Volunteer Hours Research Articles

How Effective is Cognitive Remediation in Enhancing Vocational Outcomes for Job Seekers with Severe Mental Illness in Australia?

ObjectiveDespite advances in the treatment of people with severe mental illness (SMI), access to work for this community still remains a challenge. Cognitive remediation (CR) is an intervention that can improve employment outcomes, especially when offered alongside employment support. This pilot study aimed to determine whether CR enhances vocational outcomes for job seekers participating in an innovative vocationally oriented psycho‐educational program implemented in Australia.MethodFourteen participants with SMI were enrolled in Health Optimisation Program for Employment (HOPE) and attended 20 sessions of CR. Assessments were performed at baseline, post‐CR, and 3 months follow‐up. Individuals were assessed on a number of occupational and psychosocial variables (e.g., hours of paid and unpaid work, self‐esteem, quality of life, social relationships), in addition to undertaking the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery.ResultsThere was no increase in hours of paid work for those in employment, but 46% of the group initiated tertiary studies between baseline and 3‐month follow‐up. There was a trend towards a significant increase in number of volunteer hours, with 31% of individuals having initiated a non‐paid activity at the end of the CR. As predicted, cognition improved over time as did psychosocial outcomes in the areas of self‐esteem, quality of life and social relationships.ConclusionsConsistent with previous studies, CR improved psychosocial and cognitive functioning. While employment benefits were not found, promising outcomes were reported on volunteering and educational participation. This pilot suggests there may be potential for combining CR with HOPE to enhance vocation‐related participation and potential employability of job seekers with SMI in Australia. Given these preliminary findings, a further clinical trial with appropriate control group and sample size is required to validate the effectiveness of HOPE+CR.

Stranded capital: environmental stewardship is part of the economy, too

The many values that humans place on biodiversity are widely acknowledged but difficult to measure in practice. We address this problem by quantifying the contribution of marine‐related environmental stewardship, in the form of donations and volunteer hours, to the economy of coastal Massachusetts. Our conservative evaluation suggests that marine stewardship activities contributed at least $179 million to the state economy in 2014, a figure that exceeded revenues derived in that same year from commercial finfish operations ($105 million) and whale watching ($111 million), two acknowledged cornerstones of the regional economy. Almost imperceptibly, the coastal economy has been transformed from one dependent on commercial exchange to a diverse economy that includes, to a large measure, marine stewardship. Donations and volunteer efforts are useful indicators of environmental values that can be hard to quantify, and represent one measure of human determination to protect the planet.

How does fundraising affect volunteering? Evidence from a natural field experiment

Can fundraising solicitations have an effect on other types of giving, like volunteering? We report results from a field experiment in which a non-profit firm asked their current volunteers to donate money, in a randomly-staggered roll-out. We observe volunteers’ entire portfolio of giving to the firm – both donations, and volunteer hours before and after the call. Overall, these results suggested there was some decline in volunteer hours among volunteers who were newer to the firm. By contrast, long-time volunteers maintained their volunteering after the call, and were also more likely to donate in the first place. Substitution was rare, as the donors themselves did not decrease their volunteer hours after donating. Our findings provide new evidence for how personal history can shape charitable giving decisions, and provide new practical guidance for fundraisers.

Cost Analysis of a Student-Run, Free Physical Therapy Clinic

Introduction. Within many physical therapy education programs, service learning is essential to student development and often complements the institutional priorities of serving the community. Service learning experiences vary from local, institution-hosted clinics to international experiences. Although the benefits of service learning to the students and community have been widely reported, it is also important to appreciate the cost to implement and support a service learning clinic within an academic department. The purpose of this study was to determine the cost of running a student-run free physical therapy clinic for estimated labor costs calculated as wage opportunity cost, quantify equipment and infrastructure cost per patient, estimate facility cost, and derive an estimated cost of care delivery per patient. Methods. This retrospective study reviewed patient charts and clinic data from a student-run free clinic between January 2013 and December 2014. Both total outgoing cost and potential total cost were determined for this study. The total outgoing cost was determined by calculating equipment cost and cost of liability insurance. The potential total cost was determined by calculating volunteer hours, facility cost, and outgoing clinic costs. Results. In the 2-year study period, the clinic incurred a potential total cost of $68,405.40. However, the total outgoing cost of the clinic was $1,993.23 for 253 patient visits, which gives the clinic an average cost per visit of $7.64. Discussion/Conclusion. This study demonstrates the feasibility of a student-run, free physical therapy clinic through monetized gain for the community while enhancing students' skills. Furthermore, this study demonstrates a method to capture quantifiable monetary cost and benefit to program stakeholders and the community.

Measure Beyond Volunteer Hours

Measure Beyond Volunteer Hours

Addressing an Overlooked Science Outreach Audience: Development of a Science Mentorship Program Focusing on Critical Thinking Skills for Adults Working toward a High School Equivalency Degree

Adult learners seeking a high school equivalency degree are a highly motivated group of students that almost universally meet outreach audience goals of serving minority, low-income, and other disadvantaged populations. Despite the demonstrated need of this population, these students are not commonly served by university-sponsored science outreach programs. To address this omission, we developed a science outreach program called SciMentors that provides experiment-based lessons to existing science classes at adult learning centers, focusing equally on scientific concepts and critical thinking skills. SciMentors provides an opportunity for hands-on learning that would otherwise not be available to this population of students. The program is run by graduate students and postdoctoral associates in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Minnesota. Evaluation of the impact of the program on both the students and the volunteer teachers was performed by surveying participants. Via the surveys, students reported an increase in knowledge of and interest in science as a result of the program, and learning center staff reported an increased attendance on science experiment days. Volunteers reported increased mastery in a wide range of skills including science communication, leadership, confidence, and cultural awareness. Now entering its fourth year, SciMentors has served over 60 adult learners, provided over 270 volunteer hours to the community, and received positive feedback from all involved.

The Effect of Medical Student Volunteering in a Student-Run Clinic on Specialty Choice for Residency.

Introduction: Student-run free clinics (SRFCs) are a recent popular addition to medical school education, and a subset of studies has looked at the influence of SRFC volunteering on the medical student’s career development. The majority of the research done in this area has focused on understanding if these SRFCs produce physicians who are more likely to practice medicine in underserved communities, caring for the uninsured. The remainder of the research has investigated if volunteering in an SRFC influences the specialty choice of medical school students. The results of these specialty choice studies give no definitive answer as to whether medical students chose primary or specialty care residencies as a result of their SRFC experience.Keeping Neighbors in Good Health through Service (KNIGHTS) is the SRFC of the University of Central Florida College of Medicine (UCF COM). Both primary and specialty care is offered at the clinic. It is the goal of this study to determine if volunteering in the KNIGHTS SRFC influences UCF COM medical students to choose primary care, thereby helping to meet the rising need for primary care physicians in the United States.Methods: A survey was distributed to first, second, and third-year medical students at the UCF COM to collect data on demographics, prior volunteering experience, and specialty choice for residency. Responses were then combined with records of volunteer hours from the KNIGHTS Clinic and analyzed for correlations. We analyzed the frequency and Pearson’s chi-squared values. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Our survey had a total response rate of 39.8%. We found that neither the act of becoming a KNIGHTS Clinic volunteer nor the hours volunteered at the KNIGHTS Clinic influenced the UCF COM student’s choice to enter a primary care specialty (p = NS). Additionally, prior volunteering/clinical experience or the gender of the medical school student did not influence a student’s choice to volunteer at the KNIGHTS Clinic.Discussion: Volunteering at KNIGHTS Clinic did not increase student choice to enter primary care, with students choosing other specialties at equal rates, probably due to the variety of specialties present at the KNIGHTS Clinic. This suggests that the volunteer attending physicians present at an SRFC may influence the choice of residency for students. It also suggests that SFRCs are not a viable tool to increase the number of primary care doctors in the United States.

The Gathering Storm still looms

A decade on, the situation portrayed in the influential report of a deteriorating US science and technology ecosystem has, if anything, worsened.

CoCoRaHS: The Evolution and Accomplishments of a Volunteer Rain Gauge Network

Abstract The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) is a large and growing community of volunteers measuring and reporting precipitation and is making this information broadly available for the research and operational community. CoCoRaHS has evolved through several phases since its beginnings in 1998, first starting as a flood-motivated local Colorado Front Range project, then through a 5-yr nationwide expansion period (2005–09), followed by five years (2010–14) of internal growth and capacity building. As of mid-2015, CoCoRaHS volunteers have submitted over 31 million daily precipitation reports and tens of thousands of reports of hail, heavy rain, and snow, representing over 1.5 million volunteer hours. During the past 10 years, there has been wide demand for and use of CoCoRaHS data by professional and scientific users with an interest in its applicability to their different areas of focus. These range from hydrological applications and weather forecasting to agriculture, entomology, remote sensing validation, city snow removal contracting, and recreational activities, just to name a few. The high demand for CoCoRaHS data by many entities is an effective motivator for volunteer observers, who want to be assured that their efforts are needed and appreciated. Going forward, CoCoRaHS hopes to continue to play a leading role in the evolution and growth of citizen science while contributing to research and operational meteorology and hydrology.

Creating and Sustaining an Experiential Learning Component on Aging in a BSW Course

Regardless of their particular field of practice, social workers increasingly serve the growing population of older adults in the United States. This article describes the process of integrating an experiential component into a Baccalaureate Social Work (BSW) course involving 75 BSW students. Reflections on the strengths and challenges during 3 years of the course and a successful sustainability strategy are discussed. Three methods of curriculum infusion were added to a required course: (a) guest speakers, (b) required volunteer hours, and (c) written reflections and class presentations. We discovered that students’ attitudes toward working with older adults were changed following their experience in this course. Cognizant of the difficulty introducing additional hours and content to a full course agenda, we advocate for curriculum change that includes an experiential component together with classroom discussion and activities. We provide details of our process of implementation and sustainability that might help guide similar course adaptations to increase BSW student exposure to working with older adults.

Evaluating environmental education, citizen science, and stewardship through naturalist programs.

Amateur naturalists have played an important role in the study and conservation of nature since the 17th century. Today, naturalist groups make important contributions to bridge the gap between conservation science and practice around the world. We examined data from 2 regional naturalist programs to understand participant motivations, barriers, and perspectives as well as the actions they take to advance science, stewardship, and community engagement. These programs provide certification-based natural history and conservation science training for adults that is followed by volunteer service in citizen science, education, and stewardship. Studies in California and Virginia include quantitative and qualitative evaluation data collected through pre- and postcourse surveys, interviews, and long-term tracking of volunteer hours. Motivations of participants focused on learning about the local environment and plants and animals, connecting with nature, becoming certified, and spending time with people who have similar interests. Over half the participants surveyed were over 50 years old, two-thirds were women, and a majority reported household incomes of over $50,000 (60% in California, 85% in Virginia), and <20% of those surveyed in both states described themselves as nonwhite. Thus, these programs need to improve participation by a wider spectrum of the public. We interviewed younger and underrepresented adults to examine barriers to participation in citizen science. The primary barrier was lack of time due to the need to work and focus on career advancement. Survey data revealed that participants' ecological knowledge, scientific skills, and belief in their ability to address environmental issues increased after training. Documented conservation actions taken by the participants include invasive plant management, habitat restoration, and cleanups of natural areas and streams. Long-term data from Virginia on volunteer hours dedicated to environmental citizen science show an increase from 14% in 2007 to 32% in 2014. In general, participants in the naturalist programs we examined increased their content knowledge about ecosystems, had greater confidence in conserving them, and continued to engage as citizen scientists after completing the program.

Religious Service Attendance and Volunteering

Despite methodological advances in studying the relationship between religious attendance and volunteering, its dynamic nature still needs to be elucidated. We apply growth curve modeling to examine whether trajectories of religious attendance and volunteering are related to each other over a 15-year period in a nationally representative sample from the Americans’ Changing Lives data (1986-2002). Multivariate results showed that the rates of change in religious attendance and volunteering were positively related, and excluding religious volunteering did not alter the finding. It was also found that the initial level of religious attendance was positively associated with the rate of increase in volunteer hours over the period. Mediation analyses revealed that participation in voluntary associations explained the dynamic relationships between religious attendance and volunteering. These results provide evidence that involvement in organized religion and volunteering are dual activities that change together over the adult life course.

Sustainability of school-located influenza vaccination programs in Florida

BackgroundSchool-located influenza vaccination (SLIV) programs are a promising strategy for increasing vaccination coverage among schoolchildren. However, questions of economic sustainability have dampened enthusiasm for this approach in the United States. We evaluated SLIV sustainability of a health department led, county-wide SLIV program in Alachua County, Florida. Based on Alachua's outcome data, we modeled the sustainability of SLIV programs statewide using two different implementation costs and at different vaccination rates, reimbursement amount, and Vaccines for Children (VFC) coverage. MethodsMass vaccination clinics were conducted at 69 Alachua County schools in 2013 using VFC (for Medicaid and uninsured children) and non-VFC vaccines. Claims were processed after each clinic and submitted to insurance providers for reimbursement ($5 Medicaid and $47.04 from private insurers). We collected programmatic expenditures and volunteer hours to calculate fixed and variable costs for two different implementation costs (with or without in-kind costs included). We project program sustainability for Florida using publicly available county-specific student populations and health insurance enrollment data. ResultsApproximately 42% (n=12,853) of pre-kindergarten – 12th grade students participated in the SLIV program in Alachua. Of the 13,815 doses provided, 58% (8042) were non-VFC vaccine. Total implementation cost was $14.95/dose or $7.93/dose if “in-kind” costs were not included. The program generated a net surplus of $24,221, despite losing $4.68 on every VFC dose provided to Medicaid and uninsured children. With volunteers, 99% of Florida counties would be sustainable at a 50% vaccination rate and average reimbursement amount of $3.25 VFC and $37 non-VFC. Without volunteers, 69% of counties would be sustainable at 50% vaccination rate if all VFC recipients were on Medicaid and its reimbursement increased from $5 to $10 (amount private practices receive). Conclusions and relevanceKey factors that contributed to the sustainability and success of an SLIV program are: targeting privately insured children and reducing administration cost through volunteers. Counties with a high proportion of VFC eligible children may not be sustainable without subsidies at $5 Medicaid reimbursement.

Student Demographics of Samuel Merritt University Community Service Honor Society Volunteers

The Samuel Merritt University Community Service Honor Society was established to acknowledge students who demonstrate excellence in community service, outreach, and volunteerism. A 3‐year longitudinal study examining specific participant data was collected from consented and enrolled students. Demographic information over 3 years was gathered including age, gender and program cohort of the students. Additionally, trends regarding number and frequency of volunteer hours, and types of outreach services completed were examined. Finally, a comparison of enrolled students vs. inducted students was completed.

Learning from and engaging patients/families during the implementation of a new medical record system.

66 Background: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute implemented a new medical record system to improve clinical and revenue cycle services. Through the formation of a Patient Experience (PX) committee we thoughtfully and methodically revised materials and processes putting patient and family perspectives first. Methods: Formed PX committee with PFAC members, executive leadership, Patient/Family Relations (PFR), Volunteer Services, Management operations, and Quality/ Patient Safety representation. Created and vetted plan for measuring and mitigating patient experience/satisfaction during a hospital-wide EHR roll-out. Involved patient and families in every committee meeting; presented with plans and ideas for their input and approval before implementation and updated post. Deployed volunteers (composed of former/current patients and families) in increased numbers during system roll out to help patients navigate changes in hospital processes, to answer questions about the roll-out, including wait times. Staff/Ambassador rounding implemented for month 1 of roll out to gather real-time patient concerns. Manager, director or nurse leader were involved in the completion of every service recovery. Modified communication tools, volunteer and staffing patterns, and service adjustment plans. Identified and prioritized patient satisfaction questions for longitudinal analysis. These questions and associated personal comments were tracked and presented as Institutional success metrics. Results: No formal filing of patient or family complaints related to this implementation. Service Recovery costs were minimal. Volunteer Services facilitated a 33% increase in volunteer hours from same time period the previous year. Patient Satisfaction scores for the outpatient service saw one month positive impact, followed by one month negative impact followed by recovery to normal. Conclusions: Working with patients and families to ensure a seamless and smooth roll-out of a new EHR is imperative. Implementation is felt by patients as work flows for all hospital employees are impacted by initial utilization of a new system. The impact of implementation to patients was mitigated through work done by our committee.

Site-specific factors in the production of local urban ecosystem services: A case study of community-managed green space

Pockets of green space in cities can provide important ecosystem services for urban residents. As naturalistic spaces in urban areas become increasingly sparse, communities are beginning to co-manage existing incidental pockets of land towards the creation of communal natural resources. Such green commons can be productive in terms of ecosystem services through targeted management such as in the case of urban agriculture. Although some work has been done to explore the motives behind and potential benefits of informal green space management, further research is required to understand those characteristics of site management and community input which contribute to the enhancement of site-specific ecosystem service production. A case study of ten examples of community-managed green space was undertaken to evaluate the contributory factors relating to site character and management which influenced productivity as defined by the cumulative provision of four urban-relevant ecosystem services. The analysis revealed that the level of community involvement, measured as intensity of volunteer hours, was highly instrumental in the productivity of sites. Food production also proved to be catalytic for the enhancement of ecosystem services whereas extent of vegetative cover and increasing site size were, counter-intuitively, detrimental to overall site productivity. The study therefore supports the promotion of participatory approaches to the management of ecosystems services in urban areas, particularly those which take small-scale urban agriculture as a primary practice.

User participation in urban green commons: Exploring the links between access, voluntarism, biodiversity and well being

Polycentric governance and stakeholder participation in natural resource management have potential benefits for both human and environmental well-being. Researchers and decision-makers have attempted to conceptualise the ecological, social and political potential of such semi-formal approaches to urban green space management. However, few studies have quantified the actual benefits in terms of biodiversity and associated ecosystem service provision, or the factors that mediate levels of participation. The links between biodiversity potential, site access and user participation were explored in a case study comprising ten established examples of organised social–ecological initiatives in the inner-city area of Greater Manchester. At the micro-scale, the case study quantified the levels of community involvement (measured in volunteer hours month−1) in local green commons and the biodiversity potential (assessed using floristic and structural diversity as a surrogate) of the ten sites. Descriptive analysis identified that site spatial and design characteristics affected all three measures and subsequent correlational analyses revealed a high degree of synergy between site use and biodiversity. The study thereby provides quantitative evidence of the synergistic relationship between green space use and urban biodiversity and, importantly, the positive feedbacks which should result between volunteer input and the local generation of ecosystem services. The study provides support for the promotion of a highly decentralised, stakeholder-led stewardship of green space as a valid consideration in the management of urban ecosystem services.

The American College of Veterinary Surgeons The Second 25 Years

The American College of Veterinary Surgeons The Second 25 Years

Assessing students’ motivation to engage in sustainable engineering

Purpose – The purpose of this study was to design an assessment instrument to evaluate students’ attitudes toward sustainable engineering (SE). Factors that impact SE beliefs could then be explored. Design/methodology/approach – Using the definition of sustainability from the Brundtland report and expectancy value theory, students’ sentiment toward SE was evaluated using items to assess SE self-efficacy, SE value and SE affect. The survey was distributed at three diverse universities with 515 responses from students ranging from first year through graduate studies in a variety of engineering majors. The survey instrument was validated using principal components analysis, and internal reliability was established via high Cronbach’s alpha for each construct. Findings – Participation in more experiential, enriching learning experiences correlated to higher SE self-efficacy, value and affect. Extracurricular club involvement correlated with a lower self-efficacy but high SE value. Students who had participated in undergraduate research had a high SE self-efficacy, particularly in the environmental and social sub-scales. The students who participated in internships had high SE self-efficacy but lower SE affect. A greater number of volunteer hours correlated with increased SE affect. Female students possessed higher SE value and affect than male students, but self-efficacy was not significantly different. SE self-efficacy increased with academic rank. Originality/value – This is the first effort to measure engineering students’ attitudes toward SE using the three sub-scales of expectancy value theory and assessing correlations in these attributes with students’ participation in various learning experiences.

The Numbers Game in Older Adult Care

The Numbers Game in Older Adult Care