a) Are interested in entering the health care professions.

b) Care about making a difference in the lives of their patients.

c) Want to learn about the human side of medicine by putting their compassion into action.

Many universities offer a good education in medical science. However, one day, as a health care professional, you will have to talk with people who are seriously ill, injured, and dying – and their families. This is no easy matter. Other than the Adventures in Caring Foundation’s collaboration with the UCSB Health Professions Association, few, if any, other universities or colleges teach undergraduate students the communication skills they need to handle such emotionally difficult situations.

- Paula Yurkanis Bruice, Ph.D.,
Professor of Organic Chemistry, UCSB

1. Thirty-hour training session (Friday evening and all day Saturday & Sunday) covers everything you need to know in order to participate.
   
   
2. Volunteering once a week, for two to three hours, for one school year, in the Raggedy Ann & Andy Visiting Program at local hospitals and skilled nursing facilities.
   
   
3. Reflection: a journal: each student records what they are learning from their volunteer experience (about life, other people, and themselves), and how the skills they learn effect the rest of their life.
   
   
4. Assist in training new volunteers (after volunteering for at least two months) by:
   a) Escorting new volunteers on visits with patients, and giving feedback to them in the question & answer session afterwards.
   b) Playing the role of a patient in a role-playing session, and giving feedback to the trainees who visit.
   
   
5. Seminar with Adventures in Caring staff once per quarter (see topics on next pg).
   
   
6. Completion ceremony at the end of the year.
   
   
   

TOPICS:
What students learn:

• How not to burn out: renewal, coping, and stress management strategies.
  
  
• How to handle difficult emotions: how to deal with loss, suffering, and change.
  
  
• The human side of medicine: emotions, games people play, human needs, relationships, the mind-body connection.
  
  
• Communication skills, bedside manner, the art of listening.
  
  
• Compassion and the healing power of love.
  
  

BENEFITS:

• Letter of recommendation upon completion.
  
  
• Direct contact with patients. First-hand experience in medicine.
  
  
• Make a difference, directly, in the lives of people in need.
  
  
• Oral history and life experience: stories and encounters that enrich your life.
  
  
• Meet new friends; build links with community.
  
  
• Learn and practice new skills – in interpersonal communication and emotional competence – skills that will serve you for life.
  
  
  

REQUIREMENTS:

• A minimum of 25 visits to a hospital, clinic, or skilled nursing facility.
  
  
• Two quality short stories written about your interactions with a patient, a family member, or hospital staff.
  
  
• Two seminars attended.
  
  
• Keep an up-to-date journal.
  
  
  

OBJECTIVES:

• On completion of the one-year course, you will be able to:
  
  
• Create rapport with patients (and families) and interact with them in ways that alleviate loneliness and emotional distress, and lift the spirit.
  
  
• Convey care in a way that the patient perceives to be compassionate, meaningful and uplifting.
  
  
• Recognize the emotions associated with loss - the five stages of completion - and respond appropriately.
  
  
• Meet four basic human needs of patients and families: personal attention, acknowledgment, affection and acceptance.
  
  
  Note:
  The cost of this one-year course is not covered by student tuition or by UCSB. The funds are raised privately by Adventures in Caring from the Santa Barbara community, to cover the cost of recruitment, selection, training, outfit, materials, learning sessions, and support for one year.