July

Main Content

Makayla Bailey, a first-year nursing student, paints the finishing touches on North America on a window in a play room at Children's of Mississippi. Bailey volunteers weekly at the facility with patients and their families.

GivePulse offers new way to grow volunteering at UMMC

Published on Monday, July 17, 2023

By: Danny Barrett Jr., dlbarrett@umc.edu

Photos By: Jay Ferchaud/ UMMC Communications

Volunteers are the glue that holds every event from momentous groundbreakings to fundraiser car washes together – as nursing student Kayla Evans, of Jackson, can attest.

“I volunteered at Ridgeland High School around the school or on weekends,” Evans said. “Joining the club allowed my friends and I to do more than just hang out together, but help out in our area.”

The added sets of hands also help to keep the patient experience as fulfilling as possible, particularly at Children’s of Mississippi.

Kayla Evans, right, a first-year nursing student, hands a bottle of water to Nancy Ladd, education administrator for the Office of Academic Affairs, at a groundbreaking ceremony held June 28 for the new School of Nursing. Evans was among several student volunteers working the event.

“As a Child Life volunteer, I make sure the playroom here is sanitary and take on different fun projects to make the room even better than it already is,” said Makayla Bailey, also a nursing student. “For example, we are currently painting the windows an outer space theme. Most importantly I play, interact, and do crafts with the children on the floor who need some fun while they are in a not-so-fun place.”

Bringing the first-year nursing students’ experience together with other students for whom volunteer service hours look pretty spiffy on a resumé is the goal of GivePulse, a new one-stop clearinghouse for volunteer services at UMMC.

“GivePulse is a more advanced version of our previous platform that allows us to invite volunteers to show their participation and have it accessible to our students in a verified report after graduation,” said Hanna Broome, chief student affairs officer and administrator of the site. “We are also exploring some additional functionality of the site, including an integration with Canvas, our campus online learning management system. It will allow faculty to directly link to GivePulse from their academic courses that include service-learning modules and/or assignments.”

Registered users may browse volunteer opportunities, sign up for a shift, post their recent volunteer service time – referred to as “impacts” – and describe their experiences. Affiliated partners of the Medical Center are included along with events and opportunities hosted by those organizations, as well as updates from Volunteer Services on upcoming opportunities to volunteer at various locations on the main campus.

“Students will benefit from the new platform from the way it lays out the information so they can fit into their busy schedules,” said Farrah D. Evans, director of student life in the School of Nursing. “And the most exciting part for them will be for their service learning documented and verified on the site.”

The volunteer experience for current nursing students is almost like a for-credit class by itself.

“It has helped me become more confident talking to patients and families, and so it has me more confident in my decision to pursue nursing as a career,” Bailey said. “I believe GivePulse will encourage other students to volunteer at UMMC because it is so easy.”

To become a volunteer at UMMC, apply online here. Interested parties must be 16 years of age or older. Contact Volunteer Services at volunteer@umc.edu or call (601) 984-2068 for more information.