Volunteering
Volunteers at the Institute for Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders enhance the quality of life of our patients, their siblings and their parents. In addition, they assist staff with a variety of tasks and assignments. Volunteers primarily work with our children, both in the Reuten Clinic and on our inpatient unit.
In order to become an Institute for Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders volunteer, one must first call 551.996.5437 to have an initial telephone screening. Once it has been determined by a professional member of the psychosocial team that the individual meets our requirements they will be referred to the Hackensack University Medical Center's Volunteer Department for further screening.
Based on the availability of the volunteer, i.e. days, evenings, or weekends, the volunteer will be assigned to a member of the psychosocial team for orientation and for on-going contact and support. The volunteer will report to this person each time he or she comes to volunteer.
All volunteers must understand the importance of confidentiality and cultural sensitivity when interacting with patients and their loved ones. They must also demonstrate competence, and possess good communication skills and active listening skills.
We require our volunteers to be available on a consistent basis throughout the year and recommend setting aside three to four hours per week for volunteering.
Internship
The Institute for Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders offers extensive internship training opportunities for social workers, psychologists, certified child life specialists, and creative arts therapists.
Interns are exposed to a variety of career development experiences in a pediatric hematology/oncology setting, including direct clinical contact, program development, academic inservices, introduction to systems, and multi-disciplinary collaboration.
Licensed social workers, certified child life specialists, and registered creative arts therapists work with affiliated colleges and graduate schools to fulfill training requirements. The social work team only accepts graduate level interns.
For more information about internships and externships, please contact us as follows:
Social Work Internship: 551.996.5624
Child life/Creative art 551.996.5146
Music Therapy: 551.996.5626