Week Four Findings

September 28 — October 4

Questions we already asked Aimee:

• How has the program changed with covid
• Approximately how many volunteers work with UPMC each year
• Main challenges the volunteer program faces
• What does the current training program look like, and.

New questions for Aimee:

• How many volunteers work at each hospital?
• Shadyside and presbyterian
• Each hospital has its own volunteer department with own coordinators
• Non covid 250–300
• Presby can have 400–500 because it’s on campus, closer
• Are the volunteers spread out fairly evenly?
• There seems to be a lot of different roles for the volunteers, so is finding enough volunteers a concern? Is a goal to get more volunteers?
• During covid, yes, but normally, no as they’re so close to volunteers
• Majority of students coming from pitt
• 99% want to pursue a medical career
• Occasionally students will volunteer out of good of heart
• 100 adult volunteers
• Only permitted to take volunteers between 18 and 65, oldest active volunteer was 89, but can’t volunteer now
• Adult volunteers help in mail room, offices, greeting at door, delivering mail
• Students want more hands on things, wash patients hair, paint nails, boogie
• Bedside boogie: ipods with spotify on them, volunteers ask what music the patients want, and they do movement together (movement to music)
• Kanika(sp?) Seth — developed bedside boogie
• Patients role dice, different movements
• Do crew: volunteers wash patients hair, volunteer teams assigned to specific floors
• Special shower wheel chairs, with attached sinks
• Hands down we did it: paint nails, hand massages
• During covid:
• 32 of them screening: take temperature and give mask
• Greeters
• Mail room: getting mail
• Office work: some work in office
• How long on average are shifts?
• 1 four hour shift per week, your shift can’t change, if your shift is wednesday, 10–2, that’s your shift
• Shift switching doesn’t happen
• Students call off pretty last minute
• Especially with do crew, as it’s in pairs, if one person can’t do it, the other can’t either
• It’s hard with a team
• Also patients really look forward to do crew, and nail
• Are there any physical artefacts on how to become volunteers?
• More experienced people train other people
• If you’re not comfortable with one training, come in to get another
• Just one shift
• Already have instructions for each group
• Already have pamphlet for volunteers
• Apply through website, based on hospital they want to go to
• Aimee looks through application, they get sent to training
• Criminal test
• Background tests
• Flu shot vaccine
• TV training
• Getting a badge
• How can we help to solve the problem of volunteer call offs?
• Can you explain a bit more about the Patient Experience program?
• How do senior volunteers feel about registration through websites?
• Contact Aimee, she’ll get us in contact with communication team