Medical Reserve Corps Frequently Asked Questions

January 24, 2009

Thanks for taking time ask the questions which will help you to decide if becoming a Medical Reserve Corps volunteer is right for you. We encourage you to visit http://www.medicalreservecorps.gov/About  to get a broad understanding of the mission of and services provided by the Medical Reserve Corps volunteers.

I am not a medical professional. Is a need for my services?

Non-medical volunteers are certainly needed and welcomed. Whether we are deployed to assist at a special needs shelter, or during an inoculation or vaccination event, there are rewarding, non-clinical jobs to be filled.

What would I be doing?

That depends on the deployment mission. You may comfort fragile seniors during a hurricane, track inventory during an immunization event, or man communications posts. Remember, your service is voluntary and if you are asked to deploy for a specific event, you decide if you are willing and able.

Is it local? 

The WCFMRC currently covers six counties: Citrus, Hardee, Hernando, Manatee, Pasco, and Sumter counties. When a public health event that exceeds the capacity of a facility's staff occurs in any of these counties, we can expect to be deployed. If an event occurs outside our area, either in-state or out-of-state (think Katrina), the state will contact each MRC unit to see what resources are available for deployment. When this happens, one of our staff formally contacts our WCFMRC volunteers who we believe would be an appropriate resource match. Here is how we contact you:

During any deployment event (local, state or national) your availability will be formally requested through the Florida Emergency Health Volunteer Registry (FEHVR). The FEHVR deployment request provides mission details and asks if volunteers are available for this deployment event.

What kind of regular time demands would there be?

The staff are working to make available at least one training event every other month. Training events are suspended in July, August, September and October, due to potential hurricane deployments. While these trainings are not mandatory, your participation and understanding of the hazard response will help staff determine if you are selected for deployment during a public health emergency event.

What kind of required training is required?

The West Central Florida Medical Reserve Corps requires, at a minimum:

1. Successful completion of  http://www.wcfmrc.org/  Orientation Modules I, II and III, and
2. Familiarity with the Florida Department of Health employee handbook and Confidentiality and Security documents (will be provided to you electronically), and either
3. IS-100.a Introduction to Incident Command, or IS-700.a  Introduction to the National Incident Management System http://training.fema.gov/IS/

How much time is required for the required training?  

The online training can take between an hour and three hours to complete, on average. The in-person training depends on the topic, and we are appreciative of your valuable time. To that end, training can last two to four hours, on average.