Providing services by choice or free will for the benefit of a community, individual, or organization without the expectation of monetary or any other personal gain―this, in essence, is volunteering. It is the giving away of self, expecting only to see progression in those impacted by your gift. Recognizing that you house an abundance of limited talent, skill, or resources and allowing free access to you is what makes volunteering so vibrant and viable.
Governments have deemed the contribution that volunteering provides necessary to building a strong and cohesive society. It is seen as an essential act of citizenship, integrated into school curriculums, and seeped into the culture of the Fortune 500s of our world. Dedicating our time, energy, and expertise is no longer an unfamiliar territory but has become today’s standard of living and giving.
Volunteering is a spoke that assists the world economies in going around. It’s viewed as a form of social capital, aiding the marginalized, creating civil societies, driving social action, and expanding industries and professions. The voluntary sector houses a mighty power to affect and transform its sphere of influence. The medical community is no exception. It is a space that awaits growth and development powered through the giving away of self. There is untapped vigor within the field that only becomes unleashed through volunteerism.
Lori Goebel-Rys, MSA, agrees as she has witnessed and advocates for cultivating a point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) volunteer community in her role at the POCUS Certification Academy™ (POCUS Academy). Goebel-Rys and her team lead the recruitment of and work with the organization’s certificate assessment development volunteers. They labor year-round to partner with POCUS experts on developing a robust certificate assessment program relevant and impactful to medicine.
The magic and, quite honestly, the fuel behind the program are the volunteers. They are the very fabric of the assessments and why the POCUS Academy can do what they do. The assessment development team relies on medical professionals not to come behind them but to lead them in authoring, reviewing, and developing content that aligns with the real-world application healthcare providers tackle and solve with POCUS.
Goebel-Rys admits that they know assessments, they know certificate programs, but it is the masters of medicine with their feet on the ground and fingers on the pulse that know point-of-care ultrasound. Without the subject matter experts of the field, the certificate offering would be meaningless as it would be exclusive of the training and education required to perfect and raise the standards of POCUS usage. Think of it in these terms. The president of a university would not be developing the curriculum of the school’s engineering program. No, they manage and oversee the university’s daily operations and depend on the engineering department to develop a robust syllabus to prepare and set students up for future success.
Volunteers are the backbone of the POCUS academic department at the POCUS Academy, so to speak. They represent diverse medical disciplines, various educational backgrounds, and work and live across the globe. This assortment of experience and knowledge is instrumental to delivering an unbiased yet transformative POCUS certificate program. There is one similarity, however. Collectively, this self-giving group of POCUS gurus brings their passion for medicine and point-of-care to the table.
Goebel-Rys is proud to be included in this volunteer community and finds it an honor to build relationships with POCUS providers who want to grow and extend the modality’s footprint. The contribution that each one provides in assisting in the assessment and development of the program is revolutionary. Their role expands beyond test questions. In actuality, these volunteers are changing the face of healthcare, redefining patient care, and helping to remove barriers that stand in the way of the POCUS movement. They are empowering their peers and renovating the field.
Knowledge is power, and it’s being discharged through their service. The willingness of these volunteers to roll up their sleeves and rewrite medical history is not taken lightly by Goebel-Rys. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Goebel-Rys shares. “The world is watching our work and noticing.” There is a ripple effect creating waves globally, and what’s even more amazing about this community is that there’s always room for more. The more, the merrier has become the mantra carried out by this incredible group of professionals.
The invitation for your contribution is wide open. If you desire to see healthcare alter and save lives at new levels, obtaining new heights, you belong here. Join in on raising the POCUS bar and generating unprecedented patient and medical care.
Inquire about volunteering at POCUS@Inteleos.org. Please note your interest in certificate assessment and development.
