Volunteering at the hospital

In January 2012, I decided to volunteer at a big teaching hospital and level 1 trauma center in Dallas. I filled out an application, had an interview, and attended orientation, then started with delivering magazines to the many units and departments within the hospital campus. Yes, delivering magazines for the first 2-3 months of volunteering. I can't remember exactly how long. It helped me to become familiar with the hospital and it also allowed me to see which department I would like to be placed in. Then I moved on to selling popcorn. Popcorn was only for 2 hours each day I was there, because the lady who sold the popcorn has to have a lunch. I was fine with that, I got to interact with many different people.

I call this the first day of official volunteering, I was placed in the new Cancer Hospital on an Oncology ICU unit. I was introduced to the unit secretary and the nurse supervisor. Then I was placed in the nurses station to answer telephones and call lights, fax orders, make new charts, input orders, etc. I also got to help the nurses with patients. Just some basic needs, like getting them some new linens, gown, food, etc.

Summer came and I was going to float around in many different units for two hours a day. My summer schedule consisted of Surgery/OR, Telemetry, Oncology ICU, Hemodialysis, and General Medicine, along with relieving the popcorn lady during her lunch.

In the surgical unit, I got to see how nurses prepare patients for procedures, observe a surgery or two when time allotted, and see patients recover from their procedure. This was where I knew I didn't want to be a surgeon. The thought of cutting someone open, not my thing. It's not the blood, or seeing the organs; I'm not disgusted by that at all. I've seen worse.

Oh tele, a mixture of a step-down critical care unit and general medicine floor. I enjoyed my time here, well enjoyed chatting with the nurse manager who was very helpful in answering my questions as to what a nurse does on a daily basis.

Dialysis, this unit was an inpatient dialysis unit/ ICU. It was for the critically ill patients who needed to stay on the unit and could not be placed anywhere else. Couldn't do much on this unit since it was ICU. Didn't have a call light because there are two patients to one nurse. Telephone didn't ring too often because they are equipped to handle the sickest of the patients and they have standing orders. Carts were stocked. Well I spent most of my time observing the nurse take care of her patients and comforting those who asked.

General medicine, not too shabby as they say. It wasn't wow or dull. It was mediocre. I answered telephones, call lights, faxed paperwork, made new charts, hunted down nurses, passed out food/drinks/blankets, and whatever else they needed me to do.

Here comes the good part, summer has ended and official college is starting for me and I asked to be placed in the Emergency Department. Boy was I happy to finally be able to see how a real ED operates. My coordinator approved my transfer to the ED and I immediately went down there to walk around and observe the unit. I introduced myself to the clinical supervisor, who was excited to have me there as much as I was excited to be there. I would be there on Saturdays from 9AM-7PM. I started out in the front desk (triage), putting arm bands on patients and taking them to the back. They progressively gave me more tasks as time went on and they began to trust me. Next came access to the computer system to know where each patient is going, what meds they are on, what the orders are, the charting, etc. Of course my HIPAA training came into effect. I had to be responsible with the information I have access to. Now, I am able to scribe/chart for nurses, take vital signs, assist nurses more, etc. This is my calling and I'm going into Emergency Medicine.