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Volunteer Selection Process and Training

Interested in volunteering at Bailey-Boushay House? Here's what you need to do.

FIRST STEP

Complete the following:

Application

This gives Bailey-Boushay House staff basic information about your qualification and interests in volunteering with Bailey-Boushay House. This allows us to determine if you might be a good match for a volunteer role and will be followed by an interview if there is a potential for a good fit. Please complete and return your application as soon as you can.

Reference Check

Bailey-Boushay House staff will conduct checks of all references provided in the application via email. Please choose non-family/non-partner references. Make it a point to talk with your references in advance. This is helpful in completing this step in a timely manner.

DSHS Background Check

This step is required by the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and will be completed prior to volunteers being invited to interview. We are required to run the full background check and to inform you of any findings- or no findings. Please be completely honest in completing this. Any, and all prior convictions and all pending activities will be included in the report.

Immunization Record

Please obtain from your primary medical provider, health portal or your school a complete list of immunizations. We require MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubela), Varicella (chicken pox) and annual TB testing. If you do not have these immunizations, we will provide them to you at no cost. This may require a blood draw at the VM lab.

SECOND STEP

Contact Volunteer services at [email protected] to request an interview. In the email please include a scanned copy of your immunizations.

Interview

All potential volunteers will interview with the Volunteer Manager. Interviews are scheduled to include travel time and the completion of an immunization visit to Virginia Mason Employee Health. The total allotted is two hours.

Hours of interviews: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

At the interview:

  • Potential volunteers will be interviewed on the topics of character, commitment, understanding our populations and what is asked of each volunteer. You will choose your consistent weekly shift day/time from the availability list at your interview.
  • At the end of the interview, if it is a good fit, you will work with the Volunteer Services Manager to book a training.
  • We will take a photo of you to send with your badge information. Your badge will waiting when you successfully complete training.

Training

All volunteers must complete a Bailey-Boushay House volunteer training session. Sessions are held one week-day and one Saturday each month. There will be no exceptions in completing this training. Topics include Bailey-Boushay House history within the Seattle health continuum; DSHS mandated compliance training; Emergency Preparedness; active listening; grief and loss; volunteer practices (healthy boundaries, limit setting, self-care); Outpatient program goals, objectives and format; volunteer policies and procedures; food safety and hand hygiene.

Our next training dates are:
  • Our next New Volunteer Training will be Saturday, May 5. This event will take place at Bailey-Boushay House from 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please see this page for instructions on applying to volunteer.

THIRD STEP

On-site Training and Orientation

It is required that all volunteers complete an on-site “first shift” training and tour of the facility. This will be your first experience with what it truly feels like to volunteer at Bailey-Boushay House. We have given you many tools to use and you have experienced scenarios and role plays to help you feel comfortable. You may be a bit apprehensive or have a little anxiety. This is normal. You will learn at your first and subsequent shifts your role, where you fit on your team.

Please know that the first few weeks are a mix of storming-norming-conforming before you are performing.

Storming is the period both at home at on-site where you are figuring out your home schedule, how long it takes to get to Bailey-Boushay House from work/home, remembering all the steps to start your shift, etc.

Norming is the period where the initial rockiness is over. Not quite in the groove yet, close. Figuring out where you fit within your peer team. What happens when your team is mixed up with someone off or a new member added? Names and faces of some staff/clients-patients have been remembered, not many.

Conforming. Ahh, you are really feeling the groove. You could explain to a newer volunteer some general policies and how your shift flows. You know staff and what is expected of you and know where you fit with the other volunteers on your shift.

So now you are at about 40 hours- or 10 shifts. You are Performing well! Up until then, we expect you to have a question or two.