This study was conducted to examine the impact of hospice service experiences on the volunteers’ attitudes toward life and death.

Study 1 examined differences in life and death attitudes between hospice volunteers, hospice service trainees, and lay people using one-way ANOVA. Study 2 conducted in-depth interview with 10 hospice-patient care volunteers who had at least 3 years of experience.

After analyzing differences between three groups of lay people, hospice trainees and hospice volunteers, both hospice trainees and hospice volunteers compared to lay people showed lower pursuit of power and achievement, which can be interpreted as a characteristic of people motivated to volunteer, rather than volunteering itself. However, only hospice volunteers reported highly of religion and community as factors of meaningful life. Also, the volunteer group showed significantly lower death anxiety compare to the group without volunteer experience. Result of qualitative study showed that people realized the importance of family and altruistic lifestyle and prepared their own demise in their lives after volunteering.

These findings suggest that experiences of hospice service may be associated with self-transcendent life and positive death attitudes.