Our Departmental Features are being run monthly, up to our Employee Recognition Week (February 26 to March 3, 2023). This initiative aligns with our Hospital’s strategic priority of Staff Experience, by recognizing and celebrating the work that our staff are doing every day. To see past Departments of the Month, please visit the Employee Recognition Week page of the intranet. This month we are looking at the Volunteer Services Department.
Hospital Volunteers: Patient and Family Centred Care in Action!
We have about 160 currently active volunteers, aged 16 and up. With 20 different positions, there are volunteers on site seven days a week all over the Hospital, including the Cancer Centre, Hospital Elder Life Program, Surgical Day Care, Seasons Gift Shop, Goodnight Patient Visiting, and the Patient Clothing Cupboard.
Volunteers provide friendly visiting, comforts and support to inpatients; transports, wayfinding assistance and reception help to outpatients and Essential Care Partners; clerical support to staff, and fundraising through Seasons Gift Shop and other initiatives of the Volunteer Association to the Hospital.
The Volunteer Services Team
Reporting to the Vice President, People and Culture, the Volunteer Services Manager is responsible for leading and coordinating all Hospital volunteer activity, excluding Patient Family Advisors and Foundation volunteers. With the support of the Volunteer Coordinator, we work closely with Hospital leaders and staff, supporting them to support and supervise volunteers in their departments and to develop new volunteer roles. Similar to Human Resources, we recruit, screen, onboard, orient, train, support, and recognize volunteers.
Most positions in volunteer services administration require relevant professional certification such as the Certification in Volunteer Administration (CVA).
Recognition
We celebrate volunteers every day, but especially during National Volunteer Week every April. In 2023, it will be April 16 to 22; however, most volunteers say they are happy just to get a thank you!
International Volunteer Managers day is November 5.
What Motivates our Volunteers
“I enjoy volunteering in Paediatrics, because I love spending time with the children. I may be wiping the fevered brow of a two-year-old, distracting a young girl from getting an IV inserted, or playing Snakes and Ladders with a ten-year-old (and losing repeatedly). I hope that I gave a mother or caregiver a much-needed break to get a coffee, some fresh air or a chance to recharge. Having a loved one in the Hospital is never easy and very stressful. One little break can make a difference!”
– Heather, Child Life Volunteer
“Volunteering gave me the opportunity to be part of the community and gave me a sense of belonging. I specifically wanted to volunteer in the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP), because I believe seniors have so much experience in life, and they teach me about enduring change in my own life. Volunteering makes us humble, and helps us make a real impact and be part of positive change in our society.”
– Victoria, Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) Volunteer
“I have been volunteering in the Cancer Centre for almost 24 years as a way of giving back on behalf of family members and friends who have received treatment there. Keeping motivated is never an issue, as the patients and their families inspire me with their positive attitudes and resilience despite being in such a stressful time in their life. I am most proud of being on the initial committee that brought the “New Patient Orientation” to the Cancer Centre to help new patients and their families become acquainted with the Centre and all the services that could be available to them during their time there.
As the Service Leader for all the Volunteers at the Cancer Centre, I am proud to say that we embody the definition of Patient and Family Centred Care with all that we do during each and every shift. We demonstrate care and compassion to every one who is there. We volunteer and give of our time alongside of the amazing staff members to ensure that each patient and family have what they need during their appointment or treatment.”
–Kim, Cancer Centre Volunteer and Service Leader and Patient Family Advisor
