We make it easy to volunteer at the Jewish Community Free Clinic
Volunteer Today at the JCFC
There are many ways to volunteer at the Jewish Community Free Clinic.
Our volunteers have many talents that serve the community. Many have not had any experience in the healthcare field prior to working at the clinic.
Volunteers Positions Include:
Medical providers
Nurses
Medical receptionists
Interpreters
Therapists
Social service support
Acupuncturists
Special project volunteers and research internships are also available.
If you are interested in a volunteer position, please email director@jewishfreeclinic.org for general inquiries.
Once we have received and reviewed your inquiry, we will contact you to follow up. Please allow a couple of weeks for responses, as we are not always able to get back to potential volunteers faster than that. As a volunteer-based organization, we are extremely grateful to everyone who reaches out with interest. Our full application forms for licensed and non-licensed applicants are linked below if you want to get started with your submission. Please ensure that you submit all required information and attachments as one packet.
“Each year more than 150 volunteers provide all direct services at the JCFC. We couldn’t do it without them and are always in need of dedicated support. We feel heartfelt thanks for all of our volunteers past and present.”
Service Learning
Service learning is an educational approach that combines classroom learning with community service. Students learn theories in the classroom and volunteer with the JCFC. They then reflect on their service activities to deepen their understanding of the course content and enhance their sense of civic responsibility.
Service learning with the JCFC has several benefits, including:
Enriching the learning experience
Teaching civic responsibility
Strengthening communities
Connecting knowledge and theory to practice
Meeting societal needs
Email director@jewishfreeclinic.org to learn more about our Service Learning Programs.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Presently the JCFC has 5 shifts a week. They take place at the following times: Monday 1-5, Tuesday 10-1, Thursday 10-1, Thursday 3-7, Friday 1-5 (every other Friday)
Volunteers are required to arrive 15 minutes prior to their shift for the “huddle” and, when needed, should be available to work a short time after the shift as needed to finish with patients.
The JCFC is not open on the weekends or any evening except Thursdays till 7. Clinical volunteer opportunities are only available during clinic shift hours.
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No, we do not allow people to work incomplete shifts.
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Interested volunteers should be available once a month, at a minimum. We prefer volunteers who can work once a week or bi-weekly. The volunteer schedule is made about two weeks before the upcoming month, and we use a scheduling system that allows you to put in your available times and sends shift reminders. The scheduling is done by the scheduling team, volunteers do not self-schedule. Many of our volunteers travel and are unavailable during the year, which is not a problem with notice. The JCFC offers a flexible volunteer schedule but does require a long-term time commitment (given the cost of onboarding).
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Please read this document thoroughly. If your questions are not answered satisfactorily and you have other questions, if you are not licensed, please email Amy at azimmer@jewishfreeclinic.org. If you are a licensed healthcare professional and have questions regarding being a JCFC volunteer in a licensed volunteer role, please contact director@jewishfreeclinic.org. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
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As a licensed public health clinic in the State of California, there are strict requirements for volunteers. These are non-negotiable and are beyond our control. If you do not have these vaccinations and are not willing to get them, should your immunity not suffice for the rules, please do not proceed with the application process, as no exceptions can legally be made.
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Check with your electronic health records if you have one or with your primary care doctor. Check California's digital vaccine record site, My DVR, at https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov/ If you still cannot find them, we will need a record of your immunity, which is done with a blood test called a blood titre. Titres can be done for Hep. B, Varicella, Mumps, Measles, and Rubella.
A history of having the disease does not prove immunity. If you do not have health insurance that will pay for these blood tests, call our clinic at 707-585-7780. Let the person answering the phone know you are applying to volunteer at the JCFC and need a blood titre test for the missing records. If the clinic is not open, please leave a message and we will call you back to schedule an appointment with you to get the titers done.
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Yes, you need the blood test. Your immunity might have dropped below protective levels, and you may need a booster shot.
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You can get your certification anywhere that you will receive your BLS with AED certification. You will need to take it in a setting with a hands-on skills test. Some classes are a hybrid with an online portion and a live skills test, which is also acceptable. Certifications are good for 2 years, then need to be renewed. healthsourceatkidsake.com in Santa Rosa offers a discount for JCFC volunteers. If you are interested, call or text them at 707-546-4656. Give them your name and tell them you are applying to volunteer with the Jewish Community Free Clinic, and they will help you find a class that fits your needs. Once you are an established volunteer at the JCFC there will be periodic CPR training offered at the JCFC as part of our in-service and so that you can become re-certified in the future.
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We make a few exceptions to the 6-month commitment rule since it takes time for volunteers to get trained and it is an investment that must be worth it for us. If you have a special circumstance that limits your time commitment, please feel free to email director@jewishfreeclinic.org to discuss your unique circumstance.
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If you have health insurance that will pay for it, please contact your primary care doctor. If you are a student at Santa Rosa Junior College, you can get it for free at SRJC’s Student Health Center. If you do not have insurance, please call our clinic at 707-585-7780. Let the person answering the phone know you are applying to volunteer with us and need a TB test. We do not always answer the phone, so please leave a detailed message if the clinic is not open, and someone will call you back. If you do not receive a call back after a few days, please try again. As a volunteer-based organization, we do not have paid staff answering the phones and it can take time to call people back.
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Volunteers in licensed health centers such as the JCFC are required to have a physical exam from a medical provider to be sure they are healthy enough to work in the clinic. You can submit any physical done within the last 12 months, or ask your medical provider for a letter stating that they have examined you within the last 12 months and you are healthy to work in a medical clinic. If you are unable to get an appointment with your provider in a timely manner or do not have health insurance to cover an exam, please call our clinic at 707-585-7780 to make an appointment. Let the person making the appointment know that you are applying to volunteer with us and need a health screen. For any other questions about the application, please email credentialing@jewishfreeclinic.org
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Volunteers who are not licensed do not generally have the opportunity to be in the exam room with patients and medical personnel, except in the case of translators and scribes. Of course unlicensed volunteers will not be rooming patients or providing direct medical care. Volunteer roles for people who are not licensed include greeter, front desk, phone receptionist and special projects, and do not take place in the exam room. Roles for volunteers as translators and scribes provide more direct patient contact inside the exam room with the client and the medical provider.