Each year, more than 1,200 volunteers work to support patients, visitors, and staff throughout University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Jean Reed, director of UI Hospitals and Clinics Volunteer Services, talks about volunteering at UI Hospitals and Clinics:
How many volunteer hours take place each year at UI Hospitals and Clinics?
Last year we had more than 96,000 hours.
If you figured those hours at minimum wage – how much does UI Hospitals and Clinics save each year in volunteer hours?
Using Independent Sector's figures, they estimate the dollar value of volunteer hours each year using figures from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. And using those figures, volunteer contributions at our hospital last year alone would be valued at more than $1.8 million.
What jobs do volunteers perform at UI Hospitals and Clinics?
We have lots of different choices. There are nearly 100 volunteer positions to choose from, everything from delivering flowers, to visiting patients. We have volunteers working at the circulation desk in our Patients' Library, spending time in waiting areas, and inpatient and outpatient units, and in office settings. We have some very popular placements in our Rooftop Café and our gift shop where volunteers help our patients, families, and staff; as well as raising funds to support programs that benefit our patients and families.
At what age can someone become a volunteer?
To select a regular weekly placement, we accept volunteers age 16 and up. We have an eight-week summer Junior Volunteer program that exposes students to careers in the health sciences, as well as fostering service values. We accept students ages 14 to 18 in that program.
Is anyone ever too old to become a volunteer?
Some of our positions are less appealing to some age groups than others, but there are certainly no age restrictions. Many of our older volunteers are especially drawn to our Guest Relations placement providing support to our patients and families.
Do you pick a job for each volunteer or do they pick a job they want to do?
We work together to identify good matches, based on the volunteer's interest and the needs of the hospital. Right now we're looking for volunteers interested in greeting and visiting with patients and families. We have such a variety, it's hard to imagine not being able to find a good match—whether someone's interested in tutoring, art, children—we just have so much going on.
Do volunteers commit to a certain amount of time each week as a volunteer?
That varies depending on the assignment. We ask that new volunteers have three hours a week to share with us for at least six months. Of course we have many volunteers who contribute more than that and we also have staff that might just volunteer over their lunch hour once a week, but that's a good rule of thumb.
If someone wanted to lean more about becoming a volunteer, how would they go about getting started?
I say awesome! Give us a call! Give us a call—319-356-2515. We'd love to talk with them about the opportunities available at our hospital. We also have Web site with a lot of terrific information.
Our volunteers are just an amazing group of people. Every single one of them has the chance to improve the patientexperience here every day. |
