Volunteer Nurse

Our most important volunteer need in 2026 is for nurses. Ghost Ranch is 45 minutes from the nearest medical facilities, therefore nurse volunteers provide important first response, care, and ongoing support to guests and staff at Ghost Ranch.

As a volunteer nurse, you will provide basic first aid to guests, respond to medical emergencies within your educational parameters, and refer guests to regional facilities as necessary. You'll assist in weekly Orientation for new guest groups, staff the First Aid Trailer before and after meals, and carry a walkie-talkie so you can be reached in an emergency. While on call (within radio distance), you'll have an opportunity to hike, explore the Ghost Ranch museums, read, or pursue your own creative interests.

Depending on the time of the year, you may treat adult guests with dehydration, altitude sickness, or flareups of ongoing medical issues. Occasionally, but rarely, serious injuries result from hiking or other adventurous activities. In those situations, the volunteer and trained staff coordinate to provide immediate response while waiting for regional medical personnel to arrive. In the summer months, when more kids are at the Ranch, the nurse provides welcoming care and support for children with skinned knees, bruises, and other common concerns.

As a volunteer, you must provide your own liability insurance, as well as a copy of your current license and CPR certification. You can serve if you have a valid license in NM or a compact state. If you are accepted as a volunteer, but do not currently have insurance, we recommend purchasing it through the Nurses Service Organization (NSO) www.nso.com. Ghost Ranch will reimburse up to $150 for purchase of your liability insurance.

(In our years of experience with our First Aid Station, nurses are the best qualified and easiest to admit as volunteers. While physicians are allowed to apply, they must have their own liability insurance and ability to serve in New Mexico. Unfortunately, we are not able to accept EMTs unless they can provide their own insurance and medical oversight.)

Volunteer nurses typically stay for one to two weeks, but could serve longer if desired. Ghost Ranch provides a guest room, typically with a private bathroom. If space allows, the nurse is able to bring a guest to stay in your accommodations with you. if you bring a camper/RV, a campsite and access to the Bathhouse is provided. You'll also receive three meals a day in the Dining Hall.

Nurses receive an orientation in advance (via video call) from our senior nurse volunteer, and on-site orientation upon arrival by one of our staff. During the time of service, they have access by phone to our senior nurse volunteer and the local physician who oversees our First Aid Station.

Please complete the application in full, answering the Questionnaire about your interest in serving at Ghost Ranch as well as times of year you may be available.