Objective: Provide support to behavioral health inpatients to enhance their patient experience.

Location: Behavioral Health Inpatient Unit

Time: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 6pm – 8pm. Wednesdays 5pm – 8pm.

Weekends and Holidays 2pm – 4pm and 6pm – 8pm.

Shift supervisor: Charge Nurse

Qualifications and Personal Characteristics:

• An individual with a passion or interest in psychology or behavioral health.
• Experience or education in a related field preferred.

Essential Functions:

• Assist the nursing team by greeting visitors as they arrive in the lobby, and ensuring belongings are secured prior to arriving to the unit.
• Escort the visitors on the unit as needed.
• Participate in serving the patients during the weekly Planetree buffet each Wednesday.
• Coordinating and facilitating evening recreational activities: bingo, board games, etc.
• Support patients in menu selections.

Training:

• The volunteer will be oriented with an experienced unit staff member / educator prior to being independent.

At this time, we are no longer taking applications for the Spring 2024 internship cohort.

If you are interested in the summer research internship cohort, please email your resume and a cover letter to [email protected] by March 31st, 2024. After the application period ends, we will review all applications received and the most qualified applicants will be selected for a virtual interview. It may take 2-3 weeks before you hear if we selected you for an interview.

Reports to: Josette Hartnett, MPH, Manager, Office of Academic Research,
Indirectly Reports to: Suzanne J. Rose, MS, PhD, CCRC, FACRP, Executive Director of Research
Department Website: https://www.stamfordhealth.org/care-treatment/research/
Volunteering Website: https://www.stamfordhealth.org/about/volunteering/
Location: Stamford Hospital, Stamford, CT - Hybrid/Remote Option Available

Position Purpose: The Clinical Research Intern is responsible for learning the basics of clinical and academic research, electronic health record data extraction, research protocol development, simulation, and writing publishing level literature reviews. The goal of this program is to introduce students and individuals to the concept, lifecycle, and execution of research studies in a hospital setting.

Experiences provided by this internship will assist interns in:

• Strengthening their philosophy and understanding of their chosen fields;
• Identifying themselves as professionals in their fields; and
• Increasing their confidence and competence to assess strengths and make needed improvements.

The internship program includes opportunities to learn more about specific areas of research at Stamford Health as well as public health within the Greater Stamford community. Below are possible opportunities that may exist. Some experiences may be assigned; others are elective. Please also feel free to discuss any desired opportunities that are not listed.

• CITI training in protecting human subjects: within the first week, all interns must complete training at this address https://www.citiprogram.org/index.cfm?pageID=14. Once complete, please give a copy of your certificate of completion to your supervisor.
• PubMed literature search: interns will meet with Clara Grande from Library and Multimedia Services for a lesson on the basics of conducting literature searches.
• Research design seminars: provides exposure to research methodology, study design, and article critique.
• Article critique: after learning the basics of article critique, interns will select an article and present a critique to other interns and/or research staff.
• Abstract writing: interns will practice this essential skill; work may be critiqued by other interns and/or research staff.
• Poster design: design a scientific poster similar to one that might be presented at a professional conference.
• Introduction to the Institutional Review Board: interns will learn about the function of the IRB and will be exposed to how consent forms and other study documents are written.
• Shadow patient appointments: sit in for an appointment with a patient in an ongoing study.
• Record reviews: be involved in data collection for retrospective record reviews.

Requirements: Enrolled or graduated from high school, college or a graduate level program in the health sciences field. Review and return signed intern/supervisor guidelines prior to start date.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

Ability to maintain professionalism and professional standards. Must have a sense of urgency. Set priorities. Identify and resolve problems effectively and efficiently. Excellent communication and organizational skills for managing workflow and follow-up. Ability to demonstrate reliability and maintain confidentiality.

Possess temperament and emotional intelligence for dealing with others professionally. Must have a “do-what-it-takes” attitude. Excellent speaking skills to communicate clearly and effectively with physicians, industry professionals, and others in person or over the phone.

Physical Demands: Work requires moderate speed and accuracy, excellent keyboarding skill for computer use. Microsoft applications expertise strongly preferred.

Physical Effort: Work requires considerable variety of fairly steady active physical exertion. Some and/or continuous standing or walking. Some lifting of items less than 20 lbs.

To apply, please email Maryann Fiebach, [email protected]
with a copy of your resume and a cover letter.

Volunteers assist guests by triaging their needs and answering phones by relaying basic patient and hospital information. There are two information desks: Main Hospital and Tully Health Center. Each function differently depending on their location and the guests they serve. Volunteers are highly visible and are the first encounter a patient or visitor has, which sets the tone for a positive experience. Great customer service skills are essential.

Activities volunteers will perform include the following:

• Meet and greet guests with a warm welcome.
• Direct and/or escort guests to their destination.
• Transport patients or guests via wheelchair to treatment areas or to the exit upon discharge.
• Visit with patients or guests who need companionship.
• Communicate information to patients or guests.
• Deliver flowers or cheer cards to patient rooms.

Volunteers are welcomed in other departments as well. Responsibilities will vary according to the departments' needs, but basically be assured that a warm reception, registering the patient in some cases and some general clerical duties might be required. Training and expectations by the staff will be offered.

Volunteers are assigned to a nursing unit, where they assist the nursing staff by rounding on patients. They tend to their non-medical needs: visit a lonely patient, adjust pillows, educate on Get Well Network, assist in ordering meals, or most importantly, bring patients' concerns to the appropriate staff member. Patients are more comfortable sharing with volunteers because they don't want to "bother" the staff.

Volunteers provide clerical, computer and project assistance to staff. Assignments are based upon experience and interest. They may include organizing filing, make packets or data entry. Computer assignments may include researching information for a special project or assisting with data entry.

Volunteers are an essential presence in this department. They are a liaison between patients, families, and staff. By relaying information regarding time it will take for test results, holding a hand or offering a beverage if permitted, anxiety is lessened knowing they are not forgotten.

We have ambassadors that greet patients, offer directions, or assist with a wheelchair if necessary. They set the tone for the warm environment at the Bennett Cancer Center.

Our infusion volunteers assist in outpatient medical oncology, where patients stay for long periods of time receiving chemotherapy. These volunteers assist with lunches, restocking, and transporting. Conversation and smiles are part of the treatment.

A sampling of a few of our special programs:

• Tender Touch offers patients a gentle hand massage, bringing relaxations and the comfort of human touch.
• Healing Hounds is a pet therapy program where owners bring their dogs to visit patients to offer diversion and comfort.
• HAHA - Health and Humor Associates are our hospital trained clowns. They are low keyed in their act and sensitive to our patients, visitors, and staff.
• NODA - No One Dies Alone is a program where volunteers can give the greatest kindness of sitting bedside with patients during their final hours. Some patients have outlived their families and friends, or families are out of town and can't be there in time. Volunteers go through special training and are notified by email when a vigil is called or companionship is needed for a lonely patient. For more information, call ReBecca Sala, Manager of Spiritual Care at 203.276.7445 or email [email protected].

There are many forms of Dementia; Alzheimer's is one of them. In CT, almost 80,000 people are affected by the disease and nearly 180,000 Dementia Caregivers.

The Alzheimer's Association is collaborating with Stamford Hospital on a vital initiative to support our dementia patients. As a volunteer at Stamford Hospital, you'll help provide activities for patients with memory impairment to support patients and families in making their hospital stay more comfortable and familiar with tool kits provided by the Alzheimer's Association.