Hurley Medical Center offers the only student volunteer program in Genesee County. The program is open for students 15-18 years old and in grades 10-12.

Students can work in six different units: pediatrics, neonatal, geriatrics, ER, oncology, and postpartum.

Senior Halle Hensley worked in the neonatal intensive care unit during the program’s winter semester.

“I want to be a neonatal nurse, so it’s great that I get to help people while learning about my field,” Hensley said. “I got to do a lot of things that I cannot in a classroom setting while still in high school.”

Depending on the unit, students work with nurses and help patients by running errands, answering patient call lights, and keeping patients comfortable.

“I answered phones, got supplies, changed and fed the babies, and did anything else the nurses needed me to do,” Hensley said. “Nurses were always giving me new tasks or showing me something new about taking care of premature babies.”

To apply, students must fill out a paper application that can be downloaded on the website and then mailed in to Hurley.

The program usually has a waiting list, and once a student is accepted there is a two-hour orientation.

Student volunteers work one day a week for four hours over the course of one semester.

Every day volunteers work they get a meal voucher that is good for the cafeteria, the gift shop, and the cafe.

Junior Jasmine Patrick volunteered in the pediatric unit last summer; however, she does not want to get a job in the medical field.

“I never wanted to go into the pediatric field. I just like volunteering and helping people,” Patrick said.

Volunteering at Hurley is different than volunteering in most other places. Hurley is unique in the way it relies on volunteers to help nurses perform tasks quickly and easily.

According to Hurley’s website, volunteers give 60,000 hours a year at the hospital.

Students who would like to go into the medical field or hope to work in a hospital setting should consider volunteering for a semester.

“I like volunteering at Hurley because it is independent and hands on. I was doing many of the same tasks my job will entail,” Hensley said. “The connections and knowledge I have acquired at Hurley will benefit me later on in my career.”

Patrick feels she has gotten a lot out volunteering at Hurley compared to other places.

“Volunteering at Hurley teaches you to be responsible and have attention to detail. You have to pay attention because messing up can mean you hurt someone,” Patrick said.