St. Mary's Health Clinics

Volunteering at the Clinics

Besides money, the St. Mary’s Health Clinics need and depend on volunteer physicians, nurses, registration staff, interpreters and drivers to provide services at our Clinics. Our more than 200 dedicated volunteers are the key to our successful operation. Many are retired but many more are not. It is viewed by many as an opportunity to “give back” in an environment where the pace is reasonable and patients are extremely grateful. It is also very helpful if volunteers have language skills such as Spanish. About 50% of our patients are Hispanic and many of them do not speak English.

Most of our Physicians are Family Practice. We schedule around their office and call schedules. Most prefer the same site and volunteer once monthly (usually the same week of the month). Many of the retired physicians can work additional shifts and are better able to fill in at other sites. Interested physicians may
contact Barbara at 651-690-7021. We also need specialists to volunteer to see patients in their office when referred by our Clinics.

Most of our Volunteer Nurses are RNs, however, we have LPNs also. Our Nursing Supervisors, who are always available during clinic sessions, manage all volunteer nurses. Because of the somewhat limited resources at our sites, the acuity of our patient care is of moderate or low complexity. The commitment of our nursing staff is generally 2 afternoons per month. Of course this can vary with each individual. Nurses need to have a current Minnesota Nursing license and experience is preferred but not always necessary. Interested individuals may
contact Janis at 651-690-7023 or janiso11@hotmail.com.

Clinic Registration volunteers are responsible to check patients in, pull medical records and complete various other clerical tasks. The commitment of registration staff can vary but generally is 2-4 times monthly. There is not a requirement for experience, but it is helpful to have a customer service background. Interested individuals may
 contact Diane at 651-690-7024.

Spanish interpreters are a very important group of volunteers. It is helpful if interpreters have an understanding of medical terminology. In many instances the interpreter is the link between patient/family and patient care provider. Written language skills are also needed. Instructions may need to be written out for patients. The commitment for interpreters can vary and they are needed at various Clinic sites. Interested individuals may
contact Diane at 651-690-7024.

Drivers are needed to transport records and supplies - not patients. Because of our decentralized model, bags of records and medical supplies are transported to each site the morning of the clinic and picked up and returned to the main office the following morning. Most drivers are assigned the same clinics and do one complete “run” weekly. The requirements are a MN driver’s license and a reliable vehicle. Interested individuals may
call Sister Theresa at 651-690-7076.