Volunteer Opportunities > Patient Escort Program

Goals

• The Patient Escort Service is a volunteer program aimed at improving the quality of patient care.
• The Patient Escort Service provides a quick response to short term staff requests.
• The Patient Escort Service also:
• makes patients and their visitors more comfortable during hospital visits,
• gives medical staff more time for patient care,
• provides a quality volunteer experience for participants,
• allows volunteers an opportunity to establish camaraderie and fellowship, and
• enhances the image of Culbertson Memorial Hospital as a high quality community medical facility.

Objectives

The goals of the Patient Escort Service are achieved through the performance of their duties.

Escort duties:

• Escort or transport patients to various departments, patient rooms or to the main lobby for discharge.
• Assist visitors in finding their destination in the hospital.
• Present a cheerful, friendly attitude to staff, patient, visitors, and other members of the public.

Orientation and training

• All escort volunteers are required to attend an annual training session, just like the CMH employees. In order to accommodate all staff and volunteers in their annual training, this inservice is held once each month. During the inservice, you will learn about hospital policies and procedures that involve HIPAA, fire safety, infection control, body mechanics, etc. You must attend this inservice before you can begin your escort duties. You will also be required to watch a variety of training films before you can begin your duties.

•  Comprehensive training for a new escort will include:
• complete tour of the hospital
• description of duties
• wheelchair use and safety
• confidentiality issues
• dress code
• safety information

Scheduling

Once an escort is fully trained, he is assigned to at least once weekly shift. Many escorts choose to work more than one shift. Each escort will generally work the same shift each week. For example, an escort assigned to the Monday morning shift will work Monday morning each week. New escorts are scheduled based on NEED first and personal priority second.

Escorts are scheduled for the following shifts:

Monday through Friday                           8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
                                                                  12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Weekly schedules are posted on the Director of Community Relations office door on Monday mornings.

Sign-In and Sign-out

A three-ring binder in the Escort desk drawer is for escort sign-in and sign-out. There is a page in the book for each escort, in alphabetical order. Escorts should sign-in when they enter the hospital for a shift and sign out when they leave the hospital, including any time taken for a meal.

The escort desk is stored in the outpatient clinic. The escorts on first shift should move the desk into the corridor near the Registration Department where it will remain until the end of the second escort shift. The escort on duty at this time should move the desk back into the OP clinic for storage.

Requests for escort services will be made via cordless telephone. When the first shift escort arrives, they should remove the phone from its charging base located in the Outpatient Department. The phone should remain at the escort desk until the end of the second shift. When the second shift has ended, the escort on duty will place the cordless phone back on its base in the Outpatient Clinic to recharge.

Vacation and Sick Time

If an escort must miss one or more shifts for a vacation, illness, or other reason, they must notify the Volunteer Coordinator as far in advance as possible so that a substitute can be scheduled in his place.

If the absence is unplanned, an escort should call the hospital to notify the staff. The number to call is 322-4321, ext. 269. Please leave a message if no one is available.

Breaks

Escorts may take restroom breaks at any convenient time.
Escorts may take one 10-minute break per shift. Please try to take this break at a time that causes the least inconvenience to staff or patients.

Substitutes

From time to time, an escort may be asked to work an extra shift to cover for someone who is absent. Substitutes will be given as much notice as possible, with the understanding that last minute openings occur.

Escorts will be asked to sub only when necessary. Volunteer staff greatly appreciates any extra help given and hope that escorts will agree to sub whenever it is possible.

Transporting Patients

• Requests for patient transport are placed via cordless telephone at ext. 301.
• Escorts may transport patients who are being admitted or discharged from the hospital, discharged from surgery, or moved from one area of the hospital to another for tests.
• Staff members who call for patient escorts should tell the escort where they are needed and if they need to bring a wheelchair.
• If the patient is going for tests, they must have their paperwork or medical records with them.
• The escort takes a wheelchair to pick up the patient.
• The escort should transport the patient to their destination and stay with the patient until a staff member takes over or a responsible family member arrives.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

• Escorts may assist patients into the wheelchair, but should never lift a patient.
• Do not transport isolation patients.
• Do not transport patients with IV poles or patients on gurneys.
• Do not transport prisoners.
• Do not transport obese patients.

Medical Records Handling

• Escorts may retrieve and deliver charts from various areas of the hospital for the medical records department.
• Escorts may be asked to shred documents.
• It is a good idea to check for any charts waiting to be delivered when passing the Medical Records department.

Closing Duties

At the end of each shift, the patient escort should log out, return the 3-ring binder to desk drawer, replace the cordless phone on its charging base and move the desk back into the outpatient clinic area where it is stored.

Infection Control

Volunteers must have completed and keep current the medical testing required by the hospital.

In any hospital setting there is the potential for exposure to infectious materials. For the health and safety of the escorts and the patients, careful attention must be paid to infection control policies.

Hand washing is the single most important factor in controlling the spread of infections. Infections may be spread from an escort to a patient, from a patient to an escort, or even patient-to-patient if proper precautions are not taken.

WASH your hands often:

• Before the start of a shift
• After touching anything in a patient’s room
• After transporting a patient
• Before entering a patient’s room who may have lowered immunities
• After using the restroom
• Before eating
• After the end of the shift

Isolation is used in CMH to identify patients who may be infectious or are susceptible to infection. Patients who are in isolation should be identified by a brightly colored 5 X 8 card on the door their room (green, yellow, pink, orange and red). Escorts must pay close attention to the isolation cards to protect themselves and the patient from potentially dangerous infections.

• Volunteers never enter isolation rooms, even if requested to.
• Volunteers do not transport isolation patients.

Personal Hygiene and Health

Personal hygiene is also important in maintaining infection control and also helps volunteers to present a professional appearance as a representative of CMH. Escorts should be neat and clean, taking care to shower regularly, have clean hair, hands, fingernails and clean clothes. Cologne and after-shave lotion should not be used.

When you are ill, it is best for your health and that of our patients that you do not volunteer. If you have symptoms of fever, diarrhea, flu, etc., please call and let us know that you are not feeling well and will not be able to volunteer that day.

Patient Safety

Proper Wheelchair Use

When helping a patient INTO a wheelchair:

• Be sure wheel locks are on.
• Escort may help to steady a patient while they get into the chair, but should never lift a patient.
• Once the patient is positioned in the chair, lower the footrests and let patient place their feet properly. Assist if necessary.
• Release wheel locks and push the patient slowly to their destination.

When helping a patient OUT of a wheelchair:

• Be sure the wheel locks are on.
• Raise footrests.
• Assist patient into car, bed, or chair. Never lift a patient.

What you can and cannot do when helping a patient:

• Do not lift patients.
• Do not transport a patient on a gurney. You may assist a staff member in moving a gurney with a patient on it, but do not do it alone.
• Do not transport a patient who is hooked to an IV, unless accompanied by a staff person.
• Never leave a patient unattended. Be sure a staff person, family member or other responsible adult is in charge before you leave a patient.
• Do not take a patient to their car unless it is parked in the driveway in front of the ER or main lobby doors.

Confidentiality

Every CMH employee and volunteer signs Confidentiality of Information Agreement. This is a binding agreement that prohibits giving any information about a patient to anyone, inside or outside the hospital, except appropriate hospital personnel.

• If you happen to see a friend, relative or acquaintance in the hospital, you may speak to them, but you cannot tell anyone else that you saw them in the hospital.
• When you do see someone you know, greet them in a friendly manner, but avoid saying "How are you?" This could make the patient feel self-conscious, especially if they have recently received some distressing news. Practice a greeting that does not involve health matters, such as "It’s good to see you again."
• The confidentiality agreement also covers any information you may see or hear from staff, visitors, medical records or patient lists.
• Any breach of confidentiality will result in immediate dismissal from the CMH Volunteer program.
• Escorts will be stationed at a desk near the front lobby. They will be notified of a request for escort service by either cordless phone or direct person-to-person contact. Either way, no patient names will be used during the request.

Volunteer Etiquette

• Knock before entering a patient’s room.
• If a physician or nurse is in attendance, go back at another time.
• Do not awaken patients if they are asleep.
• Do not approach the patient for complaints—many times you will be hearing complaints.
• You may be asked for medical advice or for a physician referral. Never give medical advice. Suggest that the patient ask the nurse on duty about medical problems. Do not refer physicians to patients.
• Avoid comparing illnesses with the patient.
• Do not give water, or raise or lower the bed unless authorized to do so.

Dress Code

• Escorts may wear casual slacks or skirts, but no blue jeans.
• Ties preferred for men, but not required.
• Escorts must wear Friends of CMH escort jackets while on duty..
• Escort identification badges must be worn while on duty.

Meal Tickets

• Escorts receive a free meal for each shift they work.
• First shift escorts may eat lunch after their shift has ended at noon.
• Second shift escorts may eat lunch before their shift begins at noon.
• Volunteer name badges are all the identification you will need when getting your meal.

Parking

Reserved parking for volunteers is limited to the south lot at the corner of Congress and Clinton streets. If reserved volunteer spots are already taken, you may park in the lot in any other open, non-reserved parking space.

Cell Phones

Cell phone use should be kept to an absolute minimum while volunteers are on duty. Please use the vibrate setting on your phone to keep disturbances to a minimum.

Termination

Termination of a volunteer can be voluntary or at the request of the Director of Volunteer Services. The volunteer may be terminated for any of the following reasons:

1. request of the volunteer
2. unreported absences
3. excessive last minute cancellation of assignment
4. conduct on or off duty which would be detrimental to the hospital and or the patient, including any breach of confidentiality
5. when health or other factors indicate the termination would be in the best interest of the hospital and/or volunteer;
6. any violations of hospital and or volunteer policies.

Adding a Personal Touch

Your volunteer activities add warmth and a personalized touch to the services provided for patients and visitors at CMH.

Your contact will include not only patients, but also their families and friends. Greet people pleasantly. Be courteous and professional at all times. Introduce yourself and identify yourself as a volunteer. Speak quietly and discreetly. Listen to patients in a sincere, friendly manner. Your language should always be in good taste.

Always be helpful—it is better to spend a few minutes making or keeping people happy than to work for months to regain their goodwill.

Be loyal to the hospital. Never contribute derogatory remarks or express your opinions of a situation. Diplomatically alert the proper channels to warranted concerns.

A volunteer should never give medication, food, or fluids to a patient. Opinions on medical treatment, physicians, or care in general should not be given.

Volunteers should never accept tips or gifts of any kind from patients or visitors.

Solicitation or distribution of literature on hospital property is prohibited.

Problems relating to an area of volunteer service should be discussed with a volunteer staff person. Questions or suggestions are also welcomed. A volunteer who is unhappy about an assignment in a particular department may request a transfer. Always remember that a happy smile and cheerful manner are wonderful therapy.

Culbertson Memorial Hospital
238 S. Congress
Rushville, IL 62681
Telephone: (217) 322-4321
Fax: (217) 322-2608

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