Interview Questions and Answers for Volunteering at a Hospital
Volunteering can help you better your education or your career. If you want to work in healthcare, for example, volunteering in a hospital can help you learn more about the industry. Volunteering in a hospital may require you to engage in an interview, depending on the organization. In this article, we provide 35 samples of hospital volunteer interview questions and answers to help you prepare and make a good impression.
General questions
Like job interviews, volunteer interviews usually include basic questions to help interviewers get to know you. Some interview questions that may help interviewers evaluate your personality and general suitability for the volunteer role are as follows:
- Please tell me something about yourself.
- What are your professional goals?
- How did you become aware of this volunteer opportunity?
- What are your hobbies and interests outside of volunteering?
- What is one of your current flaws?
- What is a recent accomplishment of which you are particularly proud?
- What was your biggest blunder? How did you resolve it?
- What do you want to be in the next five to ten years?
- When will you be available?
- Do you have any questions for me?
Questions about your background and experience
Despite the fact that volunteering is not a job, recruiters may ask about your previous experience and background. The following are some of the questions that interviewers ask to learn about your volunteer experience, professional ideals, and academic or professional interests:
- Why do you want to work in a hospital?
- Are you interested in a career in medical or healthcare?
- Do you have any medical or health-related credentials or training?
- Do you have previous volunteer experience?
- What are your volunteer principles?
- What would former volunteers say about you?
- Have you ever had a quarrel with a volunteer program’s directors? How did you handle it?
- How can you ensure that you are following volunteer policies and ethical standards?
- How do you record your volunteer hours?
- Have you ever been in charge of organizing, managing, or funding a volunteer program?
In-depth investigations
In-depth interview questions for hospital volunteering are similar to job interview questions in that they focus on your abilities and qualifications. Interviewers may ask questions like the following to help them decide where to place you for hospital volunteer work:
- Have you ever worked on a project that assisted a company in lowering its costs or saving money?
- Do you have any previous marketing experience?
- Do you have experience with technical applications such as data entry and digital communication?
- What is the connection between excellent customer service and successful tourism education?
- How do you greet visitors in a hospital or healthcare setting?
- Have you ever had to help another volunteer solve a problem?
- Describe a time when you had to assist someone in an emergency situation.
- Are you comfortable with medical terminology?
- Describe any past administrative experience you have.
- What tools or resources have you found useful in your volunteer work?
Responses to hospital volunteer interview questions
As examples, consider the following interview questions and responses about volunteering in a hospital:
What responsibilities did you have in past volunteer positions?
Interviewers want to know that you understand your responsibilities as a volunteer in their organizations, whether it’s your first time or you’ve done it previously. Give examples of previous work or duties that you are aware are part of the position.
Example: “In my previous volunteer employment, I worked in an elderly living facility’s activities department. I worked with the director to create thematic activities for the residents, which included exercise, critical thinking, and creativity, as well as guided socialization. As a volunteer, I couldn’t assign responsibilities or direct activity implementation, but I did enjoy collaborating with physical and occupational therapists and the activities director to provide exciting and meaningful activities to the facility’s patients.”
What are your strengths, and how do they help you succeed?
Interviewers may be interested in hearing how you use your skills to benefit others as a volunteer. In your response, include examples of how you use your communication and interpersonal skills to support hospital personnel as a volunteer.
Example: “As a volunteer, I believe my communication skills and ability to connect with others have allowed me to reach a larger number of individuals. I’ve used active listening techniques to help nursing home residents and hospital patients achieve emotional and mental comfort. My communication tactics have also allowed me to provide better volunteer services and bring new volunteers to the organizations I work with. Having the ability to practice these abilities has helped me better in my volunteer work.”
What qualifications do you have to volunteer at our hospital?
This question helps interviewers understand how you wish to support hospital personnel and how your skills can contribute to making visitors feel welcome and cared for. As a volunteer, use your response to demonstrate your commitment to help others and your ability to use feedback to provide excellent support.
Example: “I understand your hospital provides excellent medical care to children undergoing cancer treatment. I used to work in childcare, and I still utilize some of the skills and activities that I learnt there to engage and entertain children. I appreciate creating a nice and loving environment in which children may learn and socialize, and I am confident that I can do so in your organization.”
What kinds of duties would you like to perform as a volunteer here?
Interviewers may ask this question to determine which areas of the hospital you can best contribute to as a volunteer. Describe some of the activities you’d like to take part in or procedures you’d like to learn about that will help you in your profession or academic training.
Example: “I’m nearing the end of my pre-med classes and want to attend medical school after obtaining my bachelor’s degree. Volunteering here will help me have a better understanding of emergency hospital triage procedures. Because I want to be a trauma surgeon, I’d want to help your emergency department access advocates by completing admission and discharge data, greeting hospital visitors, and assisting staff with measuring ER wait times.”
Have you ever made a suggestion that led to a stronger volunteer program? What was the final outcome?
This question may provide interviewers with insight into your reason for volunteering with organizations. Showcase your experience as a volunteer who takes the initiative to achieve positive results and success.
Example: “I used to be a volunteer with a group that occasionally overstaffed hospitals and healthcare facilities with volunteers. I suggested that the program coordinators set up a digital communication channel through which they could send out alerts about possible volunteer opportunities, track the number of volunteers on the ground, and handle new volunteer acceptance and onboarding. My program coordinators were able to better organize volunteer placement records and manage volunteer activities as a result of this.”
