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3.4 Using Volunteers

The extent to which clinics use volunteers varies. The advisability of using volunteers depends on a given clinic’s mission and other factors. High-volume clinics that emphasize productivity usually rely on paid staff, sometimes supplemented with volunteers. On the other hand, clinics that are open only limited hours (e.g., 8 hours per week) might use volunteers exclusively.

Volunteers may be skilled clinical staff (e.g., dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, Expanded Function Dental Auxiliaries) or support staff (e.g., file clerks, receptionists, appointment coordinators).

Volunteers can also enhance the services of clinics by taking clinic referrals into their private practices; donating supplies; participating in patient-education programs; fundraising; providing continuing-education courses; or writing proposals.

In Ohio, a retired dentist or dental hygienist may obtain a volunteer’s certificate from the Ohio State Dental Board to provide dental services to indigent and uninsured persons at nonprofit shelters or health care facilities for which they receive no form of remuneration. The statute and rule provide additional information on the limitations and the immunity provided by the certificate. For example, the immunity does not apply if the action or omission constitutes willful or wanton misconduct. Dentists and hygienists should be familiar with the statute and rule before seeking a certificate.

Issues to Consider When Using Volunteers

  • Will volunteers provide most services, or will they supplement full-time staff?
  • Dentists may volunteer frequently or only a few times a year. The number of volunteers needed depends on the clinic’s days and hours of operation, scope of services, number of operatories, patient load, number of paid clinical staff, and other factors.
  • Each volunteer must be oriented to clinic policies and procedures.
  • If volunteer dentists use their own dental hygienists and assistants, the dental hygienists and assistants must be shown what instruments and supplies the clinic has available and where they are stored.
  • The clinic needs a staff member capable of organizing and coordinating the schedules of all volunteers and finding coverage for the clinic when a scheduled volunteer is unable to work.
  • Recruitment of volunteers will likely require frequent meetings with local dental societies, attendance at regional and local dental meetings, and other activities of this type.
  • Retired dentists or dental hygienists who maintain active licenses may be a volunteer resource for clinical care.
  • Volunteers usually find it helpful to have paid staff available to provide continuity with policies and procedures.
  • To maintain continuity of care, it may be preferable to use paid staff, rather than volunteers, to undertake complicated procedures that require multiple visits.
  • In some states, volunteers may be covered for malpractice by the state’s sovereign immunity laws; in others, volunteers will need to provide proof of their own malpractice insurance. Check with your clinic’s professional liability carrier about any other implications that the use of volunteers will have on your clinic’s coverage.
  • The credentialing and privileging of a large number of volunteers can be time-consuming.

In some clinics, dental students dental hygiene students, or both provide direct patient care. It is important to realize that students must have proper faculty supervision and that they treat patients at a slower rate than experienced staff. Increased access and productivity are best realized when students treat patients in addition to (not instead of) the supervising dentist or hygienist. The decision to have students provide care depends on the mission of the clinic, the proximity and interest of dental and dental hygiene schools, and the availability of an adequate number of dental chairs and faculty to supervise students. Clinic staff may be credentialed by the dental school as ‘adjunct faculty’ for the purpose of supervision. All students must work under the supervision of a licensed dentist.