Volunteering at St John of God Geelong Hospital

Volunteers are an invaluable and vital component of our services to patients, families, visitors and caregivers. They generously give their time, expertise, skills and experience to help us provide our patients with the best possible care.

Our volunteer team consists of over 160 volunteers from diverse backgrounds and age groups, who work in various roles throughout our hospital. We are looking for a weekly commitment of between four to eight hours per week. Shift times vary depending on the volunteer position and are generally four hours between Monday to Friday, however we do have weekend shifts available in our Emergency Department.

Volunteer requirements

To be a St John of God Geelong Hospital volunteer you should:

Be 18-85 years of age
Be fully vaccinated against COVID-19
Have a strong commitment to serving people
Be able to make a minimum 12 months commitment
Take pride in your work and appearance
Protect patient and visitor confidentiality
Be accountable, reliable and respectful
Demonstrate compassion and understanding
Be interested in learning new skills and flexible to undertake a variety of roles
Be committed to ongoing relevant training
Be physically able to perform the role
Satisfactorily pass a police clearance and provide a current Working with Children Check
Provide referees to comment on your suitability for the role

The benefits of volunteering

The major benefit of being a volunteer is the satisfaction gained from helping and caring for others, knowing you are making a difference to someone else’s life and feeling that you are appreciated and valued for it.

Additionally our Volunteers receive:

Complimentary on-site parking, subject to availability
Complimentary refreshments from the hospital café
Access to the caregiver benefits program
Discounts to hospital services
Induction training and ongoing training relevant to your role
Provision of uniform and ID badge

Volunteer positions

The opportunities for volunteers are as varied as the people who offer their time and experience. We work with you to provide roles that are meaningful and best suited to your talents, experience and availability.

Our roles include:

Consumer representation on St John of God Geelong Hospital committees
Newspaper delivery
Café Costa assistant
Administration
Concierge
Patient support - day oncology/emergency/day surgery/rehabilitation
Inpatient/ward support and hospitality
Meet and greet - main reception
Patient transport service
Companion support
Engineering and maintenance support
Maternity/women's health ward support
Pastoral care assistant

Check the role descriptions for these positions.

Current vacancies:

We are currently accepting applications. 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.

Please keep in mind the application may take up to three months for us to process. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

How to become a volunteer

Please read the FAQs below and if you would like to register your interest or learn more, email [email protected]

Hospital Auxiliary

Our hospital is also supported by the Hospital Auxiliary, a generous group of volunteers focused on fundraising to provide equipment for patient comfort and care.

If you are interested in joining our Hospital Auxiliary to assist in the Gift Shop or other fundraising events, please contact 03 5226 8888.

Volunteer recruitment FAQs

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 Geelong 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.