Volunteer Services

Remote Volunteer Guidelines

Remote Volunteer Guidelines (UCLA Health Sciences)

Definitions:

  • "University Business" means any activity associated with the performance of one's duties as any employee, trainee, or volunteer, at any time of day or from any location.
  • "Protected health information" or "PHI" is any individually identifiable health information, in any form or media, whether electronic, paper or oral (includes identifiable information that pertains to any patient or study participant). 

What is Permitted for Remote Activities?

  • The Volunteer Office approves the volunteer's role and duties via their corresponding Research Volunteer Scope of Duties form (if duties are not on the form, then it cannot be part of their role). 
  • Volunteers are NOT permitted to be fully remote. 
  • Supervisors must train and supervise volunteers onsite for their start date.
  • Volunteers must be within the local area (Greater Los Angeles) for any remote activities AND be able to come for onsite volunteering (under staff supervision) on a regular basis.
    • Volunteers may only assist remotely in a non-clinical capacity using their personal device(s) based on the guidelines and parameters in place under the Use of Personal Device Volunteer Parameters 
    • UCLA SRP students in the Health Sciences must adhere to the same policies and guidelines as volunteers. 

NOTE: VPN is NOT permitted to be granted to Volunteers or UCLA SRP students. You do NOT need VPN to perform any of the outlined appropriate remote volunteer duties as listed on this webpage.

What is NOT Permitted for Remote Activities?

  • Volunteers may NOT access, store, view, or transmit:
    • Clinical data
    • Identifiable information
    • Restricted information (as determined by the department)
  • Volunteers are not permitted to receive VPN access. (Volunteers may not access Health Sciences [Mednet] servers remotely.)
  • Volunteers may not share or distribute: 
    • Login credentials or passwords
    • Restricted or UCLA-owned data with others (including other volunteers)
    • UCLA information without proper authorization
  • Departments and supervisors may NOT issue UCLA-owned devices to volunteers.
    • Devices borrowed from the UCLA Library are NOT considered approved for special access to UCLA Health Sciences systems.
  • Volunteers may NOT use personal or general campus email accounts to conduct University Business related to Health Sciences.
    • A Mednet account is required for communications involving, including but not limited to:
      • Non-clinical or de-identified Health Sciences or research data
      • Departmental topics, meetings, employees, or Health Sciences operations
  • Additional restrictions may apply based on department or institutional policy.

Identifiable information includes (but is not limited to):

  • PHI (Protected Health Information)
  • Care Connect / EPIC
  • UCLA Health Box containing PHI
  • Full-face images or video
  • Zoom meetings with patients or study participants
  • Phone or email communications with patients or participants
  • Any information that can identify or be traced back to an individual
  • For more information about identifiable data, visit: https://ohrpp.research.ucla.edu/hipaa/

Health Sciences Policies Referenced (available on PolicyStat):