Patient Escort Program

Goals
The Patient Escort Program is a volunteer service aimed at improving the quality of patient care.
This Program:
Provides quick response to short-term staff requests. Makes patients and their visitors more
comfortable during hospital visits. Gives medical staff more time for patient care. Provides a
quality volunteer experience for participants. Allows volunteers an opportunity to establish
camaraderie and fellowship. Enhances the image of Culbertson Memorial Hospital as a high-
quality community medical facility.

Objectives

The goals of the Patient Escort Program are achieved through the performance of volunteer
duties, which include:
Escorting or transporting patients to various departments, patient rooms or to the main lobby for
discharge. Assisting visitors in finding their destination in the hospital. Presenting a cheerful,
friendly attitude to staff, patient, visitors, and other members of the public.

Adding a Personal Touch

Escort volunteer activities add warmth and a personalized touch to the services provided for
patients and visitors at Culbertson. Escorts are in contact not only with patients, but also their
families and friends, and they are encouraged to:
Greet people pleasantly. Be courteous and professional at all times. Introduce themselves and
identify themselves as volunteers. Speak quietly and discreetly. Listen to patients in a sincere,
friendly manner. Use language that always is in good taste
Always be helpful – it is better to spend a few minutes making or keeping people happy than to
work for months to regain their goodwill
Orientation and Training
All escort volunteers are required to attend Care Learning sessions, just like Culbertson
Memorial Hospital employees. In order to accommodate all staff and volunteers in their annual
training, these sessions must be completed each year by the end of your birthday month. During
the sessions, volunteers learn about hospital policies and procedures that involve HIPAA, fire safety,
infection control, body mechanics, etc. Every escort volunteer must complete their first session –
as well as watch a variety of training films – before beginning escort duties. Comprehensive
training for a new escort volunteer also will include a complete tour of the hospital and will
cover the following topics:
Description of duties. Wheelchair use and safety. Confidentiality issues. Dress code. Safety
information

Scheduling
Once an escort volunteer is fully trained, he or she is assigned to a once-a-week shift if available,
and are asked to work the same shift each week. For example, an escort assigned to the Monday
morning shift will work Monday morning each week. New escorts are scheduled based on
NEED first and personal priority second. If a permanent position isn't available, volunteers are
placed on a substitute list to fill the positions when needed.
Escorts are currently scheduled Monday through Friday in the Main Lobby from 9:00 a.m. until
2:00 p.m.
Requests for escort services will be made via cordless telephone. When the escort arrives, they
should remove the phone from its charging base located in the Outpatient Department. The
phone should remain at the escort desk until the end of the shift. When the shift has ended, the
escort on duty will place the cordless phone back on its base in the Outpatient Clinic to recharge.
Meals
As our way of saying thank you, escorts will receive a free meal from Culbertson Café during
their scheduled shift.
Substitutes
From time to time, an escort may be asked to work an extra shift to cover for someone who is
absent. Substitutes will be given as much notice as possible, with the understanding that last
minute openings occur. Escorts will be asked to sub only when necessary. The volunteer staff
greatly appreciates any extra help given and hopes that escorts will agree to sub whenever it is
possible.
Each patient will receive a call from a nurse at least five days prior to the appointment unless the
appointment is made less than five days prior to the scheduled date and time. During this call, the
nurse reviews the patient’s medical history and medication list and gives the patient instructions
based on the type of procedure that is scheduled.
General Instructions
Patients who are undergoing outpatient procedures should arrive 1 hour before their scheduled
appointment time and check-in at the radiology front desk (room 1145) in the main Vanderbilt
University Hospital.
Patients who are undergoing a procedure that requires overnight observation should arrive 1.5
hours before their scheduled appointment time and should stop by the admitting office prior to
checking in at the radiology front desk.

Patients should leave all valuables at home.

Patients who will receive sedation or anesthesia during their procedure must have a friend or
family member available to drive them home and care for them for the next 24 hours. Most
procedures that involve sedation last 1 to 2 hours with a 2 to 4 hour recovery period following
the procedure. The patient should expect to be here for at least 4 to 6 hours. NPO (Fasting) and
Medication Instruction
Only patients who will receive sedation or anesthesia during the procedure need to be NPO.
No solid food or milk products for 6 hours prior to the procedure. No clear liquids for 2 hours
prior to the procedure. Take all regular medications as scheduled with small sips of water unless
otherwise directed. For medicine for diabetes: take only half dose of evening insulin; hold
morning insulin and oral diabetic medication the day of the procedure. There are many
anticoagulants, aspirins and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications that may need to be
held prior to your procedure. Patients should be asked to keep medical team informed of all
medications the patient is taking. If needed, prior to a procedure, our team can review specific
medications and plan to manage anticoagulation.
Informed Consent
The Department of Radiology recognizes the right of all patients to make informed decisions regarding
health care. Informed consent is obtained prior to all interventional or invasive procedures in accordance
with the policy approved by Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

You may provide your patients with the following education documents:
Bland Embolization
BRTO
Chemoembolization
CT-Guided Lung Biopsy
Image-Guided Biopsy
Inpatient Paracentesis
Liver Biopsy
Mapping Arteriogram
Nephrostogram
Outpatient Paracentesis
Outpatient Thoracentesis
Percutaneous Cryoablation
Portal Vein Embolization
TIPS
Vertebroplasty
Y-90: After Your Test
Y-90: General Information
They may also visit VanderbiltHealth.com/radiology.
Prepare a Patient for an Ultrasound
Prepare a Patient for an X-ray or Fluoroscop