What do ED nurses need from volunteers?

Sun0408, ASN, RN · Aug 12, 2010

Simply, just ask what you can do to help or be more helpful to them and the pts.

Coffee Nurse, BSN, RN · Aug 12, 2010

A volunteer taking VS? Is this legal?

50caliber · Aug 12, 2010

Just ask the charge nurse what you can do to be helpful.

I work in the ER and nurses/staff will love you if you can jump in there and make a bed. When it gets busy and there is pack waiting room, having beds ready makes a difference. It keep the flow of the ER going and reduces wait when things get a little crazy.

If you are allowed to get vitals, great. I'm not sure its allowed but double check with the hospital policy before you do so.

ObtundedRN, BSN, RN · Aug 12, 2010

When I volunteered, I wasn't allowed to provide any patient care. They didn't even want me making beds because of risk of exposure of body substances. But I suppose if your facility allows it, then go for it! I volunteered in a very large and busy trauma center ED. I helped out by escorting family members to the patient's room, answering phones and delivering messages to patients (the ED rooms had no phones), and getting drinks and blankets etc for the patients. I also watched the trauma team work when a trauma came in. As part of that, I would help the patient rep gather the patient's clothes and belongings as the trauma team cut them off and bag it to be safely stored.

I guess taking vitals could be allowed as long as the nurses know that you have been properly trained to do it. Just like any other UAP, the rules of delegation would apply. So as long as you're correctly taught to do it, and the facility allows it, then it's probably okay to do.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Aug 12, 2010

Just a quick thought -- please check with the patients' nurses before providing beverages to the patients; some of them may be on fluid restrictions, or may be NPO (nothing by mouth). Thanks for your willingness to help!

medicinelover · Aug 12, 2010

Thanks for all your responses. When I take vitals is under the supervision of the er tech who's a paramedic. Ill do it and she will write them, is never by myself. I have some training as I am a month away from finishing an EMT course. But once again thanks :)

LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN · Aug 12, 2010

Providing warm blankets to patients,

rounding on people in the waiting room - we used to have a beverage/snack cart that the vollenteers would take around in the waiting room, as long as they were not the patient then they could have something

and pretty much what eveyone else said, I am supprised that even with supervision they let get vitals.

The volunteers in my facility can not have patient contact unless it is an escort to the parking lot once they are D/C.

pharmgirl · Aug 12, 2010

Be available to bring pts urine cups when asked. When pts are done in triage, showing them to their room is also a big help. Stocking the rooms and as others have said making beds. As another poster has said, please don't offer anyone in the lobby a beverage, we don't know what is going on with them yet and they may be required to have an empty stomach once we do see them. Also, we have a "no blanket" policy for people with fevers so make sure of your hospitals standards. I would ask your specific nurses what THEY want you to be doing.

Thanks for asking, that just shows what great incentive you have, I'm sure you're a great volunteer.

happy2learn · Aug 12, 2010

I'm not allowed to take vitals. I also can't get them water (for the reasons someone mentioned above), I have to show them where the water fountain is.

I'm actually not allowed to get them blankets. They tell me that if I get one a blanket, they will all want one and then we don't have enough blankets. lol.

I'm not permitted to make beds either. Our environmental services representative are quite quick about making beds. But we also have a bed bug problem so they try to clean up asap to help prevent the spread.

That is neat that they let you take vitals. As long as your are doing everything you are allowed and can do, then you'll be a good volunteer.

murphyle, BSN, RN · Aug 12, 2010

I was a volunteer at a large urban trauma center back in the days of my first undergrad, and got to the point where my only restriction was that I couldn't do vascular accesses (i.e. butterfly draws or IV starts). Anything else, I could and did do - patient transport (plus return patient to monitor post-transport), blood-bank courier, patient liaison, housekeeping, you name it. The nice thing about that department was that since there were so few of us (emergency volunteers were an experiment back then, and they'd started with twenty and lost sixteen within a month), you could really create your own role.

What we need most from volunteers varies widely depending on your capabilities and the restrictions that your hospital places on your role. Ask us what we need you to do, and then do it. If you're not allowed to handle patients, you can still restock rooms and make beds. You can provide blankets and food/drink, as long as you check with us first (lots of people have already illustrated the pitfalls with fevers and NPO restrictions). You can help with patient liaison-type tasks such as giving directions and status updates. (Protip: If your department has TVs in the rooms, memorize the channel numbers of the local network stations, the sports stations and the kids' cartoon stations.) If your department has a peds unit, you can pass around toys or coloring books. The biggest thing you can do to be an excellent volunteer, though, is always come in with a good attitude and a sense of adventure.

Just that you're asking for advice shows that you're already doing a lot to be excellent. Best of luck to you. :yeah:

happy2learn · Aug 12, 2010

I was a volunteer at a large urban trauma center back in the days of my first undergrad, and got to the point where my only restriction was that I couldn't do vascular accesses (i.e. butterfly draws or IV starts). Anything else, I could and did do - patient transport (plus return patient to monitor post-transport), blood-bank courier, patient liaison, housekeeping, you name it. The nice thing about that department was that since there were so few of us (emergency volunteers were an experiment back then, and they'd started with twenty and lost sixteen within a month), you could really create your own role.
What we need most from volunteers varies widely depending on your capabilities and the restrictions that your hospital places on your role. Ask us what we need you to do, and then do it. If you're not allowed to handle patients, you can still restock rooms and make beds. You can provide blankets and food/drink, as long as you check with us first (lots of people have already illustrated the pitfalls with fevers and NPO restrictions). You can help with patient liaison-type tasks such as giving directions and status updates. (Protip: If your department has TVs in the rooms, memorize the channel numbers of the local network stations, the sports stations and the kids' cartoon stations.) If your department has a peds unit, you can pass around toys or coloring books. The biggest thing you can do to be an excellent volunteer, though, is always come in with a good attitude and a sense of adventure.
Just that you're asking for advice shows that you're already doing a lot to be excellent. Best of luck to you.

Thats a good point. I'm not in a peds area, but parents do bring their children at times. We buy coloring books then make copies of the pages. We give these to kids as soon as we spot them. It helps relieve a tiny bit of stress off the parents or guardians. They are always relieved.

One lady had like 6 young children with her. I can only imagine the stress of that. She was very thankful that her children had at least a little something to occupy their time. And she was able to breathe for a few moments.