From: The ICU Bridge Program: volunteers bridging medicine and people together
Strengths | Weaknesses |
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1. Volunteer program that is run by and tailored to university students and their needs 2. Introduces volunteers into a novel setting with minimal workload added to hospital staff 3. Program is self-sufficient financially 4. Increases communication between hospital staff and visitors, reducing visitor and staff stress and workload 5. Increased visitation and stimulation by volunteers particularly for non-sedated patients without or minimal visitors 6. Increases accessibility of shadowing opportunities to a more diverse university population 7. Multiple levels of emotional support for volunteers: fellow volunteers and their shift partner, student executive team, and ICUBP hospital staff representatives | 1. Though minimized, the program requires involvement and partnerships with hospital staff 2. Implementation and evaluation have been non-empirical to date 3. Limitations on the diversity of volunteers, as students of low socioeconomic status may not have the resources to volunteer |
Opportunities | Threats |
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1. Transfer and implementation of novel humanizing initiatives and programs between ICUs  a. For example: implementing the Montreal Children’s Hospital’s Glass Door Project (https://www.thechildren.com/news-and-events/latest-news/glass-door-project) to the adult ICU sites 2. Implementation of ICU journals and impacting patients and visitors outcomes through student volunteers 3. Implementation of the program’s model into other hospital departments | 1. Lack of staff buy-in to the program, 2. Negative emotional impact on students 3. Workload imposed on ICUBP volunteer student executives may be overwhelming |