Stealth voluntarism: an expectation of health professional work in underserviced areas?

Voluntarism can take many forms, and its boundaries are not always straightforward. In this paper, we explore a particular type of voluntary activities carried out as an add-on to formal duties of health care professionals and administrators. We outline some impressions of what we term 'stealth voluntarism', which we situate at the interstices of health care professionalism, place integration, and welfare retrenchment. Our discussion draws on exploratory research looking at health care and social support in smaller urban centres in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. While stealth voluntarism can occur anywhere, we highlight its unique implications for systems of support in rural and small town places. We conclude by considering the wider implications of stealth voluntarism as an expectation of professional work in underserviced areas, particularly in the context of welfare retrenchment and the offloading of care.