Volunteers

A volunteer is someone who freely gives their time and skills to help others. Volunteers are unpaid for their contribution but are highly regarded for the assistance they give. At St John of God Berwick Hospital volunteering is considered different from other forms of unpaid contribution such as work experience, internships or placements carried out as part of a tertiary course.

Our volunteers come from all walks of life and have a diverse range of skills and personal attributes. We do not require a specific set of qualifications or skills.

To ensure the sustainability of our volunteer program, we ask people to provide a 12 month commitment comprising of weekly or fortnightly shifts (averaging two – four hours per shift).

Our program is open to people age 18 and over. While there is no upper age limit, the majority of our volunteers are aged between 18 and 75.

Volunteering Australia’s National Standards require organisations to apply screening processes when recruiting volunteers to help maintain the safety and security of service users, employees, volunteers and the organisation.

Each volunteer role is different so commitment of hours will vary accordingly. Typically, hours will be between two to four hours per week or fortnight. 

We cannot guarantee volunteers the minimum number of hours to qualify for Centrelink’s program. Therefore we do not participate in Work for the Dole. 

Yes, the purpose of the interview is to explain in more detail the volunteer program, types of roles and current vacancies. It enables us to discuss with the candidate their application and explore further their skills, interests and suitability for the program.  Reference checks are undertaken prior to inviting candidates onto the volunteer program. 

We are careful to recruit the right person for the right role to ensure the experience is beneficial for all. Sometimes people meet the role requirements but there is no vacancy. In these circumstances, volunteers can choose to accept a different role or go on a wait list until a vacancy occurs for their preferred position. Please note, we offer no time guarantees of when vacancies arise.

Yes all volunteers are required to wear a uniform shirt and photo ID.

All volunteers must complete mandatory training including: orientation, OH&S, fire & emergency training, hand hygiene. Some volunteer roles will require additional mandatory training provided by the hospital or an outsourced training provider.
All volunteers are supplied with a position description for their role.

Yes, all volunteers are covered by the hospital’s insurance when undertaking approved volunteer duties.

The hospital has a dedicated volunteer coordinator who manages the volunteer program and the network of volunteers. Either a ‘buddy’ or the unit manager also supports volunteers at departmental level.

We expect volunteers to have other personal commitments. Our program is flexible enough to accommodate changes in availability but we do ask that we are notified as soon as possible of absences to assist in planning.

Volunteers do not receive payment. We reimburse out-of-pocket expenses such as car parking. However, we do not cover fuel costs of travel to and from the hospital.