Pet Therapy Volunteer

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Positions Summary

To provide pet visits to Hospice of Charles County patients and their family members.

Responsibilites & Functions

* Ensure that the pet has current certification/on file with Hospice of Charles County
* Provide the pet’s shot records annually/on file with Hospice of Charles County
* Facilitate the pet’s interaction with the patients/clients
* Always maintain control of the pet
* Respond to requests for pet visits; once matched contact the family within 24 hours to coordinate visit
* Arrive on time for scheduled visits; have positive interaction with those receiving service
* Complete volunteer visit progress notes within 24 hours of each visit
* Notify Volunteer Services of weekly schedule availability, as well as scheduled visits
* Attend at least one in-service training session annually
* Complete all required documentation annually (HIPAA/Patient Rights/PPD/Flu Shot)
* Contact Hospice of the Chesapeake Triage immediately to report: incidents, uncontrolled pain, breathing
problems, falls or any other concerns

Relationships

Supervised by: Volunteer Services Coordinator
Volunteers Supervised: None
Degree of Supervision: Supervised first visit (or more) with patient depending on pet therapy team’s experience and comfort level

Minimum Position Qualifications

Minimum education: Hospice of Charles County Patient Care Training
Required licensure or certification: Pets must have current certification with P.A.W.S Maryland, Pet Partners, Fidos for Freedom, or Therapy Dogs International
Minimum experience: None required
Skills required: Dependability, flexibility, and understanding of hospice philosophy
Physical demands: None
Equipment needed: None
Working conditions: Inpatient Care Centers, assisted-living facilities, skilled nursing facilities, patients’ homes

Roles, Responsibilities, Expectations

As a Medicare-certified hospice, we are mandated to include Volunteers as an important part of our organization. We are required to have at least 5% of our patient service hours provided by Volunteers.

Every year our Volunteers provide thousands of hours of service for our patients. The value of time is priceless in the eyes of our patients and their families.

Volunteer tasks can be patient related or non-patient related.

If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity or other positions within our Volunteer Department, please contact a member of our team at 301-861-5316 or through email at volunteer@hospiceofcharlescounty.org

To learn more about Hospice of Charles County, you can visit our website at

https://hospiceofcharlescounty.org/