Volunteers Needed: How to Keep Nursing in Your Life After Retirement

• Volunteers needed — keep your nursing license(s) active to help after you retire. 
• In doing so, you can help the American Red Cross and other volunteer organizations. 
• There are many opportunities for nurses once they decide to retire. You just need to take the time to decide how your profession can help your community and yourself. 

Here I am, about two shifts away from retiring from my nursing career, and my thoughts are rambling as to what I can do to keep my hand in nursing. I was a bedside nurse and then continued my career in the emergency department. In all, it has been close to 50 years, mostly in the Emergency Room (ER). But my question is, how can you keep nursing in your life while not actually committing to a schedule? 

I hear the same response from those who have already retired, and their answer is to volunteer. I have decided to keep up my two licenses in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in case an opportunity should arise where my nursing skills can be put to good use.  

Volunteers Needed Across Organizations

One prospect is to volunteer with the American Red Cross (ARC), aiding with a blood donation event, or being trained as a disaster preparedness volunteer. 

The best way to decide where your help can be most effective is to identify your passions, your availability, and organizations that align with both. Consider your experience and background in nursing as part of this process.  

Volunteering for a specific organization in a nursing capacity is a great way to help your community. Several organizations that deal with health or illnesses have volunteer coordinators who can share what volunteer opportunities are available and help you decide on the one that works for you. 

You could also volunteer at a food bank, helping those in need of food assistance. Community outreach and support centers are excellent areas in which your nursing compassion and empathy would help others. Social service organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, the American Cancer Society (ACS), United Way, or other nonprofits would be happy to have a nurse on their volunteer team.  

Personal Experiences and Insights

After my mother passed away from lung cancer, my sister and I donated her wigs to ACS. Companions were on hand and were delighted to accept the wigs for other cancer patients who could not afford them. They themselves were volunteers at community health events where blood pressure was taken for members of the community. As a nurse, it would be a teaching opportunity to advise those citizens if their blood pressures were too high, which could indicate future health concerns.  

Another idea would be to volunteer as a chaperone on a seniors trip. This would be an opportunity where your nursing knowledge would come in handy, should the need arise for seniors to receive their medications. I honestly believe it would be a comfort to those on the trip to have a nurse accompany them for the day. 

There are other areas where volunteers are used. Volunteer in an animal shelter for our four-legged companions. I plan to volunteer at our local library where we have our own bookstore. While it does not require any nursing skills, I would get to interact with people in my community.  

The Bottom Line

There are many opportunities for nurses once they decide to retire. You just need to take the time to look and decide how your profession can help both your community and you in keeping your nursing profession functional. The choices are endless and are typically needed in various locations. 

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