118 Human Resources Management for Public and Nonprofi t Organizations
The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), sponsored by the U.S. Surgeon
General, is composed of organized medical and public health professionals
who serve as volunteers to respond to natural disasters and emergencies.
These volunteers assist communities nationwide during emergencies and
in ongoing efforts for public health. In the past, many medical and public
health professionals sought volunteer opportunities to support emergency
relief efforts, but there was only a limited organized approach to channel
their efforts. The MRC program now provides the structure necessary to
deploy medical and public health personnel in response to an emergency:
it identifi es specifi c, trained, credentialed personnel available and ready
to respond. Volunteers include practicing, retired, or otherwise employed
medical professionals, such as doctors, nurses, emergency medical tech-
nicians, pharmacists, nurses ’ assistants, and public health professionals.
Community members without medical training are welcome as well; they
assist with administrative and other essential support functions. Noncitizen,
legal U.S. residents also are welcome to volunteer and contribute their
time, knowledge, and skills.
Promising though the use of volunteers may be, agencies must be aware
that there are costs associated with volunteer programs. Ellis (1995, p. 3)
notes that “ because volunteers are agents of the organizations, their work
poses potential risk management questions and insurance needs. Anyone
acting on behalf of an organization can put others at risk or can be at risk.
Volunteers are not inherently more or less likely to have accidents or make
mistakes. However, the board should make sure that the organization has
taken all the necessary steps to protect the client, the volunteer and the
paid staff. ” This means that volunteers need to be screened for possessing
the appropriate qualifi cations, and they need to be trained. For example,
volunteers who would not be hired as police offi cers because of antisocial
or aberrant personalities should not be selected as police auxiliary vol-
unteers. Individuals who exhibit short tempers or low frustration levels
should not work with children, senior citizens, or the disabled in capacities
that require patience or in situations that despite planning, often become
unstructured. To minimize the frequency and
severity of mistakes, volunteers need to receive
general training concerning the agency ’ s mis-
sion, policies, and regulations, as well as train-
ing that is tailored to the specialized tasks or
responsibilities they will perform.
Agencies must anticipate the reactions
of paid staff and unions if they plan to usePromising though the use of
volunteers may be, agencies
must be aware that there are
costs associated with volunteer
programs.