Volunteering Opportunities medical school

Volunteering Resources

You can find out more information about Volunteering on the Careers website , read about students who have volunteered and been recognised for their contribution, and access resources including:

Student Volunteer Handbook We recommend that all students read the Student Volunteer Handbook. This gives more information on how volunteering can benefit you, support your career goals, and give back to the community. It includes hints and tips to help you choose the right role for you.

International Volunteering Handbook International volunteering is an exciting experience, but it also means hard work far from home so it is vital that you are passionate and enthusiastic about it. Whilst we do not advertise opportunities abroad on our online vacancy pages, if you are considering volunteering overseas we would recommend that you read our International Volunteering Handbook.

What Can I Do?

We recommend that students commit to no more than 16 hours per week of a combination of paid work and volunteering.

Examples of opportunities advertised on the Careers Vacancy Portal include:

Service User Representative - Southport/Ormskirk/Sefton Maternity Voice Partnership (MVP) - a team including parents, health professionals, and community organisations working to make services provided during pregnancy, birth and early parenthood the best they can. Volunteers collect feedback from families who are using/have recently used local maternity services about the care they received during pregnancy, birth and the first few weeks after birth.

LGBTQIA+ Community Mental Health Support Volunteers - First Person Project CIC are looking for volunteers within the LGBTQIA+ community. They hope to work alongside the volunteer group to make a difference in the wider LGBTQIA+ community in the Liverpool City Region. Volunteers will receive free Mental Health First Aid (Level 2) training, work with First Person Project over a series of workshops to plan, create, and take ownership of a wider long-term support group which has the ambition to support the wider LGBTQIA+ community and mental health.

Telephone Befriender - Lancashire Volunteering Partnership Lancashire Volunteer Partnership is the one-stop shop for public services volunteering across Lancashire. We are looking for Telephone Befriender volunteers to support older or isolated people, by checking in on how they are by phone once a week. Would you like to make a difference to someone's week by offering a friendly call? Do you have excellent listening skills and enjoy a good old-fashioned chat on the telephone?

Social Group Facilitator Galloway's Society for the Blind is looking for volunteers in the West Lancs area to help one of our service-users run a peer support social group in Ormskirk. They are looking for kind-natured, friendly and chatty volunteers to keep the conversation flowing and help pour teas and coffees.

Ward Based Patient Support Volunteer- Southport & Ormskirk Hospital -  volunteer alongside staff in a ward-based volunteering role at Southport Hospital. In response to reduced hospital visiting, volunteers will support staff in responding to queries from patient's relatives and help to act as a liaison between relatives, patients and staff.

Dementia Support Group - Age UK Lancashire Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) is a programme that provides older people with mild to moderate dementia the opportunity to take part in meaningful and stimulating activities that are proven to help maintain memory and mental functioning. The groups offer a fun, supportive environment where people can build new friendships and increase their sense of independence.

Volunteering with the NHS

You may also be interested in volunteering with the NHS. Each trust has its own opportunities and advice on volunteering. These roles may provide you with the opportunity to gain experience in a hospital or clinical setting.

This NHS website is a helpful place to start, as it lists all of the authorities and trusts in the UK.

If you search online for the trust most local to you with 'volunteering,' you should easily find helpful information. For example, put the following in your search engine: "Alderhey NHS Trust volunteering"

Before undertaking any volunteering, ensure that you read the Student Volunteering Handbook. If you have any questions please do get in touch using Ask A Question.

If you live further from campus and are looking for roles where you live, visit our resource here.

Rewards

Extra Edge Award

The Extra Edge Award is the Employability Award that helps you to stand out from the crowd and increases your chances of success. Extra Edge is like your portable CV which will help you track the skills you are developing throughout your time at university and will help make the process of applying for opportunities in the future easier.

Extra Edge rewards you with points for the work you do for your current, or future, voluntary, part-time work and engagement with the Student’s Union. You can also gain points from an additional range of activities that will help you gain and develop new skills.

There are four levels of the award: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. You will start on Bronze and if you choose to you can progress on to the other levels.

You can join Extra Edge in any year of your degree, and it is never too late…or too early to develop essential employability skills and experience that employers are looking for!

This award is a fantastic opportunity for you to gain some valuable experience and understand how to effectively reflect on the experiences that you have had.

You may be also be eligible for a University Scholarship or to apply for financial support to the Student Opportunity Fund.