Pat Carver's

Hospice Volunteer Program E-News

NHPCO member logo

logo 

March 2015

spring-word-flowers.jpg

 
Happy March - Happy Spring!

For some of you, spring brings a major push for volunteer recruitment and training.  

This month I'd like to consider screening of potential hospice volunteers to serve as patient and family visitors.  This role does not require technical ability, but rather what some refer to as
"soft skills".  

Soft skills include things like dependability; good communication (especially listening skills); ethical behavior; trustworthiness;  motivation; and compassion, to name a few attributes.
 

How do you begin to analyze a new recruit's soft skills?  Below are several points of engagement to consider.  

 

And, it is important to remember that Volunteer Coordinators do not work alone.   When wrestling with whether someone has the soft skills required, coordinators can seek guidance from other staff members, especially those serving in the Human Resources role.     

 

Personal interviews / gut feelings 

Hospice Volunteer Coordinators generally interview recruits initially prior to orientation, helping weed out those that don't seem to be a good fit for the program.  This determination can be based on many factors, such as how interview questions are answered or the feeling you get from the person.  It can be quite subjective.  Although difficult, it can be wise at times to turn someone away.  When that happens it can be helpful to offer alternative types of volunteer work available in your community.  Someone may not be right for hospice, but would be a good fit for other organizations. 

Also, final interviews can be an important last step in the orientation process, one more opportunity for assessment before new volunteers can serve.

 

Referrals
Most programs ask new recruits for referrals.  Referrals are often selected because they will give a positive review, but it is important to contact them anyway.  A referral may provide information that helps determine whether the individual has the soft skills needed to perform the role.  

"Reflection" questions from our Workbook
If you are not familiar with our Workbook, we include not only True-False academic type questions for each topic, but also a set of short answer "Reflection" questions that help the Coordinator get a better feel for the person, what they are thinking and how they might respond in the field.  These questions allow everyone to share, unlike class settings where a few students often take over the discussion.

Follow-up as part of the orientation process
No matter how you structure your Orientation's form of presentation (on-line self-study or class lecture/presentation), follow-up is important as an opportunity to discuss and delve into the topics presented, as well as to continue to assess soft skills.  It is always important to follow up face to face, whether individually or in group settings.  Follow-up provides an excellent opportunity to: further get to know the person; determine whether they understand important concepts; and assess whether they possess the soft skills desired.

Mentoring / Shadowing
Some programs ask new volunteers to shadow experienced persons or be part of a mentoring program prior to receiving a first individual assignment.  This can be one additional opportunity for assessing an individual's soft skills and whether they will be an asset to your program. 

--------------------------

Volunteer recruitment is vital.  Screening of the recruits is essential in order to feel confident in who they are, how they express themselves, and how their soft skills measure up to your needs.

Screening can be much more than an initial interview, but can take place at different points of engagement throughout the entire orientation process.
  If Coordinators remain mindful of "soft skills" needed, he/she will be better able to assess whether a volunteer in training not only understands important hospice concepts, but whether they possess the "soft skills" needed for the role.

Hospice volunteers work with an extremely vulnerable group of people.  Therefore, the better the screening, the better chance of choosing volunteers that will provide the best possible experience for patients and families alike. 

I hope these ideas provide food for thought as you strive to recruit and select persons who will provide uplifting support for your people.

Until next time,
Pat

NEWS:
On-Line Shopping available NOW!
We have launched our new Shopping Site. It will provide an additional way for you to order supplies.  Send a fax, an email, call or simply log in to the SHOP & place your order anytime of the day. Visit our  HospiceTutor website anytime & click over to the SHOP site.  Or, click here to go directly to the SHOP Home Page.  You will need to register prior to placing items in your basket.

 

Our Mailing Address: 
In January 2014 we moved from Chico, CA to Discovery Bay, CA.  Because a year has passed, the Post Office will no longer forward mail.  Please check your records & if needed, update our address information.  Our phone, fax and emails remain the same. 
Pat Carver Media 
PMB 253 
14850 HWY 4, STE A 
Discovery Bay, CA  94505

Bereavement Course - available now! 
If you have not yet reviewed our On-Line Bereavement Course, I hope you will find some time to do that soon.  Email me to request access to see the Course. 
 
Certificate in the blue student WORKBOOK 
I am excited to announce we will be including a Certificate  of Training - bound into the back of the blue student Workbook.  It will be printed on the same laser cut paper as the quizzes, so will pull out cleanly.  Use it as you wish - to present to the volunteer when they "graduate", and/or to copy and include in their file.

 

In order to make the transition easy, we are including separate Certificates with your upcoming Workbook orders - until we receive new inventory with the Certificate bound in place. 

Please prepare ahead - especially if you like to order LOGO Workbooks. 
LOGO Workbooks can take between 3 and 15 business days for custom printing.  This time-frame depends on the printer's work load. If you are in a hurry, we can generally ship plain cover Workbooks the next business day.  
-------------------------------------
Check your inventory of Portal KEYS & Workbooks!
Download an 
Order Form.      SHOP ON-LINE

Procrastinating doing an annual competency check for your active volunteers?  Don't delay - order our Volunteer Review.  Download a Volunteer Review Information Sheet.
We are on FACEBOOK & TWITTER.  We don't say much, but want to have a presence on these sites - just in case people are searching for Hospice Volunteer Training resources.

If you use and like our products, please follow or like us :)

Thanks to those who have already taken the time to show their support.

Like us on Facebook        Follow us on Twitter

Pat Carver Media - Hospice Volunteer Training Series  

 

1.800-328-4160 Phone
1.888.788.5619 FAX
[email protected]      NHPCO member logo           

        

 

Download an Order Form

NHPCO member logo

 

Curious?  Request Complimentary KEY to access our On-Line Training Portal     

 

Like us on Facebook    Follow us on Twitter  

Download an Order Form
SHOP On-Line

Hospice Volunteer Training Series products

The Portal is based on our DVD's & Manual - so check out the Portal & you'll discover the content of our Series.

 

If you are not ready for independent study, then use our DVD's in class to help cover topics efficiently & consistently.   

www.hospicetutor.com 

 

Pat Carver

 

Pat Carver, M.S. 


I'd like to be your  hospice tutor!

 

Pat Carver Media logo

 

Sunset Logo

�2007 - 2013  

Available nationwide

 

ASK for a KEY to visit our On-Line Training Portal.
We offer a unique SYSTEM

for training hospice volunteers.

 

Whether you use our videos in class, for independent study

On-Line

or via

DVD

or a volunteer reads our full text

MANUAL,

the information is the same.

 

This means YOU have options available that offer consistency, no matter the method of presentation!

 

  YOU follow with additional experiential and learning opportunities to complete the training process.  It's a WIN-WIN combination!

 

Visit our website 

to learn more!

 
References available.

Hospice Vol Training Series clear LOGO

Visit Our Website  

View prices

Download a price sheet

Download an order form 

See Samples

References  

Call:

1.800.328.4160

 

E-mail


[email protected]

Our SYSTEM: 

 

Videos on DVD
Videos On-Line
 Manual
Workbooks
(Competency Quizzes & Reflection questions)

Volunteer Review, updated annually 

 

Hospice Volunteer Training Series products

Manual, DVD's, Review,

Workbook