Volunteer Team Member Information

When you apply to be a Volunteer CISS Team Member, you are committing yourself to be part of an on call team. You will be "off the clock" when you come in to the hospital.

Team members will self-schedule their availability to be call in to either Presbyterian Hospital, or Kaseman Presbyterian Hospital to provide support to individuals involved in a crisis.

The goal is to have up to twenty (20) volunteers to serve on the CISS team. These people will constitute the pool from which individuals will be called to respond to a crisis. It is understood that volunteers may be unavailable at any given time for a variety of reasons, but the pool should ensure the availability of volunteers to meet the need.

Some examples of instances when the CISS team could be activated:

• A multiple victim airplane accident where injured persons are rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment
• A multiple victim school bus accident where injured students are rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment
• A fire on one of the hospital floors results in the evacuation of patients, during which some of the hospital staff are injured, and require prompt treatment
• A shooter comes onto the hospital grounds and wounds staff and visitors, all of whom are rushed to the ED for treatment
• A sentinel event occurs, which affects the individual and the team
• Death of a colleague
• Death of an infant or child
• Inappropriate and distressing interaction with another healthcare team member, patient, or family
• Clinician called to testify in court

It is also expected that you will undergo CISS "BASIC" training so that you will be prepared for your role on the CISS team. This training will be on your own time.

Monthly meetings will be held for communication and education purposes. These team meeting will be on your own time.

The determining factors for accepting an application (.pdf) will be:

• References
• Ability to empathize
• Previous training
• Previous experience
• Interpersonal skills

If there are no vacancies on the CISS team at the time of a person's application, successful applicants will be placed on a holding list, and be invited to join the team as vacancies occur.