Some labor experts argue many for-profit hospitals are using unpaid workers to benefit their bottom line.
\nMount Pleasant, S.C. \u2014 Most of the 30 volunteers who work at the 130-bed, for-profit East Cooper Medical Center spend their days assisting surgical patients \u2014 the scope of their duties extending far beyond those of candy stripers, baby cuddlers, and gift shop clerks.
\nIn fact, one-third of the volunteers at the Tenet Healthcare-owned hospital are retired nurses who check people in for surgery or escort patients to a preoperative room, said Jan Ledbetter, president of the hospital\u2019s nonprofit Volunteer Services Organization. Others relay important information from hospital staffers to expectant families. \u201cThey\u2019re kept extremely busy,\u201d Ledbetter said. \u201cWe need to have four of those volunteers a day.\u201d
\nAt hospitals across the U.S., volunteers play an integral role. So much so that when volunteers were barred from East Cooper at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, staff nurses assumed the volunteers\u2019 duties in the surgical waiting room. Like paid employees, hospital volunteers typically face mandatory vaccine requirements, background checks, and patient privacy training. And their duties often entail working in regular shifts.
\nAt HCA Healthcare, the world\u2019s largest for-profit hospital system, volunteers include\u00a0aspiring medical providers\u00a0who work in patient rooms, in labs, and in wound care units, according to the company\u2019s magazine.
\nOver centuries, leaning on volunteers in medicine has become so embedded in hospital culture that studies show they\u00a0yield meaningful cost savings\u00a0and can improve patient satisfaction \u2014 seemingly a win-win for hospital systems and the public.<\/p>\n