How to Get Involved
Becoming a volunteer at MD Anderson is an opportunity to help us perform our most important work – the elimination of cancer.
There are many ways you can donate your time, whether you are an adult, college student or survivor volunteer.
Become an MD Anderson Volunteer
To start the process of becoming a volunteer at MD Anderson, you must first complete the Volunteer Interest Questionnaire. This form takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete and will help you determine if volunteering is right for you.
Once submitted, you will be contacted by a Volunteer Services and Merchandising staff member if there is a position that matches your interests, skills and schedule.
Volunteer Shifts
With three time slots available, it’s easy to find a time that fits your schedule. Each shift offers direct and limited patient contact.
Daytime
Placements are four-hour shifts each week, available from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Evening
Placements are two-hour shifts each week, available from 5 to 8 p.m.
Weekend
Placements are three-hour shifts each week, available from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Requirements for Adults, College Students & Survivors
- Attend a volunteer orientation.
- Complete the application. (Adult application | College application)
- Schedule a Volunteer Services and Merchandising placement interview.
- Receive specific hospital and departmental training.
- Attend a Volunteer In-Service: Making A Difference in the Patient Experience.
- Adults and college volunteers must complete a continuing education credit.
- College volunteers will complete 36 hours of service within a three-month period. Volunteering will follow a semester based schedule.
- Survivor volunteers are encouraged to join myCancerConnection, a program that offers support to cancer patients, survivors and caregivers from those who have been there. Survivors can join The Pink Ribbon Program to connect volunteer survivors with current patients undergoing treatment in the Breast Center. Pink Ribbon volunteers help breast cancer patients become more comfortable with available treatments by demonstrating their surgical results and answering questions about their personal treatment experiences.
Note: The MD Anderson Teen Volunteer Leadership Program in Cancer Care is a daytime and summer-only opportunity. The 2017 program is now closed. Information regarding the 2018 program will be available on this website in December 2017.
Houston Area Locations
MD Anderson Houston area locations in Bay Area, The Woodlands, Katy and Sugar Land are open to volunteers with at least six months of experience as a volunteer on the main campus. Volunteers assist staff, welcome patients and provide support and encouragement during patients’ visits.
When my parents were undergoing cancer treatment in the 1980s and early 2000s, I didn’t know how to help them cope with their diagnoses. I was so overwhelmed with the medical aspects of their treatment that it never occurred to me that I should be also focusing on the little things that could make life easier for them.
So six years ago, I decided to volunteer as a tribute to them. I applied to volunteer at MD Anderson because I...
