and learning the various ways patients communicate their medical need.

  • Imaging Services: In this role, you must be already graduated from high school.  Preference is given to those who are trying to get into a Radiology Tech program or other Imaging Services Tech program.  This role has a unique opportunity to observe x-rays and other imaging modalities.  This role gives you the opportunity to interact with patients, learn from our imaging technicians and do other tasks related to all volunteer roles such as hand hygiene observations and Infection Control wipe downs. 

  • Surgical Services Waiting Area: In this new role, volunteers will have the opportunity to interact with patients checking-in for their procedure and assisting with answering questions for family members waiting for their loved ones in surgery. This role alleviates the nurses in the Surgical Prep and PACU areas so they can focus on patient care. Volunteers in this role will build their communication skills with patients and members, and gain understanding of the surgical procedure flow. To provide accurate information, the volunteer will have access to a computer.

  • Oncology: This is a specialized area of the hospital where patients with cancer receive care and treatment. Volunteers in this role will assist staff with sanitizing, stocking, wheelchair discharges, and assisting the unit specialist or charge nurse. This role provides initial exposure to the hospital, assists in developing communication skills, is great for those interested in a specialized area.

  • Environment of Care Unit Rounding: Environment of Care involves “sweeps” across units within the facility that are hospital based. These sweeps help units to be prepared for Joint Commission or other regulatory visits as well as assure our facilities follow policy and regulations. By participating in this role, you are actively helping the hospital provide safe and effective care. In addition to regular shifts, volunteers in this role will have the opportunity to round with other hospital staff monthly and gain insight on how the various roles work together.

  • Compassionate Rounding: This volunteer role would include rounding or visiting with patients (from a list provided by the unit), offering art or activity related items, perhaps playing a game with them, offering information on services we provide such as My Chart and proxy sign ups, how to request a chaplain visit, or how to order meals. This role will adhere to the Infection Control measures in place at the hospital to assist in providing a safe and healthy environment. Volunteers in this role will gain valuable experience in connecting and communicating with patients and extending positive interactions into our community. This helps volunteers to understand their role in improving our HCAHPS scores.  

step 1:

If you have applied before April 15, please make sure to complete your applicant steps right away.  You should have had an interview before Monday, April 28 and must be through the steps by May 9th. 


Step 2:

If you apply to our volunteer program between April 16 and April 27, see the following information to move your application forward. If you are unable to complete these steps based on the timeline below, we will be unable to include you in our 2025 Summer Program.


Step 3:

The following steps must be completed BEFORE May 5th. This is the day we will be conducting interviews.

  • Complete five compliance trainings and attestations.

  • Set up a Ready Set account and complete surveys (this is the app that allows Kaiser to verify your immunization history).

  • Over age 18, fill out information to process your background check.  This does require a social security number.  This comes from Verified First.

  • Under age 18, let your parent/guardian know they will receive a parent permission form from Setifi.

  • High school students must submit an unofficial transcript.


After your interview and BEFORE your New Volunteer Orientation you need to complete:

  • Go to a Kaiser lab to get lab work done to verify your immunizations.  This is free to you and once your Ready Set is completely set up, you will get information from Kaiser Employee Health on locations to get this done. 

    • It must be done BEFORE the end of Thursday, May 8th and labs must be done by 2pm on weekdays. There are before school times available. (This must be done by 2 pm because one of the labs is sent via air transport to a central lab for processing).

  • Review a power point on volunteer roles, Code of Ethical Conduct and a short video.

  • Complete a Health Self-Check training (5 minutes).

  • Complete a packet of compliance documents to read and sign off on. This will come through Sertifi.

  • All these items will take you some time, so please don’t delay in getting them done. 

step 4:


Your interview will be held on Monday, May 5th from 4-6 pm.  This cannot be moved to a different day.  It will be conducted via Zoom.

Your New Volunteer Orientation (NVO) will be held on Friday, May 9th from 4-6 pm.  This cannot be moved to a different day. It will be conducted via Zoom.

step 5:


step 6:

After this, we will slow down a bit and give you time to breathe. We will schedule both your safety tour and your training session prior to your start date.

Our expectation is that you complete the full 25 shifts. Please return your badge at the end of your last day.

We understand this is aggressive and might feel like you cannot meet this tight schedule. We want you to know we understand if you feel this is not going to work with your schedule. We understand if this won’t work for you this year.