Volunteer FAQ

¿Hay oportunidades para hacer trabajo voluntario en Sea Mar si no hablo ingles?

Sí. Es posible hacer trabajo voluntario que no requieren ingles en algunos sitios. Por ejemplo, tenemos posiciones en la cocina, la oficina de apoyo de maternidad o leyendo a los niños en la sala de espera. Para saber más, envíanos un e-mail a Volunteer@seamarchc.org o llámanos al (206) 764-8040. Descarga la solicitud de servicio voluntario en español aquí.

What are the benefits to volunteering at Sea Mar?

Sea Mar is a great place for students to gain experience in the medical field, learn about community health, and help an underrepresented and under-served population. Community health centers play a very unique role in our healthcare system by helping those who do not have health insurance and may be unable to access care due to language and cultural barriers. Sea Mar provides culturally competent care to the Latino population by offering all of its services in both Spanish and English and provides primary care to anyone in need.

What kind of volunteer opportunities are available?

In addition to the medical clinic, Sea Mar also has a dental clinic, Child Development Center, nursing home, rehabilitation center, and behavioral health clinic. Volunteers can be placed at any of these sites, and positions include administrative work, reading to young children, nursing home activities, outreach, senior advocacy, and after school tutoring—just to name a few! Please see the Volunteer Position Description List for a full description of each opportunity.

I don't see any clinic aide positions on the volunteer position description list. Isn't that the type of experience I need for medical school?

The clinic at Sea Mar is staffed with trained medical personnel, and the number of clients seen daily makes it difficult to train and manage several volunteers at one time. There are clinic aide positions that become available periodically for volunteers who have had some previous medical experience, and new positions may be created throughout the year. However, all volunteer work in a clinical or community health setting is valuable for gaining experience and exploring career options. If you are looking for direct patient contact, try Reach Out and Read or assisting with activities in the Community Care Center. There are also numerous administrative positions that allow you to work with medical personnel and learn about the community clinic system.

Do I need to speak Spanish? I've only had two or three classes in school, or don't know the language at all!

While a few of our positions require Spanish fluency, there are many opportunities at Sea Mar for those with little or moderate Spanish proficiency. Many of our staff are native Spanish speakers, and they are more than happy to help you improve your Spanish abilities!

How many hours a week can I volunteer, and is there a minimum requirement?

With any job or volunteer site, it takes time to learn about the position and feel comfortable working there. We ask that volunteers commit to four hours of service per week for at least three months; this will allow both the volunteer and placement site to best benefit from the volunteer’s time at Sea Mar. However, if your current schedule does not allow for this exact commitment, don’t despair! Positions can be started any time during the year, and we will try to work with your schedule as much as possible.

What about volunteering evenings or weekends?

Most of our volunteer positions are Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm; however, the medical clinic and community care center are open on Saturdays and some evenings.

Why is it so hard to get some volunteer positions? I’m willing to work for free!

While we strive to offer placement for each person who wants to volunteer we don’t always have positions available—especially in certain departments like the Child Development Center or the medical clinic which are in high demand. Other positions in the pharmacy or substance abuse treatment center, for example, can take longer to get into as they have stricter requirements. Contacting us well in advance of volunteering (if possible) may help with the placement process.

I have to do community service for the court. Can I volunteer at Sea Mar?

Yes. However, there are some infractions that may bar a person from volunteering here—like assault or theft on a criminal record, though we do have an appeals process. It is also important to understand that the application process for volunteers can take up to a week before you can begin volunteering so keep this in mind if you have a deadline to complete your service hours.

Ok, I think I want to volunteer at Sea Mar! What do I do next?

The first step in volunteering at Sea Mar is to contact the volunteer coordinator and schedule an informational orientation. This is a time to talk one-on-one with the volunteer coordinator about your volunteer interests and experiences, learn more about Sea Mar and the volunteer positions that are available, and fill out an application. Appointments can be made Monday through Thursday, 8am-4pm.

For more information, please contact Sea Mar Community Health Centers' volunteer program at:
(206) 764-8040
volunteer@seamarchc.org