VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS

General Information
What to Bring | Expenses
Pre-Clinic Training | Travel Plans
Accommodations | Volunteer Assignments
Safety | International Travel

Being a RAVS volunteer is all about dependability and initiative. To be an effective volunteer and to get the most out of your experience, you must be well prepared.

The following information details what will be expected of you as a volunteer. These guidelines are important for successful functioning of the clinics, optimal learning experiences, and, most importantly, patient and volunteer safety. We take them VERY seriously. Be sure you are able to meet all requirements before applying to participate.

General Information
Successful volunteers are flexible and committed to learning about all aspects of the clinic. Field clinics can be a physically and mentally challenging experience. The work is hard and the hours are long. You should expect to rise early in the morning (5 AM) and work for as many hours as are required to complete the clinic, often until 9 or 10 PM.

All volunteers are expected to be team players and remain with the group throughout the trip. You should be prepared to live and work under a variety of conditions. The facilities that we stay in are safe, but often pretty basic. They include classroom floors, gyms, and tents. Often bathrooms, showers, and air conditioning are non-functional or non-existent. We try to make it as comfortable as possible, but we expect all volunteers to adapt to whatever conditions we are met with.

There are lots of other opportunities for travel and learning that are more comfortable and fun than expeditions with RAVS. We are “all about” delivering the maximum amount of good veterinary care to animals in difficult situations. Our volunteers' primary concern is the welfare of their patients. Our teams work together as a unit regardless of the circumstances. Failure to bring an adequate sense of humor and adventure can lead to considerable discomfort!

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What to Bring
You must bring the equipment listed here. We cannot make allowances for volunteers who come unprepared. While there are usually places to buy sundries and do laundry on every trip, such facilities may not be available every day and may not be particularly well stocked. Transport space is limited. Your equipment must fit into luggage the size of a military duffel bag (a large backpack is fine) and one small "carry on" backpack or bag.

REQUIRED ITEMS: OPTIONAL RECOMMENDED ITEMS:

Do not bring fancy clothes, a large mattress or cot, large cameras or other valuables.

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Expenses

Trip Deposit: Once accepted to a trip, all veterinary student volunteers are required to submit a non-refundable $200 deposit for each trip they will be participating in. Students participating in two consecutive week trips are only required to submit one deposit ($200) for both trips. This deposit does not apply to veterinarians, veterinary technicians/assistants, tech students or non-veterinary volunteers. Please do not send a deposit until you have received an email confirming your acceptance on a trip.

For additional information, see the Trip Deposits page.

Surgical Gloves: All veterinary students are required to bring one box (20 pair) of sterile surgeon's gloves in their size for each week of clinics. Veterinarians are not required to supply surgical gloves. One source of reasonably priced gloves online is MooreMedical.com.

Surgery Caps: In an effort to reduce waste we will be switching to reusable cloth surgery caps and limiting the number of masks we carry. Volunteers will receive one cloth surgeons cap per trip. If you would like to have more than one cap during the week you will need to supply extras yourself. Your hair must be covered completely - if a regular surgeons cap is not sufficient, please bring a bouffant-style cap. Inexpensive caps can be purchased online at ComfortScrubs.com.

Travel: Volunteers are responsible for getting to and from the designated meeting site, and for arranging your own accommodations prior to and after the pick-up and drop-off times.

Volunteers are asked to carpool and bring or rent their own vehicles whenever possible. If you will be driving your own vehicle or renting a vehicle for the entire trip AND there are 4 or more volunteers in the vehicle, RAVS can pay for your fuel from the designated meeting location until the end of the trip, but ONLY if you are queued-up at the gas stations and allow the trip leader to pay for the gas. We cannot make reimbursements.

For additional information, see the Travel Information page.

Food and Lodging: Once the team has assembled at the meeting location, RAVS, or the host community, will provide food and lodging for the duration of the trip. Volunteers are responsible for hotel acommodations, meals or any other expenses before the stated meeting time and after the team returns to the meeting site.

Misc: Your only other expense will be incidentals, such as snacks or souvenirs "on the road".

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Pre-Clinic Training
ALL RAVS volunteers will be required to participate in an online training program prior to attending any RAVS field clinics. All volunteers will be required to submit a score of 80% or higher on the online evaluation at least 30 days before your scheduled trip. New scores must be submitted for 2008 regardless of prior RAVS participation.

A practical skills assessment will be administered to all veterinary students at the start of each clinic. The assessment will include basic knot tying and suture patterns, medical records, patient evaluation and anesthesia machine setup. Details on specific requirements will be provided in the volunteer training materials.

For additional information, see the Volunteer Training section.

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Travel Plans
Travel details for each trip are listed on the Schedule page, via the ‘VIEW DETAILS’ link under the your particular trip. All volunteers are required to submit their travel information, including flight or vehicle information no later than 30 days prior to their scheduled trip. Providing this information as early as possible is extremely helpful as it allows us to plan transportation and logistics details.

To submit travel information, see the Travel Information page.

Accommodations
Sleeping arrangements will generally involve "camping" in vacant houses, community centers, or auditoriums. You should be prepared to sleep on the floor, regardless of how far you have been traveling or how long you worked that day. We make every effort to make sure you are comfortable, and you may end up staying in a hotel room at a casino with a hot tub (but don't get your hopes up!). The point is, you should be prepared for whatever accommodations are available.

Food and amenities are variable. If you have special dietary requirements, you should bring some packaged food. Our hosts are generally good about providing both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. However, vegan food is usually "a bridge too far" and you should plan to bring your own food if you plan to adhere to your diet. Occasionally, signals get crossed, and food does not show up. If these communities were well organized and wealthy, they wouldn't need our services! Having some snacks like Power Bars, etc., especially if you need to eat on a regular basis, is a good idea. Peanut butter in a plastic container is easy to transport and meets all basic nutritional needs. (Okay, you do have to have coffee, too. . .)

Most communities will have showers. However, you have to realize that a team of volunteers can put significant strain on local resources and plumbing does not always work. You do not have a constitutional right to a shower!

Our volunteers are courteous to hosts and are grateful for what is provided. Questions about food or accommodations should be directed to the team leader, who will handle all problems. Complaining to community residents or hosts is grounds for dismissal.

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Volunteer Assignments
 Students can generally expect to rotate through each area of the clinic. On a five day clinic most students will spend one day in surgery and two days each in anesthesia and intake. The scheduling of some trips may not allow for equal distribution and you will be expected to work wherever you are most needed. If your only goal is to particpate in surgery, this may not be the program for you.

You will be expected to work as a team and share in all duties. This includes clean up, packing, paper work, instrument prep, and (occasionally) cooking. Be ready to pitch in and lift boxes, scrub, and sweep. We make an effort to share work equitably, but if you do an extra sterilization or laundry detail, you should see it as a character-building experience. If you don’t want to get your hands dirty, this is not the group for you.

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Safety
Every effort is made to maintain volunteer safety. All volunteers must read, and agree to comply with the RAVS Safety Policy, which includes rabies prophylaxis and health insurance requirements. Additionally, if you have any health problems, it is essential that the trip leader know about them, as emergency medical care is sometimes unavailable.

You will not be asked to do procedures that are dangerous or for which you have not been trained. If you feel uncomfortable with a particular situation, tell the veterinarian in charge of the trip or the person assigned as your immediate supervisor. The animals we work with are not always well socialized and may be under considerable stress. Keep this in mind at all times and act accordingly. You don't get points for being heroic!

We have an excellent safety record, in large part because our teams "stick together." As a result, volunteers are not permitted to go hiking or running alone. You may only leave the team with the permission of the trip leader, and you must be specific about where you are going and when you will return.

By participating in a RAVS clinic, you are agreeing to release The Humane Society of the United States, its staff, and the supervising veterinarians from liability for injuries that may occur during the trip or while traveling to the site .

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INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
In addition to the information above, the following pertains to all travel outside the United States:

Application Requirements
Applicants must have at least 4 days of prior RAVS clinic experience to be considered for international trips. This experience must be complete prior to applying for international clinics. .

Identification/Travel Documents
You will not need a visa for any currently scheduled trips, but you will need a current passport. Please check with your physician on required vaccinations.

Evacuation Policies
All volunteers traveling outside the United States are required to have some sort of evacuation insurance policy. Although we have been fortunate not to have to use them in the past, you will be working in a remote area with minimal health care available.

Evacuation policies are inexpensive, and the benefits far outweigh the cost. A good policy can be obtained through International SOS, Tel: 800-523-6586 or by email at www.intsos.com. You are welcome to check out other companies as well, or an evac policy may be available through your health care plan. However, this is not a suggestion; it is a requirement.

Recommended Provider of Evacuation Insurance:
International SOS
Phone: (USA) 800-523-6586
(Outside USA) 215-245-4707
http://www.internationalsos.com/buymembership/

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