volunteer

Purpose:

• To permit individuals who wish to volunteer their time to serve in the Thalassemia center an opportunity to do so.
• To ensure that volunteers are properly assigned, oriented, trained, and recognized for their services.
• To ensure a safe and healthy environment for our patients, and volunteers.

Responsibility

The Head of Administrative Section is responsible for the administration of the Volunteer Program.
The requirements for admission to the program

• Volunteers must be 18 years of age. An individual under the age of eighteen must obtain parental consent to volunteer. Individuals under the age of fifteen may not become Thalassemia Center volunteers. A current employee may not become a Thalassemia center volunteer
• Should work for at least 12 hours over a maximum of a month.
• Must be dependable, willing to accept supervision, able to respect confidentiality of patients
• Must comply with the center rules and regulations.

Services that can be provided by volunteers:

• Assist admitting staff with reception
• Provide comfort and support to outpatients and families during treatment;
• act as an escort to patients upon discharge, provide information and assistance to center visitors;
• Information Desks- provide information and direct people throughout the center.
• Utilize foreign language skills to facilitate communication between patient and staff; visit foreign-speaking patients;
• Circulate reading material to patients; visit with patients.
• For children read stories, play games, and provide companionship to young patients.

Volunteers Prohibited Activities

• Replace employee positions
• Working with infectious or potentially infectious agents, including human blood
• Included in direct patient care procedures or treatment

Volunteers should observe the following at patient Care Areas :

1. When a patient room door is closed, check with nursing personnel before entering that room.
2. Introduce yourself to patient and staff..
3. Please leave the room when a doctor or nurse enters..
4. Patient charts are confidential and essential to the care given by doctors and nurses.
5. Do not handle the patient chart at any time.
6. Do not witness any papers, permits, etc..
7. Do not make purchases for patients (food, candy) unless approved by nursing personnel..
8. Do not distribute food or water until you have checked that patient is allowed to have either.

Procedures for admission to the program
Head of Administrative Section will perform the following

1. Welcome the volunteers
2. Pre-acceptance interviews and selects candidates
3. Informs volunteers of Requirements to Volunteer at Thalassemia center.
4. Take the volunteer in Thalassemia center orientation and tour
5. Volunteer workers sign a general release of the Thalassemia center from all present and future claims before beginning volunteer work in the center.
6. Advice Volunteer workers to receive hepatitis vaccine before starting work and to provide a copy of the vaccination record
7. Arrange and schedule educational sessions about Fire safety plan ,Patient Confidentiality and Infection Control
8. Provide volunteers with a written schedule and a list of duties
9. Open a file record for each volunteer that will include
   • a record of all hours worked and a work schedule
   • the original of the signed and witnessed general release
   • vaccination record
   • Fire safety Patient Confidentiality and Infection Control orientation trainings sessions attendance on admission and annually
   • Feedback reports which are provided on monthly bases for the initial 2 months and then when needed.
   • certificates

Supervision of the volunteer

Volunteers are under the direct supervision of the staff utilizing their services and receive general direction and guidance from the Head of Administrative Section.

Release a volunteer from service
A volunteer will be dismissed from our program if he/she

• Fails to meet hospital standards
• Violates an important hospital policy [such as patient confidentiality],
• Does not carry out his/her volunteer assignment within the parameters of the service description,
• Or refuses to improve his/her performance.

Head of administrative section will meet the volunteer to discuss the performance of the problematic volunteer and to come too solution. If still indicated the volunteer will be dismissed

Thalassemia center Volunteer program Awards

• These awards offered annually to acknowledge the hard work that the volunteers do
• The nominee must have completed one or more years of volunteer
• The nominee is someone who has made a difference in the lives of our patients.