Serve as a Liaison with Children's Hospital! (Must be 55+)

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Become an AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Volunteer and serve with the Children's Hospital - You must be age 55 or over.

Surgical Liaison

There are 80-100 procedures performed in the operating rooms each day. Most of the families wait in the hospital’s Family Waiting suite during their child’s surgery. The Liaison Nurses are kept very busy providing support, information and crisis intervention for several families at a time. They coordinate with, and make referrals to staff in many areas of the hospital. The nurse arranges for parents to visit their child in the post anesthesia care unit (PACU). They escort the parents to the PACU and provide information about the child’s appearance and condition. Many of the families are waiting for a child who will be going home (Day Surgery). Although day surgery procedures are usually of short duration, the parents are often very nervous and in need of support and information.

QUALIFICATIONS/COMPETENCIES:

• Excellent customer service skills, outgoing personality, mature individual
• Caring and compassionate
• Ability to stay calm under pressure and remain focused in a very busy environment
• Comfortable working with all age groups
• Able to stay calm when dealing with anxious patients/family members
• Position is physically demanding. The volunteer walks long distances between two buildings each shift.
• Familiarity with the hospital layout and environment.

DAILY PRINCIPAL DUTIES OF THE VOLUNTEER:

• Greet parents when they arrive in the waiting area
• Direct parents to rest rooms, lockers, phones, cafeteria, chapel, garden, lactation room, Ctr. For Families, etc.
• Notify Liaison Nurses when parents have questions, are due for a report or appear very anxious
• Sit and talk with parent who may be alone
• Alert Liaison Nurses to psychosocial or medical issues revealed by parents or other significant visitors so that appropriate interventions can be arranged
• Assist Liaison Nurses, surgeons, and visitors in locating parents
• Record parent cell phone numbers in log if needed
• Assist two adult visitors to child’s bedside in recovery as requested by nurse