Just about no one gets into nursing for the paycheck. While financial motivation can and does motivate some to pursue higher nursing degrees (or more overtime), most nurses answer to what is commonly referred to as a “higher calling.” Yet, it is also true that nurses have one of the highest rates of mental distress arising from their vocation. Indeed, among the many scars 2020  — and now bleeding into 2021 — has left on the nursing profession is epic burnout and compassion fatigue that borderlines on PTSD. 

We take care of patients to help them heal, or at least to walk with them in their hour of suffering. With so many patients lost this year, the feeling of helplessness is pervasive. So much so, that many nurses are looking to escape the bedside, (at least, if only temporarily, to a tropical island perhaps). But running away—though justified—is not the only way through this time of disillusionment. 

Volunteering is a way to rekindle the nurses’ appetite for caring. Even though at first it may seem like an excessive burden to place on an already overworked group, there is no greater salve for the weary soul than feeling like one’s efforts are needed, appreciated, and transformative. 

Below is a list of several nurse volunteer opportunities, and how to get involved. Our time is the one currency we can give freely to others. We hope you spend it well.

The American Red Cross — If you’d like to lend a hand locally, there is no better organization to plug you into your own community than the Red Cross. Nurses are celebrated here; in their own words, “Nurses have always been the cornerstone of the American Red Cross.” Volunteers can expect to help out with CPR clinics, health fairs, and first aid classes. The Red Cross also offers a great opportunity to network within your community, learn new skills, and make valuable connections.

Project Hope — Ever get the urge to sail away from it all? Well, the SS Hope is a floating hospital that provides this opportunity for nurses! Working alongside the US Navy, medical volunteers for Project Hope participate in medical mission work worldwide. Often visiting places experiencing humanitarian crises, the role of the RN here is in direct patient care, education, and community outreach. Even if you’d like to be considered for an opportunity in the future rather than imminently, you can visit their website to add your info to their database of interested nurse volunteers. 

RN Response Network (RNRN) — The RN Response Network works to pair nurses with areas experiencing serious medical events. Think New Orleans after Katrina, or Haiti after Hurricane Matthew. Oftentimes rural, underserved communities are served through this organization, so if you are a nurse who is skilled at “making it work,” than this might be the volunteer home for you. Similar to Project Hope, interested RNs can be added for consideration on future deployments when timing is best for them.

Operation Smile — Bringing smiles to the faces of underserved children—what could be better than that? For 35 years, the folks at Operation Smile have provided life-saving and reconstructive cleft surgeries to accomplish just this goal. If you’ve got an inkling to travel, love kids, and wish to broaden your nursing horizons, than this organization would love to know it! 

Public Health Volunteering — Never before has there been a need for public health advocates like there is now. And with the public’s growing distrust of medical professionals over the past several months to boot, this is an area that is in desperate need of passionate supporters. Your local Department of Health office is the best place to start when it comes to discovering how you could best be of service. Expect to participate in vaccine roll-outs, contact tracing, testing sites and other Covid-19-related roles. Even for nurses that may be over all things Pandemic, appraising a role in the public health sphere may be just the thing to reclaim a sense of control and helpfulness. 

Animal Shelter — Although not categorically nursing-related, volunteering with animals in need is just good for the soul. There’s a reason so many animals are considered “emotional-support” proxies, and you may find that you are benefitting just as much from the animals’ company as they are from yours.

No matter what volunteering role you pursue, doing good is good for you. Control over the work you do, the hours you do it, and the warm sense that comes from helping those that are truly in need may be just the thing to regain your love for nursing. Along the way, you’ll learn new skills, make new connections, and catch a glimpse into parts of compassionate care that you’d otherwise miss. Now, get out there, and do good.