Since moving to Washington I’ve begun volunteering at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett. I’m what they call a Patient Liaison. My duties involve visiting newly admitted patients to provide information about what they can expect during their stay. More importantly for this blog, I’ve also been doing some media production.

The Volunteer Services office for the hospital has its hands full organizing about 1,000 people who serve either each week or as needed. In addition, they bring on dozens of new volunteers every quarter and put them through an orientation program that includes several hours of classroom training. Some of the material can be pretty dry. Nevertheless, the instruction is critical and/or required by law. Take it from one who has been through it – there is a danger that before they even begin serving, volunteers could feel bogged down with rules and get the sense that their good intentions are not appreciated.

If volunteers are going to be really effective in their work, they need to understand where they fit in the continuing story of compassionate care offered at Providence and know that without their gift of service the hospital could not operate as it does.

With that in mind, I was tasked with developing two videos now included in a redesigned Powerpoint presentation that makes up most of the orientation program. The first is a history of the hospital and ties back to the earliest days of pioneer development in the Pacific northwest. The second sets a poem to music and pictures, affirming the volunteers in their decision to give of themselves just before they head out to tour the facility.

For those with a knowledge of audio and video production, it’s worth noting that these were produced on VERY rudimentary equipment. The computer, mic, software and even the photos I had to work with were severally limited. Needless to say, there was no budget for this. Other than time, I spent nothing on producing these videos. I hope in its own way that’s a testament to the volunteer spirit of the project and the ability to get good work done without having to rely on technology to tell the story.

A History of Providence Regional Medical Center

You are this hospital