Bikur Cholim welcomes new volunteers at RWJUH. There are about 60 or so Jewish patients on any day at the hospital. Our volunteers visit on a schedule that they set for themselves. Most of our volunteers visit twice a month; some visit every week; some once a month. Volunteers may choose to spend time with just a few patients, or may visit just briefly with as many as possible. This is up to you.
The first step to becoming a Bikur Cholim volunteer is to become a registered volunteer at the hospital. Only registered volunteers can obtain access to the list of Jewish patients. To register, go to the hospital website and search Volunteer Opportunities. On that page, click on Adult Volunteers, and you will find listed all the requirements to be a RWJUH volunteer.
Please note that the hospital does not process volunteer paperwork all year round. We therefore suggest that when you have your paperwork ready for submission, call us and we will walk your file in through the Pastoral Care office, which usually assures that it will be processed even if the hospital is not generally processing new volunteers. We can also assist with scheduling volunteer orientation, which the hospital has in the past scheduled on Saturdays.
Please let us know as soon as you have obtained a volunteer badge. We will then be able to add you to our roster of volunteers and include your visiting days on our calendar.
From time to time Bikur Cholim may receive a request for visitors for a specific patient. In those circumstances, we can also call upon volunteers who are not registered, since the volunteer will be visiting only one patient, just as if you were visiting a friend. If you would like to be on our call list, please contact us.