The Nightingale Volunteer Program at Baylor Plano 

The Nightingale Volunteer Program at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano is seeking retired or inactive RNs to join this rewarding program that allows former nurses to use their professional expertise by providing compassionate care to patients and their families. The program creates an environment for retired or inactive RNs to share and learn from Baylor Plano employees.

Requirements to participate in the Nightingale Volunteer Program include:

• RN licensure: active, inactive or retired.
• Five years of hospital, health clinic or medical office experience.
• Ability to interact professionally in an effective and efficient manner with patients, families and staff
• Ability to obtain vital signs, effectively and safely ambulate patients, and meet personal needs of patients.
• Minimum four-hour shift once a week, times are flexible.

The goals of the Nightingale program are:

• To assist the Baylor Plano staff in providing support to patient care, therefore enhancing the level of excellence in care. 
• To utilize the volunteer RNs professional knowledge and skills by providing and assisting designated needs to patients and families.
• To establish an interactive communication between the patients, families, staff, and the Nightingale Volunteer; therefore, maintaining both continuity and standard of care.
• To enhance an interpersonal relationship between staff and the Nightingale Volunteer; therefore, both the staff and the Nightingale Volunteer continue to enrich their own individualized personal life satisfaction.

Nightingales assist in the following ways: 

• Assist with daily hygiene measures and personal care needs of the patient.
• Assist with daily activities including ambulation, providing patient snacks, providing patient meal trays, and picking up finished patient meal trays.
• Assist with completing menus and feeding patients.
• Under direction of staff RN, assist with patient understanding of care.
• Under the direction of the staff RN, assist with appropriate patient care tasks and assist with maintaining a clean and neat patient room environment.
• Make “rounds” on patients evaluating needs, aiding with comfort measures, and being the liaison between the patient and staff.
• Communicate with other health care team members therefore ensuring optimal timely care for the patient and needs of the family.
• Make follow-up phone calls to discharged patients.
• Assist with the daily needs of the work area including answering call lights, running errands, copying charts/NH transfers, making coffee, and assisting with the transport of patients.
• Participate in orientation process of new employees.

Nightingale volunteers do not perform any tasks that require RN licensure.

Nightingales are needed in inpatient and outpatient areas of Baylor Plano 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.