Frequently Asked Questions
We are the first student-run volunteer organization at UF that aims to serve the adult patient population at the UF Health Shands Hospital. We visit patients to offer them company and various personal care and leisure items from our Hospitality Cart. By providing compassionate care, we hope to help patients feel more welcome and comfortable in the hospital setting.
Our Hospitality Cart includes a combination of personal care items (such as hairbrushes and deodorants) and leisure items (such as sudoku puzzles and coloring pages). We are always looking for ways to include even more items in our carts in the future!
During your shifts, our Hospitality Cart will serve as a way for you to get your foot in the door to having meaningful conversations with patients!
To be a Shands volunteer in good standing, you will need to volunteer weekly at your 3-hour shift. This shift will be scheduled at the same time every week throughout the semester. You will be volunteering with one other Hospitaliteam member, and the two of you will work together to manage the Hospitality Cart and interact with patients.
Outside of your regular shift in Shands, we will also have external events throughout the semester. In a regular semester (Fall and Spring), we ask that you attend at least 3 GBMs and participate in at least 6 service hours (about 3 service events), 3 socials, 2 fundraising events, and 1 concessioning event to remain in good standing with our organization. These requirements will vary during the Summer semester.
Yes! You will be working directly with adult patients across various units (e.g., medical-surgical, ICU, Emergency Department) and provide them with hospitality items and companionship in a hospital setting.
We are an interview-based student organization under the UF Health Shands Hospital's Volunteer Services Office. We host application cycles throughout the academic year, but the number of cycles can vary each year and will be at the discretion of Shands' Volunteer Services Office.
An application cycle will consist of a written application and an interview. After submission of the written application, applicants will be notified through email if they move on to the interview phase. Final decisions will be made after interviews are completed.
Please follow us on Instagram (@ufhospitaliteam) to stay updated on our future application cycles!
We are looking for individuals who are passionate about our mission and serving others! Talking with patients requires being sensitive to their difficult situations, so we look for empathy and compassion in our volunteers as well.
We also ask that you have at least two semesters remaining before you graduate and that you are able to obtain all of the immunizations required to volunteer in the hospital. You do not need to have any previous clinical experience to apply!
Lastly, we are a student organization at UF that hosts various events outside of our weekly volunteering and we require active participation in these events. Please visit our Instagram (@ufhospitaliteam) to learn more about the activities that we host each semester!