Volunteer Management Group

By Julie Marks, Contributing Columnist – HealthNewsDigest.com

Jerry Pannozzo

Hospitals always need volunteers, and a variety of rewarding and meaningful volunteer roles exist. Volunteering at a local hospital addresses the needs in one’s own community and makes a human connection. Jerry Pannozzo, an expert in health care volunteer resource management, provides insight about health care volunteering.

HealthNewsDigest.com: How do health care facilities utilize volunteers?

Jerry Pannozzo: Volunteers support the mission of a health care facility in filling a wide range of roles: volunteers can be found in the emergency department; serving as medical library assistants; meal companions; ambassadors (guides/escorts), or supporting family members of the patients (family care givers). Volunteers also read to children in clinic waiting rooms in order to encourage reading (reach out and read programs); facilitate pet visits (pet therapy); or assist patients with health literacy (navigating over-the-counter labels, prescription labels, nutrition labels; managing multiple education, prenatal care issues, and developmental stages of early childhood). Volunteers can be found teaching oncology patients to knit or crochet during their treatment session; serving as supportive phone call volunteers; serving in the intensive care unit, or as patient advocates. Hospitals have also tapped into volunteers in the performing arts and fine arts to enhance the quality of life for patients during their stay in the hospital or nursing home.

HND: How do volunteer opportunities within healthcare differ from volunteering for other types of causes?

Jerry Pannozzo: First let’s state what is similar, that health care volunteers address the needs of one’s community and make a human connection. As for health care volunteering specifically, the ability to make a regular and ongoing time commitment is usually a component of a health care volunteer assignment. This regular time commitment guarantees continuity of service for the patients and staff. In addition, the volunteer department invests a significant amount of time in training and orienting each volunteer, and in exchange requests a pre-determined time commitment from the volunteer.

HND: Does a person need special training to be a volunteer in healthcare?

Jerry Pannozzo: One standard of health care volunteering is the volunteer orientation, which occurs prior to any specific departmental or assignment training that may be required. Volunteer orientation covers the standards established by regulatory agencies governing health care. During training, volunteers are educated about the facility’s mission, patient confidentiality issues, laws regarding patient privacy, infection control (in order to protect the patients and the volunteer), fire safety/reporting, and cultural competency in order to be sensitive to the diverse patient needs.

HND: How does volunteering in a hospital differ from volunteering in a hospice?

Jerry Pannozzo: Hospice volunteering usually involves intensive training because hospice volunteers deal with challenging end of life issues and, therefore, need to be trained accordingly. Hospices are actually mandated to involve volunteers.

HND: What innovations are happening within health care volunteering?

Jerry Pannozzo: First let me state that I haven’t seen a candy stripper in years. I mention this because that is still the image some people have regarding volunteering in health care. Here in New York City I’m aware of a focus on “quality of care” and empowering patients through education. Those two examples have allowed innovation to happen. There are some creative people managing volunteer resources, and locally, the United Hospital Fund grants have certainly supported some of those efforts.

HND: There is much spin on episodic volunteering. How are volunteer managers responding and why are there so many hoops to jump through when it comes to volunteering in healthcare? Many individuals seeking to volunteer view these as obstacles or turn offs.

Jerry Pannozzo: Episodic volunteering (volunteering for one day versus an ongoing volunteer commitment) has been around for a while, and it is here to stay. That being stated, health care is a highly regulated environment, and regulations not only protect the patient, they also protect the volunteer. In 1996, when I first became involved in the area of health care volunteer resource management, I had an eye opening experience upon realizing the many rules and regulations. However, after the rules and regulations were effectively explained to me during staff orientation, I was able to understand the reasons for the level of screening that is required. As a potential recipient of health care, the training helped me to understand my own rights, as well as empower me to become more engaged in my personal health care and that of my family members.

HND: What can one expect during the application and interview process?

Jerry Pannozzo: The process varies from facility to facility, but, in general, you should expect to complete a volunteer application and have an in-person interview. During the interview, various volunteer opportunities are discussed; in addition, the volunteer candidate’s areas of interest and availability are reviewed, along with the expected time commitment. Information should be conveyed regarding medical clearance issues, official volunteer orientation, and if applicable, any assignment-specific training that is required.

HND: How can I search for a volunteer opportunity and who manages volunteers within a hospital setting?

Jerry Pannozzo: Many hospitals post volunteer opportunities on their Web sites. When searching the Web, first search for your local hospital and, once on their Web site, search for volunteer opportunities. If it is unclear on the Web site as to how you apply to volunteer, you can place a call to the hospital directly. You should seek out the person in charge of managing volunteers. Typically this person’s title is the Director of Volunteer Services; however, titles do vary and include: Director of Volunteer Services, Volunteer Coordinator, Volunteer Resource Coordinator, Director of Volunteers, Manager of Volunteers and Patient Care Services, Director of Volunteer Department, Manager of Volunteer Services, Director of Volunteer and Community Resources, Administrator for Voluntary Initiatives, Director of Recreational and Volunteer Services, Director of Community Relations and Volunteer Services, and Supervisor of Volunteer Department.

Mr. Pannozzo is currently the program and training coordinator with the Educational and Volunteer Resources Department at New York Methodist Hospital, and grant coordinator and consultant with the Volunteer Services Department at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center. He will be a featured speaker at the Volunteer Management for Nonprofits Conference hosted by Volunteer Management Group and presented by Hostos Community College on Friday, March 27, 2009, at Hostos Community College, Bronx, NY. For conference information, visit http://www.volunteermanagementgroup.com/index.php?pr=NYC_Conference

Julie Marks is the founder of Volunteer Management Group® (VMG), a consultancy providing project management services in volunteerism and philanthropy. VMG also specializes in training and development for volunteer management, non-profit management and corporate philanthropy management, and hosts conferences and presents workshops on these topics. For more information, visit www.volunteermanagementgroup.com or email julie.marks@volunteermanagementgroup.com

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