We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give. - -Winston Churchill
Volunteering is defined as giving your time to help someone else or a cause that you care about, simply because you want to and without expecting payment. Volunteering for your professional community can be personally very rewarding and allows one to give something back to their profession. Volunteers come in many shapes and sizes and from multiple walks of life, including firefighters, disaster relief, counseling, health care, and fundraising, to name a few. The community of the American Society of Plastic Surgical Nurses relies on its volunteers, including the Board of Directors and committee members for organizational survival and growth. Without these volunteers, there would be higher membership dues, a cost for each of the benefits that currently are included with that membership such as the journal and there would not be a national conference or aesthetic symposium as the planning is done by volunteers. How does ASPSN increase its volunteer pools? How do we elicit the desire and willingness of contributing (without pay) to the vitality of our professional community? What are the benefits of becoming a volunteer?
Volunteers are not paid employees. There is no contract. Volunteers are not entitled to minimum wage, vacation, holiday or sick pay, or any other employment rights. So, I suppose I should pose the question that I, unfortunately, have heard many times through the years, "What's in it for me?" There are many benefits to volunteering other than monetary gain. One benefit of volunteering is the impact on the professional community. Being a volunteer allows one to connect to one's community and make it better and stronger. It contributes to the stability and growth of the community. Volunteering in one's professional community allows one to remain energized and interested in their chosen nursing specialty.
One of the best ways to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships is as a volunteer and a commitment to a shared activity. Volunteering promotes networking with peers around a professional background or with common interests. This is especially true if one is new to a professional community and wants to meet new colleagues. Becoming a volunteer exposes one to trends and best practices within one's specialty and provides leadership training and experience. Volunteering enhances one's social skills as well as relationship skills and may even provide the opportunity to develop new skills. Some individuals are naturally outgoing, whereas others are shy and have a hard time meeting new people. Being a volunteer can assist in alleviating the shyness and allow individuals to open up, blossom, and become socially engaging and actively involved.
Volunteering is good for the mind and body. By doing good for others and one's community self-confidence will increase. Volunteering can also enhance feelings of accomplishment and feeling good about oneself. Volunteering combats the risk of depression by preventing social isolation, loneliness, and exclusion by keeping one in contact with others (Sevigny, Dumont, Cohen, & Frappier, 2010; Farrell & Bryant, 2009). Lum and Lightfoot (2005) found that volunteering by older individuals was positively correlated with self-reported health, depression, and function levels. A systematic review and meta-analysis conducted by Jenkinson et al. (2013) found evidence suggesting that volunteering may benefit mental health and survival. In addition, a meta-analysis of five cohort studies found volunteers to be at lower risk of mortality (risk ratio: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.66-0.90) (Jenkinson et al., 2013). Although most research has been done looking at benefits to the older adult, it may be applied to all ages. The health benefits may be the deciding factor for individuals to volunteer.
Another recognized benefit of becoming a volunteer is to build one's professional portfolio. It will also garner new professional contacts and provide opportunities for career exploration and advancement. It can foster feelings of making an impact and making a difference and can even bring fun and fulfillment to one's life. It is a break from the day-to-day routine. Volunteering is also a lifelong learning modality and nursing is, indeed, lifelong learning.
ASPSN needs to increase its volunteer pool. Each of us has something to give and it will come back to one personally and professionally. Some volunteer opportunities within ASPSN include the following:
* Serving as a department chair for the journal
* Submitting to the ASPSNews
* Serving as a committee member
* Serving as the chair of a committee
* Running for elected office
* Serving on a task force
* Making a poster presentation at the national meeting
* Serving as a reviewer for Plastic Surgical Nursing
* Serving as a member of the Editorial Board of Plastic Surgical Nursing
* Starting a local chapter
* Submitting an abstract and presentation at the national meeting
* Serving as a mentor
ASPSN continues to be a viable and successful community because of all the wonderful and unselfish volunteers, which cannot be overemphasized. Volunteers have and will continue to be an essential resource. Existing and new volunteers are necessary to maintain a strong and vibrant ASPSN community to reach its potential and serve members and the plastic surgical nursing profession. This will take each one of us participating and will enrich the ASPSN community and enrich each one personally and professionally. Hopefully, emphasizing the benefits of volunteering will increase the volunteer pool of ASPSN.
Marcia Spear, DNP, ACNP-BC, CWS, CPSN, CANS
President of ASPSN
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