Our Expectations for Volunteers
Not all of our volunteers will interact directly with patients, but even when volunteering for office tasks, the opportunity to talk with patients sometimes arises. Whether working directly with patients or not, we would like our volunteers to know how to respond to patient issues.
Sometimes in the course of interacting with patients, a patient may ask for a volunteer's opinion about treatments, physicians and other specific aspects of their medical care. These are not areas of expertise for the volunteer, although the patient may think so. The volunteer has the responsibility to avoid giving medical or psychological advice, to refer the patient back to their own physician with medical questions, and to carefully avoid making comparisons between personal experience and the patient's experience.
We expect our volunteers:
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To understand and support our mission and help us reach our goals. This means promoting our groups and educational programs, welcoming patients to the Center, and contributing to the emotionally supportive and healing atmosphere of the Center.
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To understand the importance of patient confidentiality and respect the needs and the privacy of every person who uses the Center.
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To help us uphold our standards and a positive public image within the UCLA and the larger communities. Our Center is a unique entity, and the staff is dedicated to maintaining professionalism and to promoting the best possible image at all times in all places.
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To be able to show empathy and understanding for individuals with cancer and to be sensitive to individual differences with particular attention paid to cultural diversity, gender differences, religious beliefs, sexual orientation and age.
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To be sensitive to the wide range of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds among patients.
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To understand that many people live with cancer and, in increasing numbers, survive their cancer experiences. While cancer is a frightening disease, it also is known to make people take stock of their lives and their priorities, and thus attribute positive value to their cancer experience. This acceptance comes to different people at different times. Our volunteers must be able to accept patients wherever they are on this continuum.
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To stay within the boundaries of their specific job function when interacting with patients. If medical or other concerns or problems come up in conversations or visits, we ask the volunteers to not try to solve them, but to contact one of the Center's clinicians who will evaluate the situation for appropriate handling.
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To understand that each patient's cancer diagnosis and course of treatment is unique. We ask our volunteers not to recommend specific procedures, treatments or physicians. The volunteer's role is to provide support and, when appropriate, education.
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To familiarize themselves with all the therapeutic, wellness and educational services offered by the Simms/Mann – UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology so that they can give information about these services to patients.
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To work with a reasonable amount of supervision. We expect our volunteers to be friendly and to work quietly and diligently.
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To dress and behave in a professional manner whenever acting as a representative of the Center.