Volunteerism and Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Abstract

Shriners Hospitals for Children exemplifies the spirit of volunteerism and the remarkable effectiveness of this spirit in providing orthopaedic and burn care to thousands of children around the world. The voluntary efforts of Shriners have included fund raising, hospital planning and development, governance, identification of patients in need, and patient transportation. Until the 1980s, orthopaedic surgeons received little or no remuneration for their work in caring for children in Shriners hospitals. Subsequently, numerous factors have caused a conversion of a part-time voluntary medical staff to full-time and contracted part-time staff. Even so, many Shriners hospitals' medical staff members continue to volunteer their own time in caring for children in less fortunate countries, and as a corporation, Shriners Hospitals for Children has provided volunteer medical teams during times of major international disasters.