Nelson & District Hospice Volunteer Application
We offer a 30-hour volunteer training that complies with BCHPCA standards on an annual basis. The training is typically provided over the course of two weekends spaced three weeks apart. The cost for the 30-hour training is $125. We welcome anyone who wishes to receive hospice training, even those who may not become volunteers for Nelson Hospice. Want to become a volunteer? Begin your journey in just three simple steps
Step 1
Get two written references from people who know you well and can attest to the qualities you would bring to this work. Please have these references available in either .pdf or .doc format before filling out this application, as you will need to attach them to this form before submitting it. Download the confidentiality agreement, fill it out and save it as a .pdf as it will also be attached to the application form.
Step 2
Fill out the application and submit it. Once the application is submitted, you will be added to the list of trainees awaiting training, and you will be notified as soon as new training dates are scheduled. This may take some time, depending on when you submit your application.
Step 3
Anyone who completes the training and wishes to begin providing volunteer hospice services in Nelson must complete a criminal record check before volunteering can begin.
Qualities Required for a Hospice Volunteer
- Good communication skills.
- Comfortable with people who are ill and sensitive to their special needs.
- Willingness to be open and to learn from others.
- Ability to grow in self-knowledge.
- Respect for philosophical or spiritual beliefs other than one’s own.
- Ability to be non-judgmental about others’ lifestyles and choices.
- Ability to define personal time limits and commitments.
- Respect for the confidences of clients, family members, and their friends.
- Ability to be honest with oneself and others.
- Ability to work with others in a team.
Applications to Our Training Program Are Carefully Reviewed and Assessed with the Following in Mind
- Realistic expectation of what hospice is and is not.
- Availability of applicant, including last-minute referrals and crisis support.
- Unresolved grief issues and/or other issues related to a loss in the past year.
- Ability to commit to participation in full training.
- Self-awareness around personal boundaries, biases, beliefs, and motivations regarding providing care to the dying and death in general.
- Willingness to accept that a client has moved from the medical model of “cure” to the hospice/palliative care model of “care” and to accept a client’s impending death.
- Ability to separate one’s own experiences of death from an individual client’s death.
- Ability to establish clear and appropriate boundaries between yourself and a client.
- Ability to “be” with a client (sometimes in silence) and not “do” when a client is near death.
- Ability to provide companionship to clients who may be dealing with ongoing, complicated pain management issues.
Nelson & District Hospice Society
Volunteer Application
All potential volunteers must attend the entire training and participate in a preliminary interview with the area coordinator. A criminal record check, two references, and a signed confidentiality form will also be required. Trainees may not begin volunteering until all of these requirements are met.
Everyone must submit an application, even if you do NOT intend to become a Nelson Hospice volunteer.
Please complete and click submit. Your application will be routed to the area office in which you wish to volunteer (Nelson, Crawford Bay)
Connect With Us
Nelson
250-352-2337
East Shore
250-505-4915
info@eastshorehospice.org
About Us
Nelson & District Hospice Society works closely with healthcare providers, counsellors, therapists, clergy, and pharmacists to provide compassionate care and support for the dying and the bereaved in our communities.