Dear Volunteen: Sincerely, Susan Pollpeter. Susan Pollpeter Director of Volunteer Services Blue Ridge HealthCare

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1 VOLUNTEEN HANDBOOK

2 Dear Volunteen: Welcome to Blue Ridge HealthCare. As a member of the Volunteen Program this summer, we hope you will learn a great deal, receive personal gratification by serving your community, and have an enjoyable time. As a Volunteen you will have a chance to meet many new people and serve your community in a variety of ways. We hope that through volunteering you will grow and take your experiences with you. Colleges and scholarship committees love to read about your volunteer experience. If you ever need a reference letter or a recommendation, don t hesitate to ask. As a Volunteen you will be given the opportunity to observe the medical community and possibly make a decision about your future career. We extend our warm appreciation for your service to our patients, guests, staff and other volunteers. Feel free to come by my office any time the door is always open. Sincerely, Susan Pollpeter Susan Pollpeter Director of Volunteer Services Blue Ridge HealthCare

3 BLUE RIDGE HEALTHCARE S CODE OF ETHICS As a Volunteen, you will adhere to a high professional code of ethics. It is important therefore to: Regard all information as confidential. Be dignified, pleasant, and efficient. Follow instructions meticulously. Remember that you are a representative of the hospital. Respect others and earn their respect. You should not take advantage of your association with the hospital to seek free medical advice for yourself or others. The greatest indiscretion one could make is to reveal any information pertaining to a patient. You should never report on the condition of a patient always refer the inquiry to the family of the patient or to the nursing staff. You should avoid negative criticism of the hospital, its staff, or patients. Any criticism should be made to the Volunteer Director. If you make your service such that it will benefit the patient, the hospital, and the community, you will gain an inner satisfaction that will reward you greatly for your efforts. Each time you interact with a patient, remember that you are an ambassador for Blue Ridge HealthCare who adheres to the highest standards of excellence in all that you do.

4 Blue Ridge HealthCare Volunteen Orientation Handbook Objectives: 1. Demonstrate and explain proper attire and personal grooming. 2. Demonstrate and explain the procedure for signing in and out. 3. Verbalize rules and regulations that must be followed while on duty. 4. Demonstrate and explain the mechanics of equipment and procedures applicable to the care to be given. A Volunteen should express his/ her interests to be appropriately matched to the needs of the patients and/or care team members of Blue Ridge HealthCare. It is expected that one will stay with his/ her assignment unless there are major problems which cannot be resolved. A change will be made only through the Director of Volunteer Services and the department involved. Each person interested in becoming a Volunteen must be at least fourteen years of age and have a C average or better during the last school year. It is necessary that he/she be approved by the Director of Volunteer Services before being accepted into the program.

5 Blue Ridge HealthCare (BRHC) Rules for Volunteens 1. You are a part of the organization and must adhere to all rules and regulations of BRHC. 2. You are directly responsible to the Director of Volunteer Services and should consult with her about problems, questions, changes in scheduling, etc. 3. You are also responsible to the department manager to which you are assigned for the performance of your duties and should check in and out with that person or his/her designee while on duty. 4. You are expected to be punctual in reporting to assignments, according to your work schedule. Any Volunteen who misses two scheduled work times without prior notification and approval will be dismissed from the program. 5. The hours that Volunteens can serve range from 8:00 a.m. to noon, Monday through Thursday, unless there are extenuating circumstances. The minimum number of hours per week is four and the maximum is twenty. Any problems with scheduling should be discussed with the Director of Volunteer Services. 6. If you know that you must miss one of your scheduled work times, you may find another Volunteen to substitute for you, if he/she has served in your area. (This can only be done with the permission of your area manager. You should not work when you are not scheduled.) 7. You are responsible for recording your hours on a sign-in sheet. Do not sign in or out for someone else. You are participating in an honor system when signing in or out. You are responsible for turning in your hours on a weekly basis to the Director of Volunteer Services. (Your department manager and his/her designee must sign off on your weekly hours also.) 8. You are not permitted to leave the hospital or visit with a friend or family member while on duty. 9. If you wish to eat in the cafeteria, you should do so after noon. Mealtime should not be counted as volunteer service time. 10. When answering the telephone in service areas, always identify yourself and your position. (i.e., Good Morning, Jane Smith, Volunteen; may I help you? ) You should not use the phone for personal use except in an emergency situation. 11. You should present a well groomed appearance.

6 12. Do not chew gum, eat or drink while in an assigned area. Eating and drinking are allowed in the cafeteria and vending rooms only. 13. Should you find it necessary to be excused for personal reasons, such as an emergency phone call, lunch, break, restroom, etc., be sure to sign out and note where you can be found and when you will return. Inform your supervisor, if the situation necessitates.

7 VOLUNTEEN DRESS REQUIREMENTS You should wear: Khaki slacks White polo shirt Clean sneakers or shoes Socks or nylons Simple jewelry, if desired Clean, well pressed clothing Name tag while on duty You should not wear: Jeans Open-toe shoes or sandals Excessive perfume or aftershave Dangling jewelry Excessive make-up Hats If your hair is longer than shoulder length, it should be pulled back or pinned up.

8 VOLUNTEEN DO S AND DON T S DO: 1. Always present yourself in a pleasant manner and perform each task efficiently. 2. Be cheerful and polite at all times. 3. Be a sympathetic, understanding listener. 4. Knock gently before entering any room, identify yourself, and state why you are there. 5. Verify the patient s identity before delivering mail or flowers (i.e., Are you Mrs. Smith? ). 6. Wash hands thoroughly via the foam in/foam out procedure when you enter and exit each patient s room. Wear gloves when handling items touched by a patient. Change gloves between patients. 7. Perform only those duties you are instructed to do. 8. Assist the nursing staff in the following tasks: carrying fresh water, refilling flower vases with water, running errands for the patients, accompanying discharged patients to the business office, tidying rooms, serving trays, answering call lights, bringing patients items for bathing (i.e., basin/soap/wash cloth towel) and aid in opening tray articles. 9. Report any accident you witness or may be involved in to your supervisor, regardless of how minor it may appear. (Remember, proper precautions can prevent almost all accidents.) 10. Answer the phone cheerfully when it is part of your job position or when you have been instructed to do so. 11. Keep money and all valuables with you, you will need them. (Lockers are not provided.) 12. Park in one of the parking lots designated for Employees and Visitors. (Please park in the back of each lot to save spaces near the facilities for patients/guests.) 13. Take up to a fifteen minute break in the vending room, cafeteria, and/or outside to relax, if you need one. Do this between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. One free drink, in the cafeteria, is provided for you during the break period.

9 14. Call Volunteer Services ( ) 24 hours in advance if you are not able to work on an assigned day. If you are assigned to a department, call your supervisor in that department. (Two unexcused absences will result in your no longer being a part of the Volunteen Program.) DON T 1. Perform duties not included in your instructions, such as: administering medications, starting oxygen, changing dressings, transporting specimens, changing bed linens, emptying trash in patient rooms, having physical contact with the patients, etc. 2. Enter rooms in the following areas: nursery, labor and delivery, operating rooms, any door with a No Visitors sign, any room designated with an Infection Control Precautions sign on the door, or the morgue. 3. Ask a patient about his/her illness/ operation/doctor/family, etc. 4. Freely advise patients about treatment/choice of doctors/care from nurses, etc. 5. Bump beds or sit on a patient s bed. 6. Accept tips. (Express your appreciation, but decline the compensation.) 7. Become over-friendly or personal with patients. 8. Share your personal hardships/problems with patients/ visitors/ care team members. 9. Borrow from patients. 10. Talk and/or laugh unnecessarily with other workers while performing a duty in a patient s room or in the hallways. Remember this is a healthcare organization with some very sick patients who need a calm, quiet and restful environment. 11. Leave your area unless you have signed out, informed others of where you will be (i.e., break, cafeteria) and when you will return. 12. Make or receive personal phone calls. 13. Entertain friends and/or family while on duty. 14. Have refreshments anywhere except in the cafeteria or vending area.

10 15. Chew gum. 16. Use tobacco products. 17. Answer the telephone in nursing areas without permission.

11 VOLUNTEEN RECOGNITION Service Awards 10 hours or more Certificate of Appreciation 50 hours - Patch 100 hours - Pin Each additional 100 hours Star The purpose of the Blue Ridge Volunteen Program is to provide service to the patients and care team members. Once a year Volunteens are awarded for their service. The emphasis, however, is not to accumulate hours for awards, but to gain satisfaction from helping others. Each Volunteen is to be admired for sharing his/her talents with the patients and care team members. Whatever your contribution may be, it is an integral component of our commitment to enhancing life by excelling in care. Blue Ridge Healthcare is deeply grateful to you.

12 Important Information Telephone Numbers: Director of Volunteer Services (DVS) Mrs. Susan Pollpeter (Grace) How to contact the DVS 1. First try direct dialing to the office ( if dialing from inside the hospital, dial the last four digits) 2. If no answer, leave a voice mail. In an emergency, call (Mrs. Pollpeter s personal cell phone.)

13 INFECTION CONTROL I. Hand-washing A. Since hand-washing is the single most effective measure in infection control, all volunteens are to wash their hands using the following steps: 1. Foam In/ Foam Out or 2a. Wetting b. Soaping c. Applying friction to all surfaces of hands, including between the fingers. d. Rinsing e. Drying with paper towel f. Turing off faucet with paper towel. B. Please wash your hands /foam in and foam out in each of the following situations: 1. Before beginning your daily duties. 2. Between transport or contact with individual patients. 3. After personal use of the toilet. 4. After coughing and blowing or wiping your nose. 5. Before and after eating. 6. Upon the completion of your daily duties. II. Room Deliveries A. When delivering items to a patient s room, identify the patient and leave the article where he/she requests. B. Do not enter Isolation or No Visitors rooms. C. Menus, mail, flowers, newspapers, etc. to be delivered to patient s rooms, except when instructed to do otherwise. D. Menus, mail and newspapers may be left at the nurses station, on the maternity ward. II. Patient Care A. Do not carry children. Allow parents, relatives or those accompanying the patient/guest to do this. B. Avoid physical contact with a patient. Foam In/ Foam Out or wash hands thoroughly with soap and water when in direct patient contact. Use gloves when handling anything touched by patients. Always change gloves between service to patients. C. Do not volunteer when you have an active infection (i.e., an upper respiratory infection, rash etc.). If you must work with a cough, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, discard the tissue, and clean your hands thoroughly (see I A and 2 hand washing above).

14 I have read and understand all of the material in the Volunteen handbook. I acknowledge what is expected of me and will perform my duties to the best of my ability. As a representative of Blue Ridge Healthcare, I will act in a respectable manner and treat each patient and care team member with courtesy. I understand that I may be asked to demonstrate the essential functions of service (s) I will perform as a Volunteen. I believe that I can fulfill the duties of a Volunteen with reasonable accommodation. Signature of Volunteen Date:

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