Grass Valley/Nevada County Clinic 2020

Volunteering at a California CareForce clinic is an experience like none other. It will be a full, busy day, but fun and rewarding! We aim to provide our clinic volunteers with the best experience possible. All California CareForce clinics are volunteer-led; we couldn't provide these critical dental, vision and medical services without you!

Please review the following important information about what to expect at a California CareForce clinic.

Time Commitment: Since the number of patients we serve each day is based on the number of volunteers we have, when you sign up to volunteer for a clinic day, we expect you will volunteer the whole day. We do appreciate that sometimes things come up in life that must be attended to though. If you are unable to volunteer for the whole day, please email emerald@californiacareforce.org to see if there is still availability in your section. Volunteers wishing to receive services at the clinic, may receive services the following day of volunteering. You may not receive services on the same day as you volunteered. You will need to get a wristband for the services needed. Wristbands are distributed the day before services are received. Go to the Patient Tab on the California CareForce website for information on wristband distribution.

Our clinics typically open at 7:00 am and close in the late afternoon or early evening hours (around 5 PM). The schedules for each section of the clinic vary based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the volunteers in those sections. If you can only volunteer for part of the day (a half day or less), please let us know so we can plan accordingly. Please remember to review the times you're expected to arrive for your specific section of the clinic too.

Medical Volunteers: We are in need of Medical Doctors, Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Licensed Vocational Nurses, Nutritionists, EMTs, Chiropractors, and Acupuncturists. The medical section provides screenings, general health checks, health education and diabetes counseling, and other basic services. They also help stabilize patients so that they can undergo their dental or vision procedures.

Dental Volunteers: We are in need of General Dentists, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Dental Hygienists, Dental Assistants, Dental X-Ray Technicians and Dental Students (with instructor oversight). The dental section consists of three sections: hygiene, restoration, and oral surgery. We do not provide any endodontic work at the clinic. The dental floor consists of 70 chairs. You do not need to bring your own equipment. All instrumentation and personal protective equipment is provided. Dental volunteers may also be eligible to receive 3 CE credits free of charge. For more information on the criteria for CE credits, click here.

Vision Volunteers: We are in need of Optometrists and Ophthalmologists, Ophthalmic and Optometric Technicians, Opticians, and Vision Lab Technicians. The vision section provides full eye exams and produces custom-made prescription glasses on-site (up to 350 pairs per day) for our patients.

General Volunteers (Non-Professional): Volunteers without professional health care experience or skills will be able to volunteer in several other capacities: registering patients, stocking supplies, sterilizing dental supplies, making glasses in the Vision Lab, escorting patients from section to section, and interpreting for patients (if you speak a second language). We ask that you please be flexible concerning your work assignment at the clinic. We have many roles that need to be filled, so you may not be able to volunteer for a specific role. Although we will do our absolute best to honor your requests -- in addition to accommodating any physical restrictions you have -- general volunteers will mostly be assigned roles when they arrive based on our greatest need at the time. We have to get the clinic operations up and running each morning, so things can be very busy. You will find that it is easy to enjoy working in wherever you end up at the clinic. You’ll get to meet new people and make new friends.

Dress: We recommend volunteers wear modest, comfortable attire (scrubs are acceptable). All volunteers are required to wear closed-toe shoes (in which you can stand comfortably in for long hours). No tank tops, clothing featuring political statements, or clothing with offensive words/symbols are permitted. We do provide complimentary volunteer T-shirts for you to wear.

Food: We provide our volunteers with breakfast, lunch, and refreshments each day.