Calling all nurses
Published 10:11 pm Saturday, May 3, 2014
The Western Tidewater Free Clinic is on the hunt for a new cadre of registered nurse or licensed nurse practitioner volunteers.
Volunteer coordinator Vicki Butler said the clinic has a wonderful group of dedicated nurse volunteers, but some have moved out of the area or had other circumstances that caused them to stop volunteering.
“The more we can keep our operating hours fully staffed, the more patients we can serve,” said Ashley Greene, the clinic’s director of development. “We constantly need fresh volunteers.”
Butler said nurse volunteers can fill a variety of roles, from actual patient care to collecting patient histories and making follow-up calls. Volunteers who are comfortable assisting with women’s care are especially needed, Butler added.
An orientation is set for May 15 from 10 a.m. to noon. Anyone who has an RN or LPN license in the state of Virginia is welcome to fill out an application.
Greene said the clinic has about 200 volunteers in all, both in medical and non-medical roles, and the time they give is equivalent to about seven full-time positions.
“That’s how we are able to maximize our dollars,” Greene said.
There are perks to volunteering, too. Volunteers on Tuesday and Thursday nights get meals, and “we try to make sure everybody has fun,” Greene said.
The clinic is open from noon to 4 p.m. then 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to noon on Fridays.
Volunteers are also needed for non-medical roles, including filing and appointment reminders.
For more information, visit www.wtfreeclinic.org or call 923-1060.