Volunteers who transitioned into HCP employees. (lt. to rt.) Thomas Kirk, QAPI assistant, Paula Krick, hospice RN, Melanii Lambert, hospice RN, Taquita, certified therapy dog & hospice volunteer, Morgan Clemenhagen, hospice RN, Mary Finn, office assistant.
Todd Lawrence is making a name for himself here at Housecall Providers for his recruiting abilities. Todd, who has been the volunteer coordinator since October 2012, has seen five of his volunteers within the last year transition into full time paid positions. “The quality of the volunteer group has really been exceptional. I think our mission continues to attract people who have a good balance of compassion and intellect. What great qualities to have in employees when you are a mission driven organization like Housecall Providers,” says Todd.
One of the new hires is Melanii Lambert, hospice volunteer, who brought with her an added bonus. “Melanii came to us with her certified service dog Taquita (a chihuahua) and was an immediate hit with our patients and their families,” says Todd.
Melanii, who is an RN, applied for a position here as a hospice nurse and was hired. Taquita continues to accompany her on her patient visits much to the delight of everyone.
Thomas Kirk started volunteering at Housecall Providers within a couple of months after his arrival in America from England. His attention to detail and exceptional analytic skills were a perfect fit for assisting our Quality Assessment Program Improvement (QAPI) program. So much so that he is now working as the fulltime QAPI assistant.
Other volunteers recruited by Todd who have since joined the Housecall Providers staff are Mary Finn, office assistant; and hospice nurses Morgan Clemenhagen, RN and Paula Krick, RN.
Some of the volunteers who recently attended last month’s training might eventually be added to the ever growing list of volunteers turned employees. Todd said the last group of individuals are an “all-star caliber team”, among them a social worker, a registered nurse, a medical student on track to become a FNP and a professional medical analyst.
“It’s really great to see that the volunteer pool is increasingly being looked at as a resource for staffing. Obviously when a person has shown a willingness to give their time to contribute to your mission – that’s a person you want on the team,” he added.
The downside for Todd is that he has to keep replacing his top volunteers as they move on to paid positions. But for a person as outgoing as Todd, it’s another opportunity to meet some wonderful new folks.
To read more articles from the HCP eNew June 2013 click here.
