I still have one more week left of volunteering to complete my 35 hours but alas I must write this conclusion. Here are some of my reflections about my experience volunteering at Sparrow Hospital as a patient escort.

Some of the most valuable things I have learned about the medical field are the importance of listening to the stories of others, the variety of patient experiences, and how much of a difference escorts can make for a patient.

From my volunteering I have transported a lot of patients. Every single one of had a special experience and some even told me their experience in the hospital and/or stories from their life outside of the hospital. Not one story was the same. Each was unique, sincere, and had it’s emotions connected to it. I heard wonderful recovery stories, depressing losses and frustrating troubles. As someone who loves to listen I loved to hear these even if they were not a happy ending. You learn a lot about the person, their past and even about yourself in their stories.

Not only that but the people really appreciate having their voices be heard and to just rant, talk out loud or have a conversation. It’s definitely therapeutic. It’s even therapeutic from the receiving end. Before volunteering I never knew how valuable transport services and escort services was.

I haven’t had many surgeries and when I did I was either still drowsy or tired from the anesthetic. I never got to talk much with my transporters either because my parents were waiting to get me home right away. Being an escort gives a different perspective into how important the role really is.  Like I mentioned in an earlier blog, escorts are the last people patients see from the hospital. People always remember the last thing to happen to them. You can totally change the patient’s mood just from the trip from their room to their car. It’s incredible what a difference you can make.

I learned that I need to keep working on improving my small talk because even after this long my small talk with patients isn’t the best. I am better at just introducing where I’m from or where I go to school and working from there the best.  I also learned that I am getting better at exploring new things and talking to new people. Since I met new people every patient I saw I really pushed past some of my anxiety of doing that. Lastly I learned how much I love to be in a medical setting. Whether it was the familiarity of the Mayo Clinic that I saw of a lot in back home in Rochester or just pure passion or a mix of both I’m still figuring out. What I know for sure is that I want a career in medicine for sure ! From my volunteering I now find it hard to imagine myself not working in a medical setting.

I would definitely recommend escorting patients as a volunteering opportunity. I think it’s a really good introductory volunteering job because it’s easy to get into and not too intimidating. Also because you see so many different people in a short amount of time it is hard to get bored unless it’s a slow day. Because it’s a more straightforward you can work on improving the little things that make a huge difference such as small talk, body language, customer service and more. For me it’s allowed me to feel more confident as well not only in what I do now but also for other opportunities in the future.

Some advice that I’d give is to put yourself out there. Don’t be afraid to do something that make you uncomfortable. I was pretty nervous about going into an unfamiliar setting especially when I was moving patients around but it turned out to be nothing to worry about. Also get to know the people you work with. It makes the experience so much more enjoyable and keep you from getting bored or even worse…awkward. Plus it never hurts to know more people! People lead to connections and connections lead to opportunities !

 

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