The first thing he does is check in with the holding room nurse. She gives me the run down on who is coming in for which procedures. As a surgery waiting area volunteer, Zeck answers questions for families, staffs the phones and keeps the kitchen clean. He also is responsible for passing messages from the medical staff to the families. If the operating room calls with information for a family, it's my job to track them down.
Surgery waiting area volunteers also help calm parents' fears.
As part of his orientation, Zeck received training on how to interact with parents who are worried about their child's operation. Surgery volunteers start out by working with another more experienced volunteer who helps train them. Volunteers such as Zeck, who has three grown children of his own, also can draw on their own experiences to better relate to parents. You really feel like you're part of the team. The doctors, nurses and families are very friendly and really treat the volunteers well.