Volunteer Roles

Volunteers work directly with their assigned clinic site to connect patients to resources in the community. Please refer to the https://sites.duke.edu/sdohhelpdesk/help-desk-model/ portion of our website to learn about workflows at our different clinic sites. All student volunteers will call patients to provide resource referrals and use various strategies to help patients overcome barriers they face in accessing their needs. Volunteers at our DukeHealth partner sites (Duke Emergency Department and Duke Endocrinology) make referrals through NCCare360.

Volunteer responsibilities include:

  • Entering data into a database known as REDCap from patient encounters 
  • Screening patients, making initial referral calls, and following up with patients
  • Presenting each case during a weekly case review. During case review, volunteers discuss ways to adapt to challenges that they may face, improve the patient experience, and identify opportunities to connect them to resources in the most efficient and effective way possible
  • Utilizing NCCare360 to make patient resource referrals and close the loop on patient connections to resources.

Volunteer Requirements

  • Ability to communicate with patients effectively, adapt to real-world challenges, and talk to patients about difficult circumstances
  • Interest in addressing the Social Determinants of Health
  • Commitment to 4-8 hours of volunteering per week
  • Spanish/English bilingualism is desired, but not required. All multilingualism is welcomed.
  • Current volunteers must have an active Duke NetID. Our volunteers are currently mostly undergraduate students.

Becoming a Volunteer

After completing a written application, potential volunteers are interviewed, and if applying as a Spanish-speaking volunteer, given a Spanish fluency test. If selected, trainees undergo 10 hours of training, onboarding with their assigned site, and ongoing “continued learning” throughout the process. Trainees will perform practice calls, shadow a current volunteer for 2 complete sessions, reverse shadow a current volunteer, and complete 3 successful calls to be considered an official Help Desk volunteer. Overall, becoming a volunteer takes around 20 hours of preparation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Help desk volunteers gain skills in communication, experience with teamwork, knowledge of real-world patient needs, the opportunity to meet new people, and the ability to connect with the community.

Refer to our https://sites.duke.edu/sdohhelpdesk/help-desk-model/help-desk-toolkit/ page for details on the curriculum we use to train our volunteers.

In addition to this, volunteers gain the following:

  • Experience with teamwork
  • Knowledge of real-world patient needs
  • Opportunity to meet new people
  • Ability to connect with the Durham community
  • Learn about real-world patient needs (housing, food insecurity, transportation, etc.)
  • Learn how to adapt to changing environments in the real world, helping patients troubleshoot barriers they encounter along the way
  • Participate in the delivery of an innovative model for responding to non-medical patient needs
  • Develop patient communication and motivational interviewing skills
  • Learn more about the intersection between health systems and community/social services in the local area
  • Access to an extensive network of alumni and professionals working in healthcare

Volunteers have different roles across our three sites, but they all make resource referrals to community-based organizations in Durham and follow up with patients about these referrals. This includes providing additional specific information about the resource and encouraging them to connect with the resource.

Volunteers commit 4-6 hours a week, though many volunteers choose to do more. This includes 4 hours of volunteering or making calls, data entry of PRAPARE information into REDCap, and weekly case reviews.

Volunteers either work remotely (for Endocrine and LCHC) or onsite in the Duke Emergency Department waiting room.

Volunteers make calls at least twice a week for around 2 hours each session. Volunteers are assigned around 2-6 patients per week. They are expected to call every patient they were assigned in that week, maintain consistent communication with site coordinators, and report on calls during case review.

Volunteers are recruited every fall and spring.

Most volunteers pursue an M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) or other advanced degrees (Ph.D., Masters, Certificate). One of our volunteers received the renowned Fulbright scholarship.