For 57 years, the Piedmont Columbus Regional Auxiliary has sponsored the hospital’s youth volunteer program, a service program intended to attract and retain young volunteers that are passionate about health care. After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the program is back in action.
Piedmont Columbus Regional announced on Friday that dozens of volunteers, ages 14 to 18, will be participating this year.
“We received 88 applications from students who were recommended by either their teacher or guidance counselor,” the hospital reported in a news release. “Of those, 39 made it to the interview process, where 37 were ultimately selected. Each applicant submitted a 200-word essay describing why they are interested in healthcare and participated in one-on-one interviews.”
The 37 volunteers will work across 25 different departments at the Midtown and Northside campuses, as well as the John B. Amos Cancer Center.
“They will be serving in departments such as transport, courier, patient experience, clerical and dietary— just to name a few,” the hospital reported.
The 2023 youth volunteer program launches June 5 and will run through June 23, offering the 37 volunteers up to 36 hours of experience.
“The Auxiliary began the Youth Volunteer Program in 1964 and has provided thousands of students the opportunity to experience healthcare firsthand,” the hospital reported. “Many past youth volunteer participants work at Piedmont Columbus Regional today.”
According to the Department of Health and Human Resources, as of Sunday, Georgia’s health care industry has identified 118 health workforce shortage areas — which are geographic areas within the state that are suffering a shortage of primary, dental or mental health care providers. For years, the health care industry has been suffering from a worker shortage. Across the country, the health care industry is currently short roughly 37,749 health care practitioners
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