Documentation...

[Courtney Johnson]

I am a brand new Hospice Volunteer Coordinator.. I have been doing this for the last 5 months... The hospice that i work for did not have a volunteer program, so i have no mentor, or established program.. I have taken the time to set up a training manuel and all the other good stuff that we needed in place... However what i am lacking is how to show the volunteers how to document correctly.... ANY THING WILL HELP ME!!!

 

Look foward too hearing all the amazing suggestions!!

 

Courtney Johnson

Desert Oasis Hospice

[Jennifer Thompson]

Welcome aboard, sounds like you have taken the bull by the horn and moving forward. Most of the hospices I have worked for have used a very general volunteer documentation form which is a check off box form. I do have a section where they can make comments on their visits and I encourage them to do so, but it isn't necessary. I also make them fill out a mock form when they are in training, so they have a copy to refer to when they out visiting. I also encourage them to contact me by phone especially if there is a problem so that I can notify the nursing staff immedicately about their concern. I also do this, since many times volunteer notes don't get into the hospice office in a timely manner and while volunteer managers should read very note, sometimes we miss items that need to be addressed. the last thing we want is a surveyer coming in and noticing volunteer had mentioned a problem and it was never addressed. It also keeps your volunteers connected to the organzation helping with retension since they work independently and can easily become invisiable. Please feel free to email me any time. Volunteer managers on this site all consider Hospice Volunteer Management a professional and are here to help

Jennifer Thompson, CVA
Rivercross Hospice - tulsa, Ok
[e-mail]

[Courtney Johnson]

Thank you so much Jennifer! I will email you with any questions that I have... And if i can be of any help please feel free to email me as well...

Courtney Johnson
Desert Oasis Hospice
cjohnson@desertoasishospice

[Greg Schneider]

HI Courtney,

Welcome to the HCF! I would recommend several resources from HVA that would be useful to you as a new Volunteer Coordinator:

National Hospice Document Repository (NHDR)
The NHDR was created by HVA as a public service to the hospice community and the general public. This repository is the largest free-access collection of documents and articles relating to hospice and end-of-life care in the world. Some of the ways that this repository assists the community are:

• provides a venue for hospice volunteer coordinators/managers to share training materials, volunteer program descriptions, volunteer job descriptions, outreach brochures, etc. with their colleagues.
• to inform hospice volunteer coordinators/managers about resources available to them for making their jobs easier and assisting them in training their volunteers.
• to share articles and other types of information that would be of interest to the hospice community and family caregivers.

Hospice Volunteer News Magazine
HVA's quarterly magazine, Hospice Volunteer News, is a valuable educational resource that is accessible online. The archive contains all past issues, which contain excellent guidance to volunteers and their managers. For example, the most recent issue contains these articles and more:

• An Innovative Approach to Hospice Management & Volunteer Training by Cindy Dunning
• Latinos, Access Barriers, and Cultural Bridges to End of Life Care by Silvia Austerlic
• How Does the new HITECH Act Affect Hospice? by Greg Schneider

Finally, HVA's Patient Data Vault (PDV) Service is a valuable resource for managing and communicating with your volunteers and is HIPAA compliant. This service will make your volunteer organization more efficient. You may sign-up for a 30-day FREE Trial and improve your volunteer program and save money doing it. The cost per volunteer is about what you would spend on postage but the return on investment is much higher!!

Greg Schneider
HCF Creator
HVA President

[Frances Shani Parker]

Welcome and good luck on your new job, Courtney. While you're at your computer visiting this site, I suggest that you look over the very helpful information given in the groups, forums, blogs, and videos. You will discover answers to common concerns and develop a broader perspective about how the hospice philosophy is implemented.

Frances Shani Parker, Author
"Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes”
“Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog”

[Kelly Keller]

There is a really good prcoess outlined in the Hospice of Florida Suncoast materials. The thing I come back to, though, that seems to stick the most is the STOP sign mnemonic. What did you See, what did the patient/family Tell you, what did you Offer and what is the plan for follow-up. I have seen such a variety of the kinds of documentation required of volunteers.. some people just have them check boxes while others do narratives like above.

[Courtney Johnson]

OK! That is a great start for me. We don't ask our volunteers to write much... I was not sure if they even had to write anything... Also what do you write in a patients plan of care?