Volunteering at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital

Who Are Our Volunteers?
Brattleboro Memorial Hospital volunteers are men and women from your community who care about Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and contribute their time and energy to assist the hospital in a wide variety of activities. Brattleboro Memorial Hospital also has a student volunteer program for those between the ages of 13 and 18. Student volunteers often select their assignments according to their career goals and interests.

Volunteer Services
Brattleboro Memorial Hospital volunteers contribute their skills, time, and energy in many different areas. Here is just a sampling of their varied service responsibilities throughout the hospital:

• Welcoming and escorting new patients to their rooms
• Transporting patients to and from testing areas
• Assisting patients in various hospital departments and on nursing floors
• Providing information and assistance to visitors at the Information Desk
• Working in the Hospital Gift Shop
• Typing, filing, photocopying, collating and other clerical work
• Assisting in mailings
• Answering telephones
• Running errands and delivering specimens and paperwork
• Assisting the nursing staff with simple but important tasks
• Serving as an extra pair of hands in areas such as Oncology and the Ambulatory Care Unit
• Serving as a liaison between families and staff in the Emergency Department

Shadow Opportunities
In addition to serving as a volunteer at BMH, individual “shadow” opportunities may be arranged.  These opportunities generally give an individual the opportunity to shadow a staff member at BMH for the purpose of exploring career interests.  These shadows may be short or longer term. The policies and procedures that apply to volunteering at BMH also apply to shadowing. 

Interviews
Prospective volunteers must make an appointment for a personal interview with the Director, Service Excellence and Volunteer/ Auxiliary Support. In this interview, you will discuss your needs and those of the hospital.  We’ll work to make a match with consideration for both your availability and your interests.   We will then suggest a mutually rewarding volunteer position for you. As soon as we've matched you with a suitable position, we will schedule you with the department in which you will be working.

To schedule an interview, contact 802-257-8238.

Training
All volunteers will participate in New Employee/Volunteer Orientation. Training is provided on the job by the hospital staff or by other volunteers. In addition to verbal instructions, departments and services have written job descriptions to help define the volunteer's duties.

Important Guidelines for Volunteering at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital

Attendance
Volunteers are a vital part of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and we count on you being here when you're scheduled. Therefore, if you are unable to be here on your scheduled day, please notify your assigned department as soon as possible so that a substitute may be found. (You, in turn, may occasionally be asked to substitute for another volunteer.) If you plan to take a vacation, please notify the Director as soon as you know the dates that you will be away.

Assignments
As a volunteer, you are directly responsible to the department to which you have been assigned. Sometimes a change of assignment is necessary, either for your convenience or to meet the changing demands of the hospital. Please do not change assignments unless you have made arrangements to do so with the Director.

Terminations of Service
 It sometimes happens that your service does not meet your needs or those of the hospital. In that case you or Brattleboro Memorial Hospital may decide to discontinue your services as a volunteer. If you decide to discontinue your volunteer work, please inform the Director as far in advance as possible.

Appearance
Volunteers wear a uniform that is a smock, a cobbler apron, a vest or a polo shirt. Volunteer identification badges will be provided by the hospital. We suggest that you wear low heeled, comfortable shoes or sneakers.  No open toed shoes are allowed.

Valuables
Please leave valuables at home. Keep only small amounts of money and keys in your uniform pocket.

Meals & Fitness Room
All volunteers receive a complementary meal and beverage during the shift that they work.  In addition, use of the Fitness Room at BMH is available free of charge to all volunteers.  Please see the Director to learn more about the Fitness Room.

Confidentiality
Many things that you will see and hear within the hospital are of a personal nature. Patients have the right to privacy and it is your responsibility to respect that right. Information concerning patients, such as their names, conditions and care must be confidential. For these reasons, volunteers are not allowed to:

• Read patients' medical records.
• Ask patients why they are in the hospital, or inquire about their diagnosis or the details of their care
• Answer inquiries about health care practices or costs

The Art of Listening
Patients are often eager to talk with volunteers and are cheered by this contact. Remember to call patients by name whenever possible and to listen in a friendly, noncommittal way. Tactfully evade confidences or questions that you cannot answer and do not discuss controversial subjects with patients.

Safety Regulations
If you become ill, injured or have an accident while on duty, be sure to report the incident, no matter how slight, to the Director. In the interest of safety, we suggest that volunteers follow these guidelines:

• Do not lift patients or heavy loads
• Never assist a patient into or out of a wheelchair without the help of a nurse or nurses assistant. When handling a wheelchair move cautiously, backing it into elevators, down ramps and through doors. Be careful when turning corners.

All volunteers are asked to adhere to the policies applicable to their departments. 

A Quiet Place
Noise can be very disturbing to patients. Please help maintain a pleasant, restful atmosphere by speaking softly and using equipment carefully.

For more information about volunteer opportunities at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital or to schedule an interview, please contact Christin Fagan at 802-257-8238.