General Training Guidelines for Personal Touch Volunteers in the Emergency

Department of Palmetto Baptist Hospital

**training will be divided into two training sessions, each being roughly 3 hours in length. A
certified personal touch volunteer instructor will teach the training sessions. The instructor
will be certified by one of the E.D. nurse managers or by an equivalent staff member from
the E.D. Training will not begin until the trainee comes prepared with a coded ID badge and
proper uniform that includes a sown/pressed-on personal touch volunteer patch. Updated
paperwork to be completed will be created using the following guideline:
Training Session 1: Mapping out Palmetto Baptist and the duties of a volunteer
within the E.D.

Demonstrate how to sign-in/out

Hospitals mission statement (this will be incorporated into each task from here on
out)
Discuss appropriate professional demeanor while being within the hospital
Detail the proper uniform and make sure their uniform contains the following (navy
blue scrubs, ironed/sown on PTV patch, retractable lanyard, ID Badge that has their
ID # written on it, a pen, a sharpie, at least one green meal ticket, comfortable
shoes, and go over personal items- perfume, deodorant, piercings, jewelry, chewing
gum, cell phone, etc).
Discuss HIPAA, the importance of confidentiality, and proper techniques to
verbally/nonverbally engage with people within the hospital---HOW TO DISPOSE OF
PATIENT INFORMATION
Discuss codes and their importance ***ESPECIALLY WHAT TO DO IN A CODE BLUE &
CODE RED SCENARIO
Discuss how to locate online safety manuals
Locate: Volunteer Office, cafeteria, Chapel, Chaplains office, medical records office,
blood lab, E.D. break room(s), Front of E.D. (Registration desk/lobby), Diagnostic
lounge (DL)/ Triage area, nurses station(s), physicians workroom(s), Back of E.D.,
stockroom, X-Ray, CT(s), Ultrasound, MRI, Pharmacy, Physical therapy (PT), vascular
lab/ EEG/ EKG, nuclear medicine, S&D, and elevators.
Locate: nurses sheet, elevator sheet, patient charts, Pyxis machines, blanket
warmer, linen cart(s), and patient status board (briefly explain why it is better to ask
a nurse if they need anything versus relying on the status board)
Discuss how many patient labels/stickers are needed when transporting a patient to
X-Ray, CT(s), Ultrasound, MRI, and when admitting a patient you need the patients
chart papers from the nurse
Set new volunteers up onto the Pyxis system (use 1234 to set password, any
problems creating new password, contact Stacey with their ID number)
Discuss room locations within the ED (including observation lounges), Hallway #s,
gold zone, blue zone, soiled utility room, and clean utility room
Detailed description and visualize a proper room set-up (equipment, materials, and
general set-up)
Discuss the importance to ask for help when performing your duties or if you have
any uncertainty with accomplishing a certain task prior to performing the task
o The patient, the patients family/friends, and the hospital staff are trusting you
to be comfortable, confident, competent, and knowledgeable about what you
are doing
o You have someones life in your hands and should not perform a task unless
you are 100% sure with what you are doing.

Throughout the day, quiz the new volunteer on what was just mentioned with
scenarios or hands-on examples. DO NOT get caught up doing hands-on patient care
during the first day. Go over what is task priority and the routine of a volunteer from
sign in to sign out.

Training Session 2: Detailed discussion and hands on exposure into the duties
while working in the E.D.
***Volunteers should be instructed to come in 15minutes prior to the training shift to sign in and walk
the halls as well as go to the basement to refresh on locations within the hospital
***On average, second day training will be 3.5 hours in length to give the volunteer full exposure to all
scenarios from discharging a patient to admitting a patient and everything in between.

Revisit materials covered in Training session 1

Discuss duties: what you should be doing routinely and what you should be doing
during down time.
o Routine duties:
Restock blanket warmer
Cleaning rooms: discuss and perform at least 1 room cleaning
Make sure to go over the bed controls
Set-up of rooms: describe where/what everything is in each room
The space lab monitor will be discussed during this time
o Proper procedure of setting a patient up to the space lab
monitor including the use of LEADS, blood pressure cuff,
and pulse-ox
o How to discharge a patient from space lab
o How to silence the alarm
Patient transport
Discuss and perform AIDET
Discuss and perform the proper use of a wheelchair, where to
find a wheelchair (normal vs. specialized wheelchairs [IV pole,
Oxygen tank slot, extra-large wheelchairs]), when to use a
wheelchair, and how to assist a patient into/out of a wheelchair.
Discuss and perform the proper use of a patient bed during
transport
Discuss and perform at least 1 patient transport to X-Ray, CT,
Ultrasound, or MRI
Discuss and perform at least 1 patient transport to a stateroom
upstairs
o Discuss proper technique of how to assist a patient into/
out of a bed
Ask the E.D. nursing staff if you can help with anything
o Down time duties:
Restock clean utility room using materials from the stockroom
Restock nurses station(s) using materials from the Pyxis machines (setup trainee with password if there were any problems on first day
session)
Restock E.D. rooms

Enter E.D. rooms using AIDET to ask if the patient and patients
family/friends need anything
Remember to always ask the nurse
Ask the E.D. nursing staff if you can help with anything (dial 6 and then
the number to call inside the hospital or 9 and then the number to call
outside the hospital)
Re-iterate the importance to ask for help when performing your duties or if you have
any uncertainty with accomplishing a certain task prior to performing the task
o Example: Do not transport a patient to a room or area without proper
knowledge of what elevator to use.
Give a brief quiz on important duties and patient transportation.
Go back to the volunteer office where you and the volunteer will fill out the ER
checklist packet. At the end, there is a mini quiz on how to use the monitor. You will
get this packet signed in the appropriate blanks by the nurse manager or charge
nurse by going back to the ER and then it will be placed in Staceys hanging folder on
her door to certify the volunteer has completed training.