A Day in the Life of a Volunteer

Day in the Life of Auxiliary Volunteers at Bates County Memorial Hospital

Auxiliary volunteers of Bates County Memorial Hospital almost always say they decided to donate their time for similar reasons. Once, they led busy, full lives as schoolteachers, healthcare workers, veterans of foreign wars, social workers, pastors or homemakers, but when they retired, their life slowed down a bit. They are motivated to get out of the house, meet new people and spend their time in a meaningful way.

You don’t have to be retired to volunteer for our hospital. In fact, our members are actively seeking a younger demographic to join their ranks.  Anyone over 18 with a little extra time in their week is welcome to apply.

• Stay-at-home parents looking for fulfilling activities while kids are in school
• Anyone considering healthcare as a possible career
• Those looking for ways to use their career experience / time to benefit our community

What Does a Volunteer Do at BCMH?

Our volunteers all have roles to play. Some help at the information desk, and others work as clerks in the Auxiliary gift shop. They receive training and sign up to work one or two shifts per week, typically lasting four to five hours per shift. During their workday they may interact frequently with patients, visitors and employees. They might assist a patient in a wheelchair to an appointment and perform infection prevention tasks like wiping down devices at check-in.

Greeting – Our volunteers at the information desk are the first people you meet when you enter our front door. It’s an important task because they are helping us make that critical good first impression. When patients are not feeling well or anxious about a medical appointment, a kind greeting and offer of help from a caring person can mean so much.

Check In – We use touch screens at kiosk stations to streamline our registration process, located in our front lobby. It’s just a few simple steps but some patients need assistance or have questions. Our volunteers help patients when they need it, and this allows registration clerks to focus on their processes and keeps clinics and other procedures running on time.

Information – Volunteers are able to answer many frequently asked questions, either on the phone or in person at the information desk. If volunteers are unable to answer a patient’s question, help is just a phone call away to the department in question, or to the Human Resources office, who oversee our Auxiliary Volunteers.

Guides and Couriers – Some patients need guidance or assistance getting to the correct department for their appointment. This may include helping the patient get into a wheelchair, pushing them to the department they need to go to, and then returning to the front with the wheelchair where they quickly sanitize it for the next use. Occasionally volunteers are assigned to a specific department to do simple tasks or projects. Many of our volunteers enjoy taking on a more active role – they love to have something to do!

Gift Shop Clerks – When you apply for a volunteer position you will have the choice to work at the information desk or the Auxiliary Gift Shop. Tasks in the Gift Shop range from assisting with sales, stocking shelves, running the cash register and engaging with shoppers. Other Auxiliary members are assigned various jobs in the Gift Shop to purchase and displaying gift shop goods, manage financial records and  plan and prepare for seasonal sales.   

Fundraising – Giving back to our patients and hospital is one of the main functions of our Auxiliary, and every year they donate a portion of their proceeds to the hospital to help purchase needed equipment or materials. Combined with gift shop sales, they hold various fundraisers throughout the year.

Employee Appreciation and Encouragement – As employees we grow quite attached to our volunteers, and our volunteers actively work to encourage our employees. Their presence at the hospital is great for employee morale for so many reasons, and we are thankful for all of them.  

Pastoral Care – A very important role our Auxiliary takes on is to provide spiritual care for our patients. Pastoral visits are offered to patients who have been admitted to the hospital as well as those undergoing outpatient chemotherapy or other infusion treatments.

Community Projects – Every fall, volunteers hold a sock drive for Bates County school children in need, called Operation Sock-It-To-Me. They also plan an annual community wellness project for the public. In the past, they have hosted Lunch & Learn events with health experts speaking to health concerns as stroke or heart health. These special projects take planning and little extra footwork, and we appreciate volunteers who take on a few more duties to benefit our community. 

Benefits of Volunteering at BCMH

Volunteers are not paid for their time, but they do enjoy several benefits, like free lunch in the cafeteria on the days they work, a discount in the gift shop as well as a discount on most healthcare services they receive through Bates County Memorial Hospital.  To stay informed, members gather for a quarterly business luncheon along with hospital employees who help support their efforts, including our CEO, Greg Weaver, members of the finance department and our HR Department. Volunteers are recognized for their service every April with an Appreciation Banquet, and the Volunteer of the Year is announced, nominated and voted upon by Auxiliary members.

Volunteers often tell us their favorite benefits are the friendships they form with other volunteers and employees.

Room to Grow

What would our hospital do without our volunteers? Their presence here means so much to our patients and visitors, and even more to our employees. Auxiliary volunteers are of tremendous benefit to our entire community.

Our volunteers are looking for new members of all ages and backgrounds. If you are seeking a volunteer opportunity and would like to know more, call Lena Tialino, Human Resources Coordinator: 660-200-7045.

Auxiliary Volunteers of BCMH, April 2023