1. Karie Johnson Interdisciplinary Studies Research Project

2. Reason and Problem I completed my service learning project in the student clinic at Rock Lake Middle School in Longwood, FL. This clinic is run entirely by parent volunteers and they are always looking for new helpers. For my project I wanted to determine how this clinic that is staffed entirely with volunteers can be run more efficiently and independently. The main problem here is that there is limited training available for new volunteers. When a new volunteer comes in, they are given a brief explanation of what to do and then left to work on their own. This leaves the volunteer feeling unsure and overwhelmed with their duties. Many times a volunteer does not want to come back and work in the clinic again. Also, when a volunteer has a question or problem, they must leave the clinic and go to the front desk for assistance. This creates two problems. First, when a volunteer leaves the clinic area, a sick or injured student may be left unattended. Second, the school secretary must stop what she is doing in order to assist the volunteer. This is very inconvenient and stressful for her because she is often on the phone assisting parents or students, assisting other staff members, or working at her computer.

3. Methodology, Results, and Conclusions I worked in the clinic several times to become familiar with procedures. I also talked with other volunteers to get an idea of what a typical day was like for them. I spoke with the school secretary, Mrs. Janice Winn to determine what I could do to help new volunteers feel more comfortable working in the clinic which would in turn reduce the amount of times her work is interrupted, and prevent the clinic from being left unattended. I decided that a new handbook that provided a description of detailed daily procedures and instructions for common situations was needed. I would use my knowledge from the areas of education and technical writing to create this handbook, therefore making it an interdisciplinary product. In addition, I have conducted research on how to create an effective handbook. I also spoke with MaryAnn Hansen, an executive secretary for the Seminole County School System. While working in the school system she has created several handbooks and was able to advise me on what to include. The creation of a clinic procedures handbook will be a welcome addition to this school. Volunteers will have a useful resource that they will be able to consult while they are working and will feel more confident about working in the clinic. Volunteers that feel confident and comfortable in the clinic will be much more likely to come back and work again. Mrs. Winn will also have fewer interruptions to her work.

4. Common Ground The two disciplines that are necessary to solving this problem are education and technical writing. I knew that I wanted to create an informational handbook and that in order for it to be successful, my teaching skills would have to come together with my technical writing skills. I believe that through extension of the following educational and technical writing theories I have created a common ground between the two disciplines. Theories: Learning By DoingTheory: Learning occurs through experience. (Dewey) Redish’s Readers Behavior Analysis Model: Technical writers decide the type and the style of the document based on reader analysis. (Redish) I was able to view this problem from the standpoint of a volunteer, educator, and writer. As a volunteer, I experienced the problem firsthand. As an educator, I thought how can I explain this process to others? As a writer, I was able to develop detailed instructions for future volunteers. Because I had experienced and learned about this problem as a volunteer first, I was able to then write to my audience. I knew exactly what they needed to know and how to present the information in an easy to understand format.

5. Clinic Volunteer Handbook Rock Lake Middle School The Solution

6. Problem and Solution The bulletin board was cluttered with information, and some of it is outdated. Everything a volunteer needs to know can now be found in the handbook.

7. Easy to Navigate Sections The handbook contains sections on daily procedures, symptom guidelines, miscellaneous flyers, and information on major illnesses. There is also a section to store weekly clinic logs and a welcome letter for volunteers.

8. First Day Basics for New Volunteers I re-created a brief flyer that can shared with new volunteers as they sign up to work in the clinic.

9. Important Information In addition to daily procedures, I added information on how to use the phone, where to find supplies and ice, when to contact parents, and important contact numbers.

10. Reflection How have your impressions/interests/attitudes, etc. changed since first starting your service work? My service work has taught me how important it is to be able to view a problem from different standpoints. Had I not experienced this problem first hand as a volunteer, I do not think the handbook I created would be detailed or helpful enough for future volunteers. I really enjoyed creating the handbook, and this something I may consider doing in the future. What impact have you had on the service organization or group? How has this impact been interdisciplinary? I think that my work for the school has been very beneficial. The creation of this new handbook will help volunteers to feel more comfortable with their duties and less overwhelmed. Everything they need to know is explained in detail and is easy to access. My work has been interdisciplinary because I have approached it from the viewpoint of a volunteer, an educator and a writer. My understanding of the problem from each of these angles helped me to create a truly interdisciplinary product. How have your insights about interdisciplinarity grown, altered and/or changed about your research subject by working with your service experience? I am learning more and more each day how I can apply my interdisciplinarity to different situations. At first, I had a hard time figuring out how something like volunteering in a student clinic could have an interdisciplinary focus, but as I got deeper into the project I realized how I could use my interdisciplinarity in this situation. What insights, knowledge, skills, etc. have you learned/gained about your project's subject through hands-on experience that you did not realize or that is different than from a solely academic point of view? I didn ’ t realize how much went into running the clinic. It takes a lot of effort to coordinate and train so many volunteers.