Volunteer
High School Volunteer Program
Each year, The University of Kansas Health System in the Kansas City area offers a high school summer volunteer program. This is a unique opportunity for teens who have an interest in the healthcare field to learn how an academic medical center really works. These volunteers not only will get to make a difference in the lives of our patients, they will also get firsthand experience in both the clinical (patient care) and nonclinical (not patient care) sides of the health system.
Questions? Email VolunteerApplications@KUMC.edu or call 913-588-6560.
Program details
This volunteer program is open to high school students – incoming freshman through rising seniors.
Applicants must:
- Be at least 14 years of age by program launch of June 1.
- Commit to volunteer 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. for 1 full 2-week session (Monday-Thursday).
- Session 1: June 3-13
- Session 2: June 17-27
- Session 3: July 8-18
- Session 4: July 22- Aug 1
- Must attend 1 in-person orientation.
- May 30 (Sessions 1 and 2)
- June 28 (Sessions 3 and 4)
- Fill out our online volunteer application with video.
- Submit a video in your application no longer than 1 minute with your response to the question below.
- Why do you want to volunteer at The University of Kansas Health System?
- Apply by the deadline of March 15.
*Videos need to be submitted prior to any scheduled interviews.
Video submission instructions
You must fully complete the online application. We suggest having your video complete and ready to upload before starting the application. It is easier to take the video on your phone and complete the application on your phone as well.
Instructions to upload by phone
- Step 1: Go to the top right white square logo and select User Control.
- Step 2: Select My Files.
- Step 3: Select Add File.
- Step 4: Click Upload to upload your video.
Once you complete Step 4, your application is pending.
Instructions to upload by computer
- Step 1: Go to the top right blue circle with your initials and select My Files.
- Step 2: Select Add File.
- Step 3: Select Upload to upload your video.
Once you complete Step 3, your application is pending.
High school students share their volunteer stories
Speaker 1:
I always knew from a young age I wanted to be in the medical field, and so my heart is set on nursing, hoping to go here eventually. And I like seeing all the different areas of possibilities that nurses can work in because that's something that I didn't know.
Speaker 2:
I came into it thinking I would get experience for college and that's what I'm doing right now, but also I was thinking mostly doctor and nurse, but what you said, I didn't expect to see so many other different professions.
Speaker 3:
I ended up getting to hold a human brain, which is very cool. Yeah, it was squishy and rubbery, which was really weird.
Speaker 4:
I got to see a radio frequency ablation and I basically just got to see the doctor work with the patient and everything that goes behind the procedure is really cool.
Speaker 5:
I definitely want to go into the medical field, so getting to see their daily lives and what it looks like for them in a real hospital experience is really cool just to see.
Speaker 6:
Definitely to gain experience and especially since I'm volunteering in the unit I want to do when I'm older, is to just gain the respect you have for these patients who are here and they don't want to be here, but they have to be treated.
Speaker 7:
Listening to get to know people, because it's those small conversations that brighten up your day or make your day more interesting.
Speaker 8:
Honestly, just patient interaction. I like meeting new people and talking to new people. That's one of the things I look forward to a lot.
Speaker 9:
What I'm trying to gain here is learning about different areas and fields of medicine that I could pursue in the future.
Speaker 10:
I'm really curious about it, and after joining this program I've learned a lot more and I think it's something I want to pursue.