In the modern world, traditions of social work are highly demanded both by the professional medical corporation and entire society. The experience of hospital volunteering is particularly relevant in relation to palliative patients. Volunteers involved in practical healthcare should have the corresponding level of qualification. The issue is solved by training and retraining of hospital volunteers and specialists of various levels at medical educational institutions. Junior medical nurses (sisters of mercy) have been trained at the Yaroslavl State Medical University since 2023. The specialized department of palliative medicine on the basis of Clinical Central Hospital of St. Alexy Metropolitan of Moscow of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church was created at the Yaroslavl State Medical University. It is the interaction with state, social and confessional structures that allows to solve issues of practical implementation of the skills obtained by volunteers considering a wide range of community demands.