Volunteer Position Descriptions
Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Sea Mar Community Health Centers. We ask volunteers to make, at minimum, a 3 month commitment of 4 hours per week. However, we do offer some positions that are more flexible. Here is a guide to some of the positions that volunteers fill at Sea Mar. This list changes regularly and some positions are more difficult to get into than others. Positions also vary by location. Talk with the volunteer coordinator about current openings and qualifications.
Medical Clinic:
The medical clinic serves patients needing comprehensive out-patient care.
Medical Interpreter - Volunteers will act as medical interpreters for our non-Spanish speaking doctors and nurses. Duties would include shadowing doctors and nurses during their rounds and interpreting for patients who don't speak English. Required skills include: absolute fluency in Spanish, including knowledge of medical terminology; ability to adhere to a strict code of confidentiality; ability to conduct oneself professionally; and reliability and dependability. Some site supervisors require medical interpreter certifications. Position available M-Sat 8am-5pm as needed.
Dental Clinic:
The dental clinic provides patients with various preventive and operative procedures such as examinations; x-ray scaling, root canals, prophylaxis, fluoride treatments, fillings, composites, and extractions.
Dental Assistant Trainee - Volunteers will learn basic skills to assist dental providers in procedural care. Depending on experience, volunteers may also learn skills such as sterilizing instruments, exposing and duplicating X-rays, placing temporary restorations, taking alginate impressions, performing coronal polishes, and giving fluoride treatments. Some previous academic work in dental training preferred but not required. Position available: M-Sat 8am-5pm.
Medical Records/Front Office Clerk - Volunteers will interact with patients and staff, receiving exposure to the patient treatment process ranging from admittance to discharge and volunteers will learn about the medical records system. Some office administrative work will be required such as filing charts and organizing paperwork. Knowledge of computer-based programs such as Excel is useful. Position available: M-Sat 8am-5pm.
Pharmacy:
Pharmacy Assistant – Volunteer will assist Registered Pharmacists in dispensing medication, making copies, filing, organizing, and helping customers. Volunteer must have an interest in the pharmaceutical field and be certified as a registered pharmacy assistant. Certification is possible through Sea Mar Community Health Center but prior experience is beneficial. Bilingual (Spanish and English) preferred. Position available: M-Sat 8am-5pm.
Pharmacist Assistant Application Packet
Behavioral Health Clinic:
The Behavioral Health Department offers individual, family, or group therapy, psychiatric evaluations and medication prescription, case management, outreach and referrals to clients, and follow-up support and advocacy.
Behavioral Health Department Administrative Assistant – Volunteers will be exposed to the business and financial workings of a nonprofit organization. Volunteers will assist in two projects that track invoices, billing, and payments for all of Sea Mar’s behavioral health sites. Volunteers will help out with budgets, contract negotiation, and grant writing. Some clerical duties such as filing, dictation, and data entry will be asked of the volunteer. Knowledge of Excel and a two day per week commitment preferred. Position available: M-F 8am-5pm.
Community Care Center:
This facility is a 92-bed residence home with designated Alzheimer’s Living Center. Residents varying mental and physical abilities and come from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Activities Assistant - Volunteers will work directly with culturally diverse residents who have varying degrees of mental and physical abilities. Volunteers will socialize with residents, provide companionship, have one on one visits, and assist staff in leading daily recreational and therapeutic activities. Bilingual (Spanish and English) preferred. Position available: M-Sun 10am-5pm.
Administrative Assistant - Volunteers will work with the administrative staff helping to accomplish various clerical and directorial tasks. Volunteers will have the opportunity to learn how a community health center operates by observing its organizational structure and its day to day activities. Duties include typing, filing, copying, and data entry. Position available: M-F 8am-5pm.
Kitchen Assistant - Volunteers in food preparation will assist the kitchen staff in preparing meals and snacks for the Child Development Center and the Community Care Center. Dishwashing volunteers will assist with assembling resident trays, serving food, delivering meals to the dining rooms, and washing dishes. A food handler’s permit is required for both positions. Bilingual (Spanish and English) preferred. Position available: M-F 5:45am-9:00pm, weekends also available.
Occupational Therapy- Volunteers assist occupational therapist with physical therapy and administrative tasks as needed. Bilingual preferred. Position available: M-F 8am-5pm.
Reach Out and Read (ROR):
ROR integrates patient education about literacy development into regular pediatric care for children between the ages of 6 months to 5 years. The ROR program takes place in a variety of clinics at Sea Mar including the dental and medical clinics.
Waiting Room Readers - Volunteers will read to children in the clinic waiting rooms while they are waiting to see their healthcare providers. Volunteers will stress the importance of literacy to both children and families. Position available: M-Sat 8am-5pm.
Book Drive Assistants – Volunteers will work independently or with a group in their community or school to solicit children’s book donations. This can be done as a one-time or ongoing project. Books collected will go into Sea Mar waiting rooms throughout the state for children to read and take home. This position can be done remotely and does not require a TB test.
Child Development Center:
The Child Development Center is a bilingual/bicultural center that helps children from infancy to 12 years old in building basic and elementary skills. All volunteers must be adult/child/infant CPR certified and first aid certified. Free training available through Sea Mar or through the Red Cross (Red Cross has a fee of ~70 dollars). Volunteers must also be residents of Washington State for the past 3 years.
Teaching Assistant - Volunteers will interact with the children, model basic life skills such as hygiene and manners, and assist teachers in carrying out lesson plans. Interested volunteers may also work as aides in the toddler and infancy program helping infants and children progress through their very early stages of life. Some Spanish proficiency preferred. Position available: M-F 8am-6pm, afternoons preferred.
After School Tutor - Volunteers will tutor students from kindergarten to 6 th grade in subjects in which they are having difficulty. English proficiency required. Position available: M-F 3pm-6pm.
Family Support Administrative Assistant - Volunteers will have the opportunity to learn about the social services system by acting as an administrative liaison between the Child Development Center and the family support social worker. Duties include typing, copying, filing, data retrieval, and data entry. Position available: M-F 8am-6pm.
Latino Seniors Program:
The Latino Outreach Nutrition Program is a bilingual/bicultural program designed to provide seniors with a well balanced meal along with physical, social, and mental activities that increase socialization, mobility and cognitive stability amongst elderly Latinos.
Senior Advocate – Volunteers will visit senior community centers in the local area where they will help lead group health education discussions, nutrition discussions, and recreational and therapeutic activities. Volunteers will enjoy social interaction and companionship with seniors. Opportunities are available in the Highline, Bellevue, and Des Moines Community Centers, and Kirkland. Bilingual (Spanish and English) preferred. Position available: M-F 8am-5pm.
Senior Activities Coordinator - Volunteer will work with members of senior centers around the Seattle area brining their gifts and interests to community time. Ability to work with people, comfort with both Spanish and English skills and ease in dealing with people in a group setting are skills that volunteer must possess. Any skills or talents can be taught; including art, meditation, crafts, music, dancing, language, and photography. Bilingual (Spanish and English) preferred. Position available: M-F 8am to 5pm.
Life Skills Youth Training Program:
Life Skills is a prevention program for elementary and middle school students aimed at decreasing risky behavior, increasing self-esteem, and improving knowledge of important life skills such as conflict resolution and reacting to peer pressure.
Life Skills Training Instructor – Volunteers will teach substance abuse prevention classes to elementary and middle school children 2-3 hours per week for 8-12 weeks. Volunteers will need to attend a one day training session, and should have interest in or experience working with at-risk youth. The classes are held at Concord Elementary and Beacon Hill International School. Young adults such as college students preferred. Position available: Mon-Thurs 2pm-5pm.
Information Technology Department:
The Information Technology Department manages computer technology, maintenance, network administration, and network capabilities for Sea Mar Seattle and 23 additional Sea Mar locations.
IT Computer Technician/Administrator - Volunteers will work under the supervision of an experienced Computer Technician. Responsibilities may include answering the help desk phone, documenting user computing issues, resetting user passwords, computer software and hardware installation, and network maintenance. Some experience or interest in information technology preferred; position will allow greater responsibilities as volunteer gains more experience in the position. Position may require more than 4hrs/week and travel outside of Seattle. Position available: M-F 8am-5pm.
Administrative Offices:
Administrative Assistant -Volunteer will work with managers of various administrative offices. Responsibilities include; filing, sorting, organizing, and running office equipment (copier, postage machine, etc.). Use of car to do mail would be great but not required. Business skills and knowledge of legal process are beneficial but not required. Opportunities open in most clinics based on need. Position available: M-F 8am-5pm.
Maternity Support Services:
Doula – Volunteers will act as birth support doulas for expectant mothers. Volunteers need to have extensive training or knowledge in maternal support and have attended at least one birth. Spanish or bilingual required. Position available: on call.
WIC program assistant – Volunteers will assist with administrative and program support function of the Women, Infants, Children program (WIC). This may include doing reminder calls, filing, and basic maintenance on electric breast pumps. Position available: M-F 8am-5pm.
Internships:
We occasionally take interns (or externs) in Medical Assisting, Dental Assisting, Phlebotomy, Dietetics, and Social Work. Contact the volunteer coordinator for availability.
Americorps Program:
The Americorps program is a national service program in which participants perform service in communities of need on a full-time basis for 11-months and receive an educational award of $5350 upon completion of the program. Americorps participants at Sea Mar work to enrich the community through a variety of health care related avenues including increasing access to and increasing awareness of Sea Mar’s services. For more information, visit Sea Mar’s Americorps page (see AmeriCorps icon on Sea Mar’s home page).