Senior Director, Nursing and Women’s Health

BY ARIELLA JOLLY, DNP, FNP-BC

Anne took several years off from her nursing career to raise her family and care for her ailing mother. She was unsure if she’d ever return to nursing, until a friend told her about CVIM. She decided to check it out, and upon visiting was inspired to sign on as a volunteer.

That was more than 13 years ago. Now, she considers herself “lucky and blessed” to have spent over a decade volunteering regularly for CVIM. Like so many other CVIM volunteers, she underscores the best part of the job: “The patients give me more than I give them,” she says. She describes the patients she sees while working at CVIM as “so strong, and such phenomenal, good, working people.” continued on next page >

As a healthcare center serving low-income, uninsured workers and their families, Community Volunteers in Medicine relies on the time and expertise of a generous, experienced army of volunteers to meet the needs of its large and growing patient population.

Offering everything from primary medical care to specialists, dental care, behavioral health, and prescription medicines, CVIM is the healthcare home for many people throughout Chester County and beyond. CVIM’s patients are the working core of the local economy: restaurant staff, bus drivers, agricultural and landscape workers, and others who work at small businesses that don’t provide health insurance.

The overwhelming majority of CVIM’s health care providers work on a volunteer basis; in fact, in the last fiscal year, CVIM’s 329 volunteers logged over 38,000 volunteer hours serving 4,263 patients.

The backbone of this fleet is our volunteer nurses. While volunteer nurses come to CVIM at all stages in their career, many have recently retired from positions at local hospitals, healthcare centers, doctors’ offices, or home healthcare organizations. Others left paid employment to raise children or care for family members, or may work part-time, and are now in a position to be able to give back to their community. Volunteering at CVIM allows them to use their skills with a flexible schedule, often with opportunities to try something new or explore different interests. CVIM allows them to stay involved with the profession they love, in a warm, welcoming environment.

When discussing how she accommodates the scheduling needs of her volunteers, CVIM’s Director of Clinical Support Services, Judy Atticks, RN, emphasizes the flexibility she offers to volunteer nurses. “I try very hard to make sure they know they are able to do what they feel is in their hearts,” she explains. Some nurses remain doing the type of work they did when previously employed, while others may make a leap from, for example, gynecological care to primary care. Many find themselves enjoying the ability to augment their expertise with new experiences they didn’t have at other times in their careers.

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With thirty medical specialties offered at CVIM, clinicians find many options to choose from and no shortage of work to do. In a given day, CVIM’s nurses may find themselves administering medications or immunizations, performing hearing tests or pointof-care testing, or assisting with office procedures for both primary and specialty care.

More importantly, without the time limitations imposed by insurance billing requirements, they build strong relationships with patients over the years. It is not an uncommon sight to see a patient stopped in the hall by a nurse or two who come running over to offer them a hug and ask how they have been doing.

There are also opportunities for nurses to be involved in larger awareness and educational programs, such as the annual Diabetes Expo, immunization drives, or Cervical Health Awareness Month events.

It’s not just the patients who benefit from the warm, caring atmosphere at CVIM. Judy points out that many come to volunteer at CVIM after experiencing some sort of personal life transition or loss. She encourages a space where nurses can talk to each other and turn to one another for support if they find it helpful. “Some of the nurses become like family, while others are more private,” she says, noting that the personal and emotional well-being of nursing volunteers is of paramount importance. “Sometimes, my role is to get to know the volunteer nurses and their families; and sometimes, my mission is to make sure everybody knows I care.”

CVIM volunteers, from nurses to doctors to behavioral health experts, often speak of the warm, collaborative atmosphere at CVIM, which many note is harder to find in healthcare in recent years. Indeed, volunteers often describe the CVIM culture as being “why I got into health care.” The ability to spend time with patients, build relationships, and in turn receive overwhelming appreciation is a constant refrain when speaking to those who volunteer here.

CVIM’s Medical Director, Dr. Janet Jacapraro, underscores the importance of volunteer nurses to CVIM’s mission. “Nurses are critical to the function of our medical team. They administer medicines and vaccines. They complete in-house testing and provide educational materials. They alert the providers to patient concerns and overdue screenings. But by far, what I value most about the nurses I work with at CVIM is how they are able to set the stage for a positive medical visit with each individual patient. Before I even enter the exam room, my patient has been put at ease by a nurse’s caring touch and warm smile.”

A nursing orientation is provided, and CVIM offers ongoing educational opportunities and workshops for its clinical care staff on everything from Tuberculosis, to HPV to whatever else is new or changing in the medical field. While Spanish-speaking clinicians are in high demand, CVIM has volunteer interpreters, so it is not necessary that clinical volunteers speak a second language. Masks are being worn in the health care center, and COVID vaccination is required.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a volunteer at CVIM, please contact Judy Atticks at jatticks@cvim.org, or 610.836.5990 x.112.