Use of Volunteers

This policy applies to: All faculty, staff, residents and fellows, research associates, postdoctoral appointees, student employees, and prospective employees.

I. Policy

The University supports the use of volunteers who provide charitable services to the Hospital and to other parts of the University. No volunteer, however, may perform work that is also performed by paid University employees.

II. Guidelines

The determination as to whether it is appropriate for an individual to act in a volunteer capacity for the University, rather than becoming employed in a paid position, is highly fact-based. The following guidelines will be instructive in making this determination:

A. A volunteer must perform duties that are civic, charitable, or humanitarian in nature. The University’s status as a not-for-profit institution does not, itself, satisfy this requirement. The volunteer’s actual duties must be civic, charitable or humanitarian in nature.

B. Volunteers may not perform duties that the University pays employees to perform;

C. Volunteers may not be used to replace paid employees nor to augment the paid staff in any department;

D. A volunteer must understand that he/she will not be compensated for his/her services;

E. A volunteer must offer his/her services freely and without coercion, direct or implied, from the University;

F. Employees of the University may volunteer at the University but they may not volunteer to perform any of the same duties for which they are paid in their normal employment;

G. Individuals may not volunteer as part of an extended interview, trial, or training period;

H. A volunteer’s schedule must be at his/her own discretion;

I. Volunteers should never provide direct patient care.

III. Procedures

A. All questions about the appropriate uses of volunteers at the University may be sent through Human Resources. Further, Hospital volunteers must be approved by and processed through Friends of Strong.

B. Potential volunteers who are foreign nationals must consult with the International Services Office to ensure that volunteer work does not conflict with the terms of their visa.

IV. Additional Information

A. Students (at any institution) who wish to volunteer for the University may be more appropriately classified as interns. Information about student internships in the School of Medicine and Dentistry is available through the Office of Graduate Education and information about internships at the College is available through the College Center for Advising Services. Information about internships is also generally available by contacting the Human Resources Department.

B. Nothing in this policy should be construed to inhibit or otherwise affect work that is done by University of Rochester students as part of their degree program.

C. Nothing in this policy should be construed to inhibit or otherwise affect SMH Policy 12.7: Shadowing and Short-Term Observational Education Experiences