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Teresa Becker: Hello. It is my pleasure to provide information to you about teen volunteering opportunities at San Juan Regional Medical Center. My name is Teresa Becker and I'm the Volunteer Services Manager.

My team includes Robin Cannon, Volunteer Coordinator, who assists me with onboarding, training and scheduling. We were so happy in late 2021 to have volunteers permitted to return to our hospital. Once we started placing our volunteers, the team program grew quickly. And at the end of 2022, we gained 22 new volunteers and it continues to increase today.

We consider our teen volunteer program a pipeline for future healthcare workers at our hospital. We see many of our former volunteers return to our hospital as caregivers, leaders and providers. The benefits of being a team volunteer includes exposure to the hospital environment. For those considering a healthcare career, this can often help them decide what course or study they want to pursue.

Another advantage is helping them gain customer service skills, people skills, how to navigate in a corporate environment and many other soft skills. The longer our teens are with us, the more responsibilities they are given. In fact, our more seasoned volunteers often assist us in training our newer volunteers. This provides a great foundation in leadership.

Another benefit for teen volunteers is the opportunity to apply for teen scholarships when they're ready to graduate. And these scholarships are exclusively offered only to our teen volunteers. Other perks include a meal in our cafe if they serve at least a two-hour shift, the use of our employee gym and various recognition events. Volunteering is also very important for college and scholarship applications. Having community-minded people who are willing to volunteer is very beneficial.

Our teens must be at least 14 years of age to volunteer at San Juan Regional. We are seeking teens who have a willingness to serve, can follow instructions, is open to learning, possess a great attitude and good with people. We often see our young teens start out pretty shy, but they generally overcome this as they gain confidence in their role.

To get started, we have an application process followed by an in-person interview along with a parent or guardian. We have the parent present to hear the expectations firsthand, but we want the team to participate and experience the interview. This helps them to be more comfortable with future interviews for work and college. Applications can be obtained through the hospital website where there is a link to the online application. Paper applications are also available here at San Juan Regional. We can also mail or email the applications.

If placement occurs following the interview, they will go through an onboarding process and receive specific training for the information desk. This offers them a variety of experience, such as helping escort people to their destinations, delivering flowers and patient belongings, assist with room lookup and transporting patients when they're ready for discharge. Supervision is provided by our staff at the main entrance. All volunteers, including our teens, must be fingerprinted and go through a background check, which is coordinated through our HR department. The onboarding process also includes providing social security card, a copy of the state-issued ID or a passport. Minors who are not yet driving can obtain an ID through the Motor Vehicle Department if they don't have a passport. A copy of the vaccination record is needed, and a TB test will also be done. During flu season, volunteers are also encouraged to get the flu shot or complete a declination form. For now, proof of COVID vaccines or an exemption to the vaccine is necessary. This may change along with any changes to the public health orders. This is determined by the San Juan Regional Incident Command Team. As of this time, masks are still necessary for employees and volunteers when they are in patient-facing areas.

I also want to share with you that we are used to working around school and sports schedules for our teen volunteers. These can change frequently, so communication is essential. We do try to have set schedules as much as possible and have the expectation that our volunteers call in if they're unable to come in for their shift. This is also great experience and practice for them as this will be the expectation when they become employed. We have high expectations of our teens, including adhering to our procedures and policies and rules such as HIPAA and infection control practices. Patient safety is also very important, and much of the training that is done with our teens is with safety in mind.

So, this is a quick overview of our teen volunteer program here at San Juan Regional. If you have someone who may be interested, I encourage you to get started immediately with the application process. And of course, we are still seeking adult volunteers too.

To help facilitate and expedite this process, we will have information sessions coming up as we'll have a big influx of teens at the end of the school year. The schedule for these sessions will be posted on the Intranet under the Volunteer Services page or on the hospital website. You can also contact me at 609-6156 or at tbecker@sjrmc.net. The first session will be held on April 11th from 4:00 to 5:00 PM in the Creative Vitality room, but many more sessions will be offered. And don't forget, a parent needs to attend along with the interested teen. It is extremely helpful to already have completed the volunteer application and rounded up the documents we've discussed. Our goal is to get as many teens on board before school is out as summer goes by very quickly.

Thank you for your time learning about our Teen Volunteer Program. It's been a privilege to work with so many caring volunteers over the years, and we can hopefully include your child, family member or neighbor. Again, if you'd like to reach me, you can call at 609-6156 or tbecker@sjrmc.net. Have a great day and thank you for joining this podcast.